Dr. Strangelove: 40th Anniversary Special Edition (DVD)

I was absolutely oblivious to the acting ability of Peter Sellers until recently when I had the chance to review the MGM release of the Pink Panther DVD Collection, but his performance in those films doesn't even compare to what he turns in here in Dr. Strangelove and yet the Oscar eluded him, as it did his entire career. Though nominated three times, including his performance in Dr. Strangelove, the award never fell in his lap even though I don't think there is any one out there that would say his performance, or should I say performances, in Strangelove are not worthy of Oscar gold.

Dr. Strangelove comes from the "strange" mind of Stanley Kubrick, who, like Sellers, never seemed to be able to grab Oscar gold, for any of his acclaimed directorial outings. Telling the story of an "accidental" nuclear attack ordered onto the U.S.S.R., Strangelove is a movie that walks a fine line between sanity and madness.

Crazed General Jack D. Ripper (Hayden) decides to take the fate of the Cold War into his own hands as he orders a nuclear strike on the U.S.S.R., an order that cannot be recalled without the three-letter code only Ripper knows. Determined to figure out the code is Ripper's aide, Captain Mandrake (Sellers), while the U.S. President (Sellers again) is discussing the situation with his advisors and explains the situation to the Soviet Premier.

Soon the truth leaks out of a Doomsday Machine that is triggered to end the human race based on the current state of the world, which is verified by the President's advisor, the ex-Nazi scientist Dr. Strangelove, who is also played by Peter Sellers.

I have never really been a big fan of Kubrick's work, although A Clockwork Orange is strangely interesting, and this being my first time seeing Dr. Strangelove I was a bit apprehensive going into it, but thinking back on the film it was much better than I had originally assumed it would be. For the most part the appeal of the film is Sellers's acting ability and not necessarily the movie itself, while it is controversial, probably much more at the time of its release, and well directed it just has the same feel as all of Kubrick's movies... just a bit off.

As for this special edition DVD, there is enough here to impress Kubrick fans, Sellers fans and movie fans alike. There is certainly a specific audience DVD special features appeal to, while deleted scenes, outtakes, trailers and photo galleries have a specific audience, the long featurettes and inside looks into films have a separate audience in mind.

For those average special feature viewers these special features aren't for you, but those more interested in the behind-the-scenes features and commentaries, there is a lot here for you to enjoy.

There are five selections to choose from in the "Documentaries" section including a 30-minute look at the movie itself, a look at Peter Sellers and his career, a look at Stanley Kubrick and an interview with the former US Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, who was also the subject of his own Documentary last year called The Fog of War.

Inside these features and documentaries you will here the opinions of several notable names in film history including Spike Lee, Roger Ebert, Robert McNamara, James Harris and more. Also included in the "No Fighting in the War Room" and "Best Sellers" features are never-before-seen footage from the film, including pics of a "War Room pie fight," and audio recordings of Peter Sellers trying to figure out just what the accents he would be using for the film would sound like.

Of the features the best of the bunch, in my opinion, was the doc on Stanley Kubrick, while I may not like his films that much the history of such a notable person in film history is always fun to learn, just as was the feature on Peter Sellers.

Also included are some of the original split-screen interviews with Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, filmographies and a large look at some of the original theatrical posters used to promote the film.

Finally, included in the set is a booklet containing production stills from the film and an essay by Roger Ebert, which really touches a lot upon George C. Scott's part in the film before going into his musings on the film itself.

Although Dr. Strangelove doesn't fall into my list of top films, I do see the appeal and can understand why people from its era would be drawn to it, along with film history buffs. It was fresh and radical for its time and contains amazing performances, not only by Peter Sellers, but by George C. Scott and Sterling Hayden, which are all worthy of a once over but I can only recommend this title to those of you that know what you are in for. Alternatively, anyone going into this film without knowing exactly what they are in for may be upset.