Film Review - NT Live: Dr. Strangelove
Images courtesy of Sharmill Films.
Amarndo Iannacci and Sean Foley’s theatre adaptation of Dr. Strangelove is a fun but somewhat lacklustre spectacle. If you’re unfamiliar with Stanley Kubrick’s original, the plot is simple; it’s the Cold War and one of the American generals has gone rogue, ordered a massive nuclear attack on Russia and chaos ensues. The film cleverly preyed on the international fear surrounding the cold war, so how could a story, so pertinent to its time, hold up in the present? Choosing to adapt the film into theatre was clever as it allows for a whimsy that adds to the comedy, however it also creates problems that the writing was not always strong enough to carry.
The most successful component is Hildegard Bechtler’s flawless execution of the set design. Leave it to the National Theatre Company to have the prestige, time and budget to create sets in such a detailed way. One of the highlights is the clever integration of technology in the set and sound engineering. The screens might have some traditionalists sneering but they were craftily added and always elevated the set rather than dominating the hand built elements. Most impressively, the sound engineers never missed a cue, sounds such as gunshots and the whirring of Dr. Strangelove’s robotic arm, allowing Steven Coogan to shine in each character.
The original film held a Peter Sellers’ smorgasbord in acting, comedy and impressions and consequently was going to be hard to cast, but Coogan does what he does best and then some. Perhaps his rather stiff rendition of the English Air Force Captain could have been better, but all is quickly forgotten by his amazing performance as the American Pilot (a role Sellers wanted to play but didn’t). In fact the acting from each of the cast is fun to watch, but there was an edge missing from the writing that failed to fully land it into the 21st century. Despite the political parallels to today, the few topical references couldn’t save the writing from losing its comedic edge and therefore losing some of its relevance. Although it’s refreshing to see a movie being adapted into a different medium, perhaps it was the theatrical nature that hindered both the writing and Coogans performance. Within the film Sellers was able to really stand out with his outlandish characters, however in comedic theatre every character has an over-exaggerated nature, leaving Coogan and the writing to work harder than the film ever did.
For a movie that was incredibly relevant and edgy, more was needed to evoke the same absurdity into its stage adaptation, but it nonetheless beautifully held together in both the performances and overall production.
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NT Live: Dr Strangelove is now screening in select cinemas. For tickets and more info, click here.