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Dr. Strangelove or:
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, and Slim Pickens. Cinematography by Gilbert Taylor. Edited by Anthony Harvey. Produced by Stanley Kubrick. Written by Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern, and Peter George. Directed by Stanley Kubrick.
Convinced that communists have infiltrated the American water supply, Air Force Colonel Jack Ripper has launched a full scale nuclear attack on the U.S.S.R. After ensuring that the strike can not be recalled, Ripper bunkers down in his office and waits to defend his position. When word of the invasion reaches the American government, a meeting is called to discuss the limited options. President Merkin Muffley begrudgingly calls the Russian Premier and forewarns him of the unintentional offense. Muffley is then informed by the Premier that the attack will activate a “Doomsday Machine” that is programmed to retaliate with nuclear force if ever assaulted. The possibility of such an unfathomable machine is validated by Dr. Strangelove; a crippled Nazi scientist now working for the United States government. With a nuclear holocaust looming on the horizon, hard decisions are made about the future of humanity.
It was the early 1960’s and the Cold War raged on with a solemn intensity. The threat of a nuclear conflict with America’s Red enemy seemed an all too probable future. What would have happened if a mistake was made in this ominous environment? Would the world’s super-powers literally annihilate themselves just to spite each other? The absurdity of questions like this one is what prompted Stanley Kubrick to shift the tone of his cinematic adaptation of ex-RAF officer Peter George’s cautionary novel Red Alert from a grim reverence to an ironic satire (the novel was released in the UK as Two Hours to Doom by Peter Bryant). Almost a decade of research on nuclear technology and politics culminated with Kubrick optioning George’s book in 1959. After deciding on a change of approach Kubrick brought in brought comic novelist Terry Southern, whom he had met during an interview for Esquire magazine, to come in and spice up Dr. Strangelove’s offbeat humor. After the production of Lolita, which was contractually bound to be shot in England, Kubrick scheduled for his next project to be shot at the legendary Shepperton Studios. It was during the production ofDr. Strangelove that Kubrick would take up residence in Britain, where he would spend the rest of his life.
Dr. Strangelove would be the first project produced under Kubrick’s Hawk Films Ltd.; a production company he formed in response to the loss of his partnership with producer James B. Harris who was eager to start up his own directorial career. The result of his creative efforts would become not only one of the most memorable additions to Kubrick’s own unprecedented filmography, but also what is generally regarded as one of the best films of all time. Dr. Strangelove is undoubtedly one of the finest examples of political satire and though the actual conflict is dead and buried, the film’s jarring irreverence is just as sharp and poignant today as it was in the 1960’s. With the release of this incredible piece of work, Kubrick had set a new standard for himself; one that he would set and reset with almost every subsequent film over the course of his career.
Budget: $1,800,000
Total US Gross: $9,164,370
Genre: Black Comedy
Runtime: 93 Minutes
US Release Date: 1/29/64
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Awards: Academy Awards: Nominated for best actor, best screenplay based on previous material, best director, and best picture. Directors Guild of America: Nominated for the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures. Writers Guild of America: Won for Best Written American Comedy. Winner of the American Film Institute’s top one hundred movies of all time: number twenty six.
Tagline: The Hot-Line Suspense Comedy
Quote: “I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion, and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.”
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