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Amazon.co.uk Review
Arguably the greatest black comedy ever made, Stanley Kubrick's cold war classic is the ultimate satire of the nuclear age. Dr. Strangelove is a perfect spoof of political and military insanity, beginning when General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), a maniacal warrior obsessed with "the purity of precious bodily fluids," mounts his singular campaign against Communism by ordering a squadron of B-52 bombers to attack the Soviet Union. The Soviets counter the threat with a so-called "Doomsday Device," and the world hangs in the balance while the US president (Peter Sellers) engages in hilarious hot-line negotiations with his Soviet counterpart. Sellers also plays a British military attaché and the mad bomb-maker Dr. Strangelove; George C. Scott is outrageously frantic as General Buck Turgidson, whose presidential advice consists mainly of panic and statistics about "acceptable losses." With dialogue ("You can't fight here! This is the war room!") and images (Slim Pickens' character riding the bomb to oblivion) that have become a part of our cultural vocabulary, Kubrick's film regularly appears on critics' lists of the all-time best. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com --This text refers to another version of this video.
DVD Description
Stills from Dr. Strangelove (click for larger image)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
You'll have to read the product description for all the extras and subtitled languages - what interests me is the film itself.
To say the film is perfect would be stretching the truth a little. The trouble (as viewers of the various DVD editions will know) is that Dr Strangelove was not filmed in a consistent aspect ratio, so every subsequent editor has to decide how to combine the full frame shots (1.33:1) with the matte in camera shots (1.66:1). To me it seems obvious that the open matte scenes were meant to be cropped to match the rest, but obvious is not a term usually associated with Kubrick. Nevertheless the makers of the blu-ray have done just this, presenting the entire film in 1.66:1. This results in thin vertical black lines either side of the picture when viewed on a 16:9 television, or an equal-sized border when viewed on a 1920x1200 monitor.
In my opinion this is a better solution than the mixed format of all the DVD releases. Besides which, this is how the film was originally seen in cinemas - at least in Europe; in the US it was apparently projected in 1.85:1. However, various sources (mostly tied with the mixed-aspect ratio LaserDisc and DVD releases) assert that Kubrick actually intended the film be projected in mixed format.
Then there is the matter of picture quality. Kubrick sometimes seemed to go out of his way to find grainy film stock, but in this case it was probably justified as the entire film is shot at night (even on the bomber flying over Russia). What this means, however, is that the blu-ray is not the dramatic improvement over DVD that is seen in other films. But I think this is as good as it gets. The detail, brightness and contrast are superb and there are no scratches or other defects that I can see, and I don't think the film grain - even in the external airbase shots where it is excessive - should be edited out.
All in all I suppose that DVD owners who prefer the mixed 1.33:1 and 1.66:1 aspect ratio format will probably not bother buying this blu-ray, and the same issue might persuade some new buyers to choose the DVD, but for everyone else the blu-ray is easily the disc of choice.
Finally, although I said I wouldn't mention the extras I am mildly disappointed that the excellent original film trailer is not included. I don't think this is on any of the DVD releases either and I recommend looking it up on YouTube.
To say the film is perfect would be stretching the truth a little. The trouble (as viewers of the various DVD editions will know) is that Dr Strangelove was not filmed in a consistent aspect ratio, so every subsequent editor has to decide how to combine the full frame shots (1.33:1) with the matte in camera shots (1.66:1). To me it seems obvious that the open matte scenes were meant to be cropped to match the rest, but obvious is not a term usually associated with Kubrick. Nevertheless the makers of the blu-ray have done just this, presenting the entire film in 1.66:1. This results in thin vertical black lines either side of the picture when viewed on a 16:9 television, or an equal-sized border when viewed on a 1920x1200 monitor.
In my opinion this is a better solution than the mixed format of all the DVD releases. Besides which, this is how the film was originally seen in cinemas - at least in Europe; in the US it was apparently projected in 1.85:1. However, various sources (mostly tied with the mixed-aspect ratio LaserDisc and DVD releases) assert that Kubrick actually intended the film be projected in mixed format.
