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24 Jan 2024

The weird and wonderful world of Dr. Strangelove

Glenn Cochrane

STACK Senior Editor

Stanley Kubrick's iconic black comedy 'Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb' is turning 60, and we're in the mood to celebrate.

If you've never seen Dr. Strangelove, you might want to rectify that. The film, which is a razor-sharp political satire, is widely regarded to be Kubrick's best (a huge but fair call), and showcases a wide range of hilarious and outrageous performances from the likes of Peter Sellers (playing three roles), George C. Scott, Slim Pickens, and a young James Earl Jones.

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Furthermore, Dr. Strangelove regularly ranks amongst the greatest films of all time and was selected for preservation by the American Library of Congress for being “Culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

The story depicts the hour leading to nuclear war after an unhinged American Air Force general orders a pre-emptive nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. With the unfolding bid to reverse the un-reversible order taking place predominantly inside the Pentagon's war room, the film depicts the very real possibility of an accidental conflict with scathing humour. One classic line goes “Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the war room!”

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Kubrick initially intended to create a political thriller and embarked on adapting Peter George's 1958 novel Red Alert. However, as he delved into the material, it became evident that the theme of mutually assured destruction held inherent comedic potential. Despite several efforts to maintain a serious tone in his script, Kubrick eventually yielded to his instincts, transforming the project into a fully-fledged comedy.

Despite the concern about the film being seen as anti-American, anti-government, or anti-military, the reception was overwhelmingly positive. Dr. Strangelove garnered unanimous praise from both audiences and critics, earning nominations in four categories at the Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Leading Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

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Here are some more fun facts about Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

  • Original titles considered for the film were Dr. Doomsday or: How to Start World War III Without Even Trying, Dr. Strangelove's Secret Uses of Uranus and Wonderful Bomb.

  • In addition to playing the roles of President Merkin Miffley, Captain Lionel Mandrake, and former Nazi Dr Strangelove, Peter Sellers was supposed to play Major Kong. A leg injury saw the role given to Slim Pickens, who subsequently features in the film's most iconic moment riding cowboy on the falling nuclear bomb.

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  • George C. Scott clashed with Kubrick about various scenes, however Kubrick won him over by beating him at games of chess, which the two men often played on set.

  • Stanley Kubrick attempted to sue Columbia Pictures for producing the similarly themed film Fail Safe at the same time as Dr. Strangelove. Directed by Sidney Lumet, Fail Safe told a similar story with a serious perspective, and starred Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau, and Dom DeLuise. Ultimately Kubrick's mission was to simply delay the competing film's release so that it wouldn't interfere with his own. Fail Safe was released nine months later.

  • In his 2017 documentary series The Putin Diaries, director Oliver Stone screened Dr. Strangelove for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin enjoyed the film and identified several realistic parallels, telling Stone, “Despite the fact that everything you see on screen is make believe, it makes us think about the real threats that exist. The idea of a retaliatory weapon, and the inability to control such weapon systems still hold true today.”

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  • Dr Strangelove is responsible for the real life government agencies of the United States to change their nuclear activation procedures. With the film highlighting the very real possibility of accidental war, the Washington D.C. Government implemented a new multiple code procedure to prevent any one person from unlocking nuclear weapons.

  • In 1995 Kubrick attempted to produce a sequel for Terry Gilliam (Brazil) to direct. The script was never completed, however the story was revealed to have taken place in underground bunkers where Dr. Strangelove had taken refuge with a group of women.

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