Kubrick As a Master of Dark Comedy

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a film directed by Kubrick in 1964 that stands as proof that Kubrick is a master of dark comedy. The film is a masterpiece that can be watched again and again with a geniusly written plot and a swift tempo.

The film is based on Peter George's novel The Red Alert. The film is basically sarcastic about political affairs but it criticizes brutally in a comic way. It deals with the end of the world in a nuclear war. The film is produced during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.

The film does not waste any scenes throughout 94 minutes. There are no irrelevant or unnecessary scenes, every minute of this film is worth watching. It begins with a paranoid general, General Jack D. Ripper. He is clearly out of his mind and he is the embodiment of hatred toward communism. He is paranoid about communists planning to poison the water supplies of the USA so he acts first and sets off nuclear bombs to kill all communists.

After learning about Ripper's action President Muffley calls the Soviet Pres

dent to inform him that this is not a war against them but Soviet President is drunk and threatens Muffley with a Doomsday Machine. We do not know if such a thing is real or a bluff but we are constantly reminded about it. Dr. Strangelove, however, confirms that such machinery exists. He then begins his calculations of how to re-populate the earth. According to his calculations, it would take ten females for each male to re-populate the earth in a reasonable time.

In the meantime, the Russian air force manages to take down US planes except one that is piloted by Major King Kong. Kong's plane takes damage but he manages to drop the atomic bomb. He sits on it and pretends to be at a rodeo with his cowboy hat and pulls the lever to drop it.

The film ends with the Doomsday Machine working and nuclear bombs everywhere exploding, thus, the end of mankind.

The film is cautionary and satirical at the same time. Kubrick describes his film as a nightmare comedy. Peter Sellers is also contributing to the film with perfectly created three characters. His Dr. Strangelove act is completely genius and genuine. I do not even feel the need to make an explanation about why this film is a masterpiece of dark comedy after all I mentioned.