Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

Peter George (novel)
Stanley Kubrick (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

29 January 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

the hot-line suspense comedy

Plot:

An insane general starts a process to nuclear holocaust that a war room of politicians and generals frantically try to stop.

Plot Keywords:

Boeing B 52 | Gunfire | Anti Aircraft Missile | Flight | Damaged Airplane

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Peter Sellers	...	Group Captain Lionel Mandrake / President Merkin Muffley / Dr. Strangelove
George C. Scott	...	Gen. 'Buck' Turgidson
Sterling Hayden	...	Brig. Gen. Jack D. Ripper
Keenan Wynn	...	Col. 'Bat' Guano
Slim Pickens	...	Maj. T.J. 'King' Kong
Peter Bull	...	Russian Ambassador Alexi de Sadesky
James Earl Jones	...	Lt. Lothar Zogg
Tracy Reed	...	Miss Scott
Jack Creley	...	Mr. Staines
Frank Berry	...	Lt. H.R. Dietrich
Robert O'Neil	...	Adm. Randolph
Glenn Beck	...	Lt. W.D. Kivel (as Glen Beck)
Roy Stephens	...	Frank
Shane Rimmer	...	Capt. G.A. 'Ace' Owens
Hal Galili	...	Burpelson AFB Defense Team member

Also Known As:

A Delicate Balance of Terror (USA) (working title)
Dr. Strangelove
Edge of Doom (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements, some violent content, sexual humor and mild language. (2005 re-rating)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Brazil:10 | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Spain:18 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Québec) | Finland:K-16 | France:U (re-release) | Germany:12 (re-rating) | Hong Kong:IIA | Iceland:Unrated | Ireland:PG | Japan:Unrated | Netherlands:AL (video rating) | New Zealand:PG | Norway:11 | Singapore:PG (DVD rating) | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:GP (re-rating) (1970) | USA:PG (re-rating) (2004) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Arctic

Company:

Hawk Films

Trivia:

The glove worn by Peter Sellers as Dr. Strangelove came from director Stanley Kubrick's personal collection. Sellers had seen Kubrick wearing them to handle hot lights on the set and thought of them as sinister-looking, so he wore one of them on his right hand (the one not under his control) to add to Strangelove's eeriness.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: Towards the end of the film, when Strangelove is fighting with his renegade right hand over control of his wheelchair and punches it several times out of frustration, the Russian Ambassador clearly corpses (laughs) at Peter Sellers' performance and then quickly regains his composure.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: For more than a year, ominous rumors had been privately circulating among high-level Western leaders that the Soviet Union had been at work on what was darkly hinted to be the ultimate weapon: a doomsday device. Intelligence sources traced the site of the top secret Russian project to the perpetually fog-shrouded wasteland below the Arctic peaks of the Zhokhov Islands. What they were building or why it should be located in such a remote and desolate place no one could say.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Back to the Future (1985)

Soundtrack:

Try a Little Tenderness

Truly, an incredible and innovative movie

Stanley Kubrick's first and only comedic masterpiece is still the finest ever made. I love everything in the movie: the brilliant acting, sensational script, flawless direction, and even those quirky visual effects. Not only was this film hilarious, it was a breakthrough for the entire film industry when first released. In addition to it's amazing satirical basis, the film also played a major role in how films were advertised and marketed... as if Peter Seller's performance wasn't enough! The sets were also very convincing and just plain great! So realistic in fact, that the FBI almost investigated how they got the B-52 Bomber replicated to near perfection!

In the end, 'Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb' is the best comedy. It's also another milestone in film making and another reason to be astonished when looking at the work of Stanley Kubrick.

An obvious perfect ***** / *****