Dr. Strangelove Masks

After a fruitful first collaboration on Lolita (1961), Kubrick again called on Peter Sellers for Dr. Strangelove. The actor had to portray four of the main roles himself. This artistic wager was coupled with the production taking a chance: although the British actor was a star in his own country, he was still little known abroad. However, his performance would contribute considerably to the success and aura of the film.

A character actor, Sellers was never so much at ease as when disguising his voice (diction, phrasing and accent) and appearance. At Kubrick's request, he played with sobriety the role of President Muffley, a Democrat, who tries to demonstrate logic and pragmatism but constantly finds himself overtaken by events. For Mandrake, caricature of the phlegmatic British officer, Sellers adds a touch of gentleness totally out of sync with the brutality of the situations. But his most memorable composition is unquestionably that of the outrageous Doctor Strangelove. With his high-pitched voice, very heavy German accent, black suit and dark glasses, this renegade scientist from Nazi Germany immediately comes across as an evil character. Confined to a wheelchair, he no longer has control over the mechanical movements of his right arm or hand, which resemble those of a robot. He "summarises the conflict between men and machines" that is at the heart of the film (1).

Unrecognisable in the three roles, Sellers was also to portray Major Kong, pilot of the B-52 that drops the nuclear bomb. But, having injured his foot, he was forced to withdraw, to Kubrick's great displeasure, since the director "would have liked to see him present on all the sites of the conflict" (1). Nonetheless, giving the actor wide latitude for improvisation, the director allowed him to go from the register of restraint to that of the grotesque and declared: "I don't think anyone else can play these roles as well. To me it's like having three different great actors" (2).