I watched Spike Milligan on a chat show talking about Peter Sellers knocking on his door early one morning and when Spike opened the door ,there was Peter naked apart from a bowler hat asking Spike if he knew of a good tailor. Spike Milligan ,Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe formed the "Goons" which was a crazy radio show from the 50s and the chat show was called "Parkinson ".
My mother saw this when it originally came out in the early 1960's. She didn't normally have a dirty mind, but she told me she was the only person in the theater who realized the opening scene with the planes refueling was a "love" scene, and had to hide her laughter. I have confirmed she is correct, that was definitely the intent. This film has such a dry, dark humor.
Amazing how many people don't connect the romantic music with the scenes of probes entering airplanes and make that connection regarding the sexual symbolism.
Notice when things seem to be resolved, they show Strangelove lurking back in the dark. He reemerges when war is imminent. He represents the world fighting nuclear war against itself (Strangelove's alien hand syndrome) and thus the insanity of fighting against each other when we all lose.
Production Designer Ken Adam designed the War Room to look like a giant gambling poker table. The two super powers gambling on the outcome of humanity . Ken Adam is best known for the sets he did for many of the 007 movies of the 60's and 70's. He worked with Kubrick again for Barry Lyndon.
You want to be truly blown away by Peter Sellers as an actor? Watch BEING THERE. It's eerie as hell how his character just slides into the situations without truly understanding them at all, yet manages to succeed because he really doesn't have a personality, just a face that everyone else projects what they want to see upon. It's outrageous.
"Peace is Our Profession" is not a joke. It's the real motto of Strategic Air Command (or SAC), mentioned in the movie. It was coined by it's founder General Curtis LeMay is late 1940's. LeMay was Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force in the 1960's serving under JFK and LBJ administrations. He was in key roles during the Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis and the early stages in Vietnam War. I believe General Buck Turgidson is modeled after him.
Actually its General Jack D Ripper who is based more on Curtis LeMay, who was considered the ultimate war hawk and anti-Communist zealot in the upper echelons of the Pentagon at the time. Ironically, he was played by Sterling Hayden, who had been a committed Communist in his youth.
George C. Scott's elastic face is one of my favorite things about this movie. God his expressions are just brilliant. The huge grin and wild eyes as he describes the planes flying under radar, getting ready to destroