Eerie Relevance

I recently saw Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb again for the first time in many years, and though it was even funnier than I remembered, it was also scarier. The situation it lampoons is more likely to occur now than it was at the time (1963). In the movie it's a crazy general that precipitates the ultimate destruction; but now, in the real world, we have the president and vice president of the United States apparently looking to initiate World War III, in the guise of trying to prevent it. I think we'd be better off with Peter Sellers' version of the leader of the free world. As it is, Vice President Dick Cheney has always reminded me more of Dr. Strangelove himself (also played by Sellers); the misguided mastermind of the doomsday scenario. President Bush appears bent on creating a lasting legacy no matter the cost, and is perhaps best represented by Slim Pickens' gung ho character with the cowboy hat.

At the beginning of the movie there is a disclaimer by the United States Army that the events depicted are not possible due to safeguards that are in place. Unfortunately, our own government is not immune from creating the conditions under which MAD (mutually assured destruction) was so feared during the Cold War. All of the hysterics aimed at Iran (for instance) are just inciting the very events they pretend to address. If we are really so concerned about whether Iran is building nuclear power plants, then we should be offering them alternative energy options instead, like solar, wind and geothermal. So far no one in our government has even suggested this, even as a bluff. Until we are willing to provide a sane example, we will be failing to lead the international community as we so seem to desire.

Stanley Kubrick was famous for maintaining complete artistic control over every aspect of his films, and his entire catalog is worth seeing just to study the unique perspective on the human condition he was so adept at portraying. In this new century, it's sad that Dr. Strangelove, though it may be Kubrick's most accessible film, should be more relevant than 2001: A Space Odyssey, a film that tried to provide a glimpse of the future. It is, however, a tribute to his genius that he was so far (40+ years) ahead of his time in terms of both technique and creative vision. I can't recommend this film highly enough, and hope that we will all have many more years on this planet in which to view it.