Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

(1964)

In the 1964 film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper becomes convinced that the Soviet Union is plotting to poison the American water supply through fluoridation. Without the knowledge of his superiors, Ripper deploys a nuclear attack on the Soviets using a secret back door mechanism. He is the only one who knows the code to recall the B-52 bombers, and he cuts off all communication in and out of Burpelson Air Force Base to protect his attack.

RAF Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, held at Burpelson by Ripper, believes he knows the recall codes and desperately tries to send a message to the outside world. In the Pentagon War Room, President Merkin Muffley, General Buck Turgidson, and Dr. Strangelove discuss ways to stop the attack or prevent an all-out nuclear war with the Soviets. Muffley brings in Soviet Ambassador Alexi de Sadesky and tries to contact Soviet Premier Dimitri Kisov to inform him of the situation.

The Americans in the War Room learn that the Soviets have a Doomsday Device that will detonate if any of their key targets are hit. As Ripper, Mandrake, and the officials in the War Room work towards their goals, B-52 bomber pilot Major T.J. King Kong plans to deploy his bomb anywhere on enemy soil if he can't reach his intended target.

The film explores themes of paranoia, the absurdity of war, and the dangerous consequences of human error. It is a dark satire that highlights the potential for catastrophic outcomes in the nuclear age.