Classic 60s Movie: Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb

January is Classic 60s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Rick Dyke.

Movie Title: Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb

Year: Released in U.S. — January 29, 1964

Writers: Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern, Peter George (screenplay), based on the novel Red Alert by Peter George

Lead Actors: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Plot Summary: An insane general triggers a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically try to stop.

Why I Think This Is a Classic 60s Movie: The Cold War reached its peak in the early 1960’s with the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Dr. Strangelove deals with the fear that everyone was feeling with the threat of world destruction through nuclear warfare. What makes this film brilliant is that rather than dealing with the fear directly as a drama, he turns it on its head and makes it into a black comedy. Satire was the only way Kubrick felt he could deal with the absurdity of mutually assured destruction.

One of the main themes of the 1960’s is the rebellion against authority. But Dr. Strangelove is not just anti-authority, in it we also see that those in power, those that control the safety of the world, are nothing but fools. Our lives and our fate are in the hands of those that cannot resolve the problems of our world. Not only can’t they solve the problems, but they are the cause of many of the problems.

During the Cold War we were always told to watch out for “Commie plots.” Every challenge and strife our nation faced, such as civil rights marches or student protests, was suspected of having communist origins. In Dr. Strangelove, the motivation for action by the psychotic general is that fluoridation of our water systems is a communist plot.

Dr. Strangelove is the perfect counter-culture movie. It is anti-war, with war being the result of mad men. It is anti-establishment, with our leaders and heroes being buffoons. It is sexual, with our sexual nature expressed in deadly war machines. The 60’s was a time of questioning and change, and Dr. Strangelove’s comedic approach shows how those in control of our society are actually out of control. The fact that it is a comedy framed in an apparently serious drama, a satire, only makes it stronger as a counter-culture statement.

My Favorite Moment in the Movie: Everyone’s favorite moment is the iconic bull-ride as Slim Pickens, Major “King” Kong, rides the bomb down to its target.

The best moments of the film are when the characters reveal their true, outlandish selves. George C. Scott as General Turgidson enthusiastically describes how his pilots can take a B-52 at low altitudes to hit their target before he realizes he’s talking about the end of the world. Colonel “Bat” Guano protects the private property of a Coca-Cola machine while a few moments can mean life or death for humanity. President Muffley tries to be diplomatic in a simplistic way to communicate an event that means mutually assured destruction.

My Favorite Dialogue in the Movie: Everyone’s favorite line is by President Muffley: Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here. This is the War Room!

President Muffley: General Turgidson, I find this very difficult to understand. I was under the impression that I was the only one in authority to order the use of nuclear weapons.
General Turgidson: That’s right sir. You are the only person authorized to do so. And although I hate to judge before all the facts are in, it’s beginning to look like General Ripper exceeded his authority.

President Muffley: There’s nothing to figure out General Turgidson. This man is obviously a psychotic.
General Turgidson: Well, I’d like to hold off judgment on a thing like that, sir, until all the facts are in.

Col. “Bat” Guano: Ok. I’m gonna get your money for you. But if you don’t get the President of the Unites States on that phone, you know what’s going to happen to you?
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: What?
Col. “Bat” Guano: You’re going to have to answer to the Coca-Cola Company.

What makes the dialogue so brilliant is that much of it is outlandish, but it is not too far over-the-top. The film has a sense of realism in its setting and framework that magnifies the comedic dialogue.

Key Things You Should Look For When Watching This Movie: Sex is a major theme of the film, from the initial air fueling of the bomber, through the “precious bodily fluids” and “essence” orated by Gen. Jack D. Ripper, to the final ride on the bomb by Slim Pickens to an orgasmic explosion.

The casting is brilliant. Peter Sellers is incredible in 3 roles. Watch George C. Scott play a little boy in a general’s body. Sterling Hayden is perfectly stoic. Slim Pickens is a natural, and didn’t have to “act”, as the cowboy pilot.

The dialogue is the perfect tone. This film is a great example of the importance of a screenwriter to the success of the story. Terry Southern was able to create dialogue that is serious and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time. Certain improvisations by Peter Sellers and George C Scott were left in the film because they fit the humor of the situation.

