My 150 Favorite Movies - #147

Dr. Strangelove: or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Director Stanley Kubrick may have made his bones with Paths of Glory, Spartacus, and Lolita, but Dr. Strangelove assured his ascension into the pantheon of Great Directors of the 20th Century. Considered in many quarters to be the greatest political satire ever made (and certainly among the best films ever made), the plot involves possible nuclear annihilation. A German scientist with previous allegiance to the Nazi party is called in to save the day, and various political figures are seen in varying degrees of crisis (or lack of) management. Released not very long after the Cold War (the original release date was pushed back due to Kennedy's assassination), this is a film once seen, never to be forgotten. Featuring Peter Sellers as a triple threat: as a British captain, the aforementioned German scientist (presumably based on Wernher Von Braun), and the President of the United States.