Only movie to joke about nuclear bombs comedic

Sitting in history class in high school, one of the big topics that stood out to me was the Red Scare of the 1950s with threats of communism and fear of nuclear war, the United States was on overdrive protecting our country, and security was on high alert.

This not only affected the government and citizens, but also took a turn in Hollywood, as many actors, directors and producers were accused of being communists.

With all this going on, could you imagine someone having the guts to make light of the situation?

This is where Stanley Kubrick came in and made a movie about the seemingly frightening time. Nominated for four Oscars, “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” made history in 1964 and ultimately made people lighten up about the Red Scare.

The plot involves an insane general who sets off a path for nuclear bombs headed our way. A room full of politicians and generals figure out how to detour the bombs and save the day from an accidental nuclear war.

I know what you are thinking: “How could this be a comedy?” Trust me, when I first saw this film I thought the same thing. But its iconic actors and ending will have you laughing. I won’t tell you the whole ending, but just picture a cowboy riding a bomb, and watch the film to figure out the rest.

Because of the Red Scare, Kubrick was limited with his resources. In one case, Kubrick shot aerials of Greenland and accidentally got a couple of shots of a U.S. military base, leading his plane to be forced down. He and the crew were accused of being Soviet Union spies.

In another case, Kubrick wanted to recreate the B-52 cockpit in the Pentagon. However, they refused any help in redesigning it after they read the script. Kubrick’s design team used a picture of it from a magazine and recreated it, all the while Kubrick was afraid the FBI would get involved.

Despite these complications, the film was nominated for four Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Director and Best Screenplay. It also won 14 awards and had eight nominations.

Peter Sellers, who played Lionel Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley and Dr. Strangelove in the film, was the first actor nominated for a single Academy Award (Best Actor) for a film in which he played three different characters.

I watched this movie for the first time when I was 17, and my teacher told me it was one of those movies you have to watch twice to see the comedy in it — and he was right. I’m not saying you will hate it, but you certainly have to keep an open mind about it, especially since we know what happened after the Red Scare.

This movie did an excellent job of using comedy in a war film, which can be hard to do. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys history with a little bit of comedy thrown in.