Kubrick is known for his attention to detail. The war room set, designed by Ken Adam, who designed many of the early James Bond sets, was considered amazing. The detail of the B-52 bomber, done without cooperation from the Air Force, was so realistic it drew the attention of Air Force officials. The battle scenes are shot cinema verite’ style. The black and white photography adds to the drama because it was like the actual war films viewers had watched since World War II.

The film is brilliant in walking the fine line between harsh realism and lunacy. The viewer is in the middle of a terrible, unthinkable situation, but is forced to laugh out of absurdity. As in all good satire, if you take the film at surface level it is sick and insensitive, but packs a powerful statement.

Trivia: Dr. Strangelove was originally developed by Stanley Kubrick as a serious drama called “Edge of Doom.” It was then developed as a story within a story about aliens viewing the destruction of the world through nuclear war called “The Delicate Balance of Terror” before finally taking shape as the black comedy we know.

The film’s ending was going to be a cream pie fight in the war room, and it was filmed, but it was decided the scene was too silly for the film.

A test screening of the film was scheduled for November 22, 1963, the day President John Kennedy was assassinated. Because of the assassination, a reference to “Dallas” in the film was changed to “Vegas,” and the release of the film was moved back from late 1963 to early 1964.

Stanley Kubrick used a lawsuit to slow down the release of Fail-Safe, a high profile film with a similar story and theme. It argued plagiarism of the story from the book Red Alert. As a result, Dr. Strangelove came out about 8 months before Fail-Safe. Dr. Strangelove was a financial success, while Fail-Safe had a disappointing box office.

Peter Sellers was also going to portray the pilot Major Kong, and scenes were filmed, until he injured himself on the set with a broken leg filming the bomb dropping out of the bomber scene. John Wayne and Dan Blocker were considered for the part (both declined) before Slim Pickens was chosen.

This was the first screenwriting assignment for Terry Southern, who added much of the brilliant dialogue to the film. He was selected because Peter Sellers gave a copy of The Magic Christian to Kubrick. He went on to have a very successful screenwriting career, working on such films as The Cincinnati Kid, The Magic Christian (based on his novel), Easy Rider, and Barbarella.

Dr. Strangelove is #3 on the list of top 100 comedies by the American Film Institute. It is one of our own Scott Myers top 5 favorite films!

In 1995 Stanley Kubrick hired Terry Southern to write a sequel titled Son of Strangelove. Kubrick had Terry Gilliam in mind to direct. The script was never completed, and Gilliam did not know he was being considered for directing the film.

Thanks, Rick! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!

Twitter: @rickdyke.

We already have a set of classic 70s movies, 80s Movies and 90s Movies. This month, we’re working on 60s Movies.

We have 31 volunteers. I have put in bold those who have already sent their guest post to me.

Ipsita Barik — Rosemary’s Baby
Ipsita Barik — Bonnie and Clyde
Mike Dobbins — The Sound of Music
Brandnewusedcar — Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Markham Cook — Jules et Jim
Steve Cook — The Blue Max
JasperLamarCrab — 2001: A Space Odyssey
N D — Lonely are the Brave
Drew Dorenfest — Easy Rider
Rick Dyke — Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Rick Dyke — Fail Safe
Felicity Flesher — The Music Man
PaulG — Lawrence of Arabia
D.L. Gill — Zulu
Jeff Guenther — Cool Hand Luke
Kate Hagen — Repulsion
John Henderson — Night of the Living Dead
John Henderson — The Odd Couple
John Hörnschemeyer — The Graduate
Zach Jansen — They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
Will King — The Pink Panther
William Leitch — If…
Lisaisfunny — Blow Up
Jack McDonald — Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Nick — Lonely are the Brave
Daryl Powell — The Apartment
jprichard — Persona
Ally Shina — The Jungle Book
Mark Twain — The Loved One
Liz Warner — The Manchurian Candidate
Michael Waters — Dr. No

For those who have signed up, but have yet to email me your post, please do so ASAP.

Thanks in advance!

For the original post explaining the series, go here.