Iconic War Comedy From Iconic Filmmaker Leaving Streaming
Now that just about every film ever made is on one streaming service or another, audiences tend to have trouble picking something to watch due to an overwhelming sense of decision fatigue. Well, if the classic 1964 war comedy Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is taking up space on your list, you’ll want to be certain to catch it as soon as possible, as it’s on pace to depart Amazon Prime Video by October 1.
While there’s no way of knowing when Dr. Strangelove will pop back up on another streaming service, the film’s departure from Amazon will mean that the only way to watch it after October 1 is through physical media or a paid digital rental.
A Stanley Kubrick Film
For those who haven’t yet seen the iconic film, Dr. Strangelove was written and directed by auteur filmmaker Stanley Kubrick. Though he had already established himself with classic movies such as 1960’s Spartacus and 1962’s Lolita, Dr. Strangelove predates most of Kubrick’s most acclaimed works like 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, or Full Metal Jacket.
In fact, when Dr. Strangelove was initially entering production, Kubrick hadn’t yet established himself as a major force in Hollywood, so he was still susceptible to seemingly absurd demands from Columbia Pictures.
The Cast
One such demand was that Dr. Strangelove lead Peter Sellers would need to take on four separate leading roles in the film, much to the chagrin of both Kubrick and Sellers himself. Ultimately, they reached a compromise, and Peter Sellers performed as three different lead characters in the movie. Sellers is joined in the cast by a number of acclaimed thespians who likely won’t have immediate name recognition with today’s audiences, such as George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn, Peter Bull, and Slim Pickens.
Cold War Comedy
The narrative of Dr. Strangelove centers on a tense Cold War situation that sees Russia and the United States threatening each other with total nuclear annihilation. While that may not sound like a premise rife with hilarious humor, Kubrick finds a way to weave in a number of macabre jokes and interactions, with a series of wacky characters, bizarre situations, and incessantly quotable pieces of dialogue.
The comedy of errors is kicked off when a rogue United States Air Force general attempts to mount an unsanctioned strike on Russian soil, due to his own strange conspiracy theories.
Nuclear Catastrophe
As the U.S. President and other diplomats gather in a bunker beneath the Pentagon, they learn that the Air Force General has enacted an obscure protocol that allows him to send forth nuclear strikes without proper authorization.
While the Russian head of state is exceedingly gracious about this error, he warns that the nation has recently implemented an underground series of nuclear warheads, designed to render the entire planet uninhabitable for nearly a century if struck. The whole time, Russian and American forces are advised by a former Nazi scientist named Dr. Strangelove, who struggles with alien hand syndrome.
Stream Before It’s Too Late
REVIEW SCORE
Dr. Strangelove is widely regarded as one of the funniest war films of all time, and currently holds a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 98 percent. This movie is an incredible watch, a laugh-out-loud riot, and an integral piece of film history. Those looking to stream Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb have until October 1 to check it out on Amazon Prime Video.
