Strangely the eponymous Dr Strangelove is the most beguiling character despite featuring little. His presence in a wheelchair makes entrances onscreen obvious and slightly disturbing as his chair squeaks across the polished floor of the almost celestial war room. Portrayed by Peter Sellers, clearly a very gifted actor as he swaps roles, personalities and accents 3 times in this movie (The President Mick Muffley ;) , RAF Captain Mandrake, and Dr Strangelove himself). Kubrick creates the resultant disturbing but also comedic idea of Sellers appearing everywhere, instrumental in deciding the fate of the world. With Dr Strangelove, the overzealous smile give you a false sense of security, as if the German nuclear physicist really is aiding the righteous USA, until the Nazi chauvinsim takes over like some released devil; the prevailing mood darkens.
Another comical character is General Jack D. Ripper who single-handedly causes the imminent destruction of the world by exploiting the loopholes in the retaliation operations and protocols concerning nuclear holocaust. His paranoia of a communist infiltration (as an aftermath of McCarthyism) through fluoridation of water and 'bodily fluids' means he is a serious liability. Mental illness and authority do not go together - Kubrick toys with fantasy and possible reality - merging the two to become almost indistinguishable which is extremely unsettling and shocking.General Ripper's foil is patriotic Buck Turgidson whose crazily-enthusiastic resolve despite crucial moments in the future of the world emphasizes the absurdity of the situation. This goes for the B-52 pilot who dons an appropriate cowboy hat too. The president himself whose ambling but amusing conversation with Russian premier using the farcical Hot Line between USA & USSR trivialises the situation of the cold war stalemate. However when the peace becomes frail potential nuclear seems unstoppable but as the title says 'How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb' says it all really. The film becomes stranger and stranger but then again strange is good sometimes :)
Kubricks bravery in the face of controversy makes this film all that more dangerous at a time during censorship and barricades of freedom like the Berlin Wall, this film highlights that when the iceberg nearly tipped in the Cuban Missile Crisis, how too world powers - out of control - became totally, hilariously nonsensical in hindsight.
*****