Then there is the matter of picture quality. Kubrick sometimes seemed to go out of his way to find grainy film stock, but in this case it was probably justified as the entire film is shot at night (even on the bomber flying over Russia). What this means, however, is that the blu-ray is not the dramatic improvement over DVD that is seen in other films. But I think this is as good as it gets. The detail, brightness and contrast are superb and there are no scratches or other defects that I can see, and I don't think the film grain - even in the external airbase shots where it is excessive - should be edited out.
All in all I suppose that DVD owners who prefer the mixed 1.33:1 and 1.66:1 aspect ratio format will probably not bother buying this blu-ray, and the same issue might persuade some new buyers to choose the DVD, but for everyone else the blu-ray is easily the disc of choice.
Finally, although I said I wouldn't mention the extras I am mildly disappointed that the excellent original film trailer is not included. I don't think this is on any of the DVD releases either and I recommend looking it up on YouTube.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I cannot add anything that hasn't already been said by other reviewers. This remains one of the funniest films ever made. Just a couple of things not many people know. Stanley actually wanted Peter Sellers to do 4 parts. In addition to Captain Mandrake, The President and Dr. Strangelove, Sellers was also expected to do the Slim Pickens part of the pilot who drops the bomb. Peter persuaded Stanley that he wasn't up to doing 4 parts and not long after the film was made, Peter Sellers had one of his many heart attacks. Stanley also had a different ending for the film: A major custard pie scene in the war room. You might notice during some of the scenes in the war room that there was a table set with food, (never actually used). But it was there for a reason and that was to set the scene for the famous custard pie scene at the end. For some reason known only to Stanley Kubrick the scene was never shown. However it was shot and must remain hidden in the vaults of some American movie company. How wonderful for all movie scholars if we can ever see this scene.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
A Peter Sellers' tour-de-force! Just about brilliant. Great b/w transfer. The 'extras' are a bit of a letdown, however.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
best film ever
This hilarious and timeless film demonstrates how little things change, even the technology despite the film being more than 40 years old. Read more
Published 7 days ago by Mr. Paul Tozer
Dr Strangelove
Really funny and thought provoking. Great attention to detail, eg B52 cockpit. Still fresh and relevant even though filmed in black and white 50 years ago. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Slush
Jet Black Comedy brilllantly orchestrated
Mr Kubrick' best film. Spectacular pristine black and white cinematography catch every tic (on dvd). Read more
Published 3 months ago by Man from poundstretcher
Great film, not so great DVD
Doctor Strangelove is probably my favorite Kubrick film. It's both very funny and yet so terrifying. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Janis Livens
The genius within
This movie is a classic, it has been written so wel by Stanley Kubrick that today it still seems like a modern movie with the kind of humor rarely found in today's comedy. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Buster
A Classic
This movie has been voted by critics as one of the top three greatest comic films ever. I am not sure if thats right I have watched it a number of times and really have never found... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Stephen Russell
Kubrick's early masterpiece
This is definitely a period piece, a film of the Cold War when two superpowers faced and tried to out-face each other, submarines in the oceans, rockets in the silos and huge... Read more
Published 5 months ago by RR Waller
A Classic
Stanley Kubrick chose the route of black comedy to express his concerns about nuclear annihilation. It is, of course, brilliant. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Seatinthestalls
A Kubrick Classic
I was ashamed to say I hadn't seen this movie prior to purchasing this disc and having been a fan of Kubrick's other movies I decided it was about time to indulge. Read more
Published 10 months ago by WinkingMan2011
A crazy classic
Kubrick must have had some fun making this little masterpiece. For one, he surrounded himself with brilliant acting talent such as Peter Sellers, Sterling Hayden and George C. Read more
Published 12 months ago by David Walker
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