1. Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb
Stanley Kubrick was no stranger to the darker side of human nature, mining the territory for much of his career. But with Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, his 1964 masterpiece in Cold War satire, he exposed both the absurdity and hubris of the leading scientists responsible for escalating the threat of nuclear war. The character of Dr. Strangelove - the ex-Nazi scientist who now works for the American government - points to the real world CIA Operation Paperclip, in which top German scientists were "poached" by the organization to help them develop technology. Besides offering a scathing commentary on the folly of aligning with notable war criminals, Strangelove also encapsulates the insane war planning of the era, in which Mutually Assured Destruction (the acronym for which is more than fitting) drove an increasingly dangerous policy of nuclear brinksmanship. Peter Sellers once again proved his incredible acting abilities, playing not just the role of Dr. Strangelove but also a British RAF officer and the American President. The movie's ending, in which a montage of nuclear bombs explode to the soundtrack of We'll Meet Again by Vera Lynn is a striking sequence of satire at its darkest. As for the pie fight which didn't make it to the final cut, Kubrick's explanation for dropping it sums up the point of the film: "I decided it was farce and not consistent with the satiric tone of the rest of the film." Satire doesn't come much better than this. Enjoyed reading this list? Are there any notable mad scientist movies you felt should have been included? Why not post a comment below?