Dr Strangelove

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An Analysis of Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove
Paranoia ran rampant with the threat of nuclear war, and tension was high between America and Russia after the Cuban Missile crisis in 1962. The 1964 movie “Dr. Strangelove” or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, is the portrayal of this serious issue made into a comedy by film maker Stanley Kubrick, with actor Peter Sellers playing the main three characters in the film.
Peter Sellers does an outstanding job portraying each of the three main characters in this movie. His incredible ability to use different types of dialect is just one of the ways in which he brings credibility to the characters. The first of his characters, Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, Sellers uses a very stereotypical …show more content…
In this scene the impression of King Arthur and his round table comes to mind with Muffley as King Arthur. Sellers portrays the President as a rational, clearheaded, down to earth character and surprisingly ends up being the only “normal” one of the group. He has a nasal sounding voice spoken slowly and with a medium volume. With his dull American accent, the nimble-witted President Muffley, shows no facial movement or expression while conversing with Russian Premier, Dimitri Kissoff, on the telephone regarding the doomsday situation. Sellers gives the bald President Muffley a rigid appearance using proper clothing and thick glasses which give off a sense of authority and respect when he is first introduced. During his phone conversation with the Russian President he becomes less authoritative and appears to be weak and submissive which elevates with each sentence he speaks. When his conversation is finished he returns to his scowly face and stern demeanor. When Muffley is speaking to the men at the round table, the background is completely foggy. In contrast when he is speaking to the Russian president, the background becomes crystal clear allowing the appearance of the world map to be seen. This is an indication of the duality of the character. His performance incorporates a dry and somewhat sober demeanor to Muffley which is quite comedic, however the …show more content…
Strangelove. We later find out his original name is Dr. Merkwurdichliebe, which according to Google Transate means masculine. This continues Kubricks pattern of giving the characters a suggestive name. He is introduced after President Muffleys conversation has ended with his counter-part, the Russian President. Peter Sellers pulls out all the stops when he creates the extravagant behavior of Dr. Strangelove. With a strong german accent, the character is so conflicted it would appear he has one leg in Nazi Germany and the other in U.S. Academia. This is a very different character from all the other characters and Sellers succeeds in doing a fantastic job of making him stand out from the rest. Not only is Dr.Strangelove the only character in a wheel-chair, but it is easy to see that this character will undoubtedly be distinctive in every facet. Further accenting the character, the mise-en-scene supports the characters uniqueness by blurring out the background. Unlike the other two characters where Peter sellers uses normal facial expressions, for doctor strangelove Sellers goes for a forced permanent smile giving the character a maniacal appearance. This is the most significant facial expression of the three characters. Another distinctive physical aspect of the character is the fidgety posture he has while seated. He awkwardly shifts positions, demonstrating an agitated or nervous
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