Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb [Blu-Ray]

Stanley Kubrick

BY Philip BrownPublished Jun 11, 2009

In 1964, the Cold War was active and tense. School children across America were being brought up to believe that a nuclear attack from Russia was imminent, but they would be all right provided they followed the appropriate "duck and cover" procedures before the blast. The time was defined by fear and panic. Looking back, it's easy to see how ridiculous the atmosphere of nuclear paranoia was. But at the time, the only guy who saw any humour in a potential nuclear holocaust was Stanley Kubrick. The man commonly considered the greatest director who ever lived may have made more ambitious movies and successful later in his career but he's never made anything ballsier than Dr. Strangelove. Kubrick's lucky he's so talented because if the movie hadn't been brilliant he would have been considered a tasteless, America-hating Commie sympathizer and never allowed to work in Hollywood again. Instead, the film became his first universally recognized masterpiece and was the start of the most impressive artistic streak of his career, which would quickly lead to 2001 and A Clockwork Orange. While the issues it explores are no longer quite as pertinent, Dr. Strangelove has barely aged a day since its release. The writing is exceptionally sharp — no dark comedy before or since is quite as vicious — the black and white cinematography is gorgeous, the set design is unparalleled and the acting is uniformly brilliant (especially Peter Sellers in an unforgettable three-headed performance). Simply put, it is a masterpiece. Dr. Strangelove arrives on Blu-Ray with a bevy of special features ported over from previous DVD releases. There are separate documentaries about the making of the film, the Cold War, Peter Sellers and the early films of Stanley Kubrick, all of which are well produced and enlightening in their own way. There is nothing new on this Blu-Ray beyond the transfer but it's a doosey. Few directors' films benefit as much from a Blu-Ray upgrade as Stanley Kubrick's. His meticulously crafted compositions and deep focus photography practically demand to be seen in high definition. While the Dr. Strangelove transfer isn't quite as revelatory as the 2001 Blu-Ray, seeing the movie with this level of detail is like seeing it for the first time. This is essential Blu-Ray watching.
(Warner)

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