Stars: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Peter Bull, James Earl Jones, Shane Rimmer
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Released: 1964

Another great masterpiece to spring forth from the Kubrick fold, and with three characters being excellently portrayed by Sellers. And of course some excellent scenes and quotes. Like this conversation about funding a telephone call to the president. Mandrake is played by Sellers.

Mandrake: Colonel...that Coca Cola machine. I want you to shoot the lock off it. There may be some change in there.
Guano: That's private property.
Mandrake: Colonel! Can you possibly imagine what is going to happen to you, your frame outlook way of life and everything, when they learn that you have obstructed a telephone call to the President of the United States? Can you imagine?! Shoot it off! Shoot! With a gun! That's what the bullets are for you twit!!
Guano: Okay. I'm gonna get your money for ya. But if you don't get the President of the United States on that phone, you know what's gonna happen to you?
Mandrake: What?!
Guano: You're gonna have to answer to the Coca Cola company.

Or this brilliant line from a general who wants to go ahead and fire on the Russians, "I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed. But I do say no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops. Uh, depending on the breaks." Or the excellent quote from the president played once again by Sellers, "You can't fight in here, this is the War Room!" and the brilliant conversation with the president of Russia on the phone. This film was originally going to be a serious film, but as Kubrick was writing it became obvious to him that most of the stuff he was writing was actually pretty funny, and so it developed, it was originally going to end with a custard pie fight in the war room, between the Russians and the Americans, and although it was filmed, was cut in the final edit because Kubrick feared, quite rightly I think, that it would turn his excellent satire into a farce, the current ending is much better.

This film really shines as a well thought out well acted Nightmare comedy, and though I think its going a little far to call it the "Most courageous film ever made" as one reviewer did just after it was released, I also think its a little better than Films in Review magazines comment "..twirpish twiddle.."

I have to say that the most memorable part of this film is the ending, with footage of bombs going off to the sound of "We'll meet again", such is the sure brilliance of this section that it becomes one of the most memorable parts in the film.

Score: 10/10

Movie Link: http://www.voyagerco.com/criterion/indepth.cgi?strangelove

©1997 j-dom media

by Alex Andronov [e-mail him]