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

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

Stanley Kubrick (screenplay) &
Terry Southern (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

29 January 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Thriller

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:

General | U.S. President | Bomber | Doomsday Machine | Doomsday

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	...	General 'Buck' Turgidson
Sterling Hayden	...	Brigadier General Jack Ripper
Keenan Wynn	...	Colonel 'Bat' Guano
Slim Pickens	...	Major 'King' Kong
Peter Bull	...	Russian Ambassador Alexi de Sadesky
James Earl Jones	...	Lieutenant Lothar Zogg
Tracy Reed	...	Miss Scott
Jack Creley	...	Mr. Staines
Frank Berry	...	Lieutenant Dietrich
Robert O'Neil	...	Admiral Randolph
Glenn Beck	...	Lieutenant Kivel (as Glen Beck)
Roy Stephens	...	Frank
Shane Rimmer	...	Captain 'Ace' Owens
Hal Galili	...	Burpelson AFB Defense Team Member
Paul Tamarin	...	Lieutenant Goldberg
Laurence Herder	...	Burpelson AFB Defense Team Member
Gordon Tanner	...	General Faceman
John McCarthy	...	Burpelson AFB Defense Team Member

Directed by
Stanley Kubrick

Writing credits
Stanley Kubrick		(screenplay) &
Terry Southern		(screenplay) &
Peter George		(screenplay)
Peter George		(book "Red Alert")

Produced by
Stanley Kubrick	....	producer
Victor Lyndon	....	associate producer
Leon Minoff	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Laurie Johnson		(music)

Cinematography by
Gilbert Taylor		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Anthony Harvey

Production Design by
Ken Adam

Art Direction by
Peter Murton

Makeup Department
Stuart Freeborn	....	make-up (as Stewart Freeborn)
Barbara Ritchie	....	hairdresser

Production Management
Clifton Brandon	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Eric Rattray	....	assistant director

Sound Department
John Aldred	....	dubbing mixer
Richard Bird	....	recordist
John Cox	....	sound supervisor
Leslie Hodgson	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Wally Veevers	....	special effects
Alan Bryce	....	special effects (uncredited)
Arthur 'Weegee' Fellig	....	special effects advisor (uncredited)
Brian Gamby	....	special effects (uncredited)
Garth Inns	....	special effects (uncredited)
Mike Shaw	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Vic Margutti	....	travelling matte
Jim Body	....	visual effects camera operator (uncredited)
Bob Cuff	....	matte painter (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bernard Ford	....	camera assistant
Kelvin Pike	....	camera operator
Bob Penn	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bridget Sellers	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Geoffrey Fry	....	assembly editor
Ray Lovejoy	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Pamela Carlton	....	continuity
Captain John Crewdson	....	aviation advisor (as Capt. John Crewdson)
Pablo Ferro	....	main title design: Ferro, Mohammed & Schwartz, Inc.
Jean Bernard	....	pilot: outside bomber views (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (presents)
• Hawk Films

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1964) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures Corporation (1964) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia Films (1964) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia Films (1964) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Columbia Films (1964) (Finland) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1968) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Criterion Collection, The (1992) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar (1997) (USA) (VHS) (widescreen)
• Warner Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Neue Visionen Filmverleih (2006) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures International (1987) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (????) (UK) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Italia (????) (Italy) (VHS)
• Egmont Entertainment (2000) (Finland) (video)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• British Oxygen  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
• Ferro, Mohammed & Schwartz  main title by
• Institut Geographique National  location filming (uncredited)
• Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of (as Marconi's Wireless Telegraph)
• Post Logic Studios  digital film mastering (uncredited)
• Solartron Electronics  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
• Telephone  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of (as Telephone Manufacturing)

Also Known As:

A Delicate Balance of Terror (USA) (working title)
Dr. Strangelove (USA) (short title)
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:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Spain:18 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:12 | Brazil:10 | 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 (Certificate No. 20469) (original rating) | USA:GP (re-rating) (1970) | USA:PG (re-rating) (2004) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Arctic

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Major Kong's comment about the survival kit ("a fella could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff") was originally "pretty good weekend in Dallas". This was overdubbed after President John F. Kennedy's assassination in Dallas. Slim Pickens can still be seen mouthing the word "Dallas".

Goofs:

Continuity: General Turgidson learns from his secretary, Miss Scott, of General Ripper's ordered attack on the USSR at 3 a.m. Washington D.C. time. However, the concurrent scenes at Burpleson Air Force base (somewhere in the Western United States) take place in the daytime.

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 The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair (2006)

Soundtrack:

When Johnny Comes Marching Home

The only movie that makes you laugh at the end of the world.

This movie is absolutely brilliant! It might not be THE best movie ever made but it certainly is one of the most entertaining and fun movies ever made. It isn't even Kubrick's best but it certainly is perhaps his most accessible and entertaining movie.

The movie its story and humor are subtle and perfectly makes fun of the whole Cold War situation in the '60's. With some subtle dialog Kubrick perfectly makes fun of a very serious and relevant topic. I mean, the story of this movie isn't that unlikely and could had actually really happened. As a matter of fact, it could still happen today. It's frightening but thanks to Kubrick's directing the movie never really becomes serious and remains fun, hilarious and entertaining from beginning till end. It is the only movie that makes you laugh at the end of the world.

The actors are also what makes this movie fun to watch. Peter Sellers is nothing short of brilliant in the three different roles that he plays; Group Captain (G/C) Lionel Mandrake/President Merkin Muffley/Dr. Strangelove. But also George C. Scott is comically brilliant in this movie as Gen. 'Buck' Turgidson and he perhaps plays his very best role. Other actors that stood out were; Slim Pickens and Peter Bull. This movie also marks James Earl Jones his very first appearance in a movie.

This is perhaps the most subtle and 'darkest' comedies ever made. Everything about it is shear brilliance and even now 40 years later, it hasn't lost any of its power. The movie still looks like it could had been made a couple of months ago. A movie that will never feel outdated or too 'old fashioned' to watch. In 50 years from now, this movie will be just as good and hilarious, as it is now. Mark my words.

The movie is filled with some truly classic long sequences and has countless unforgettable moments and dialog in it. Especially the last sequence, involving Dr Strangelove, is absolutely priceless and unforgettable.

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!

10/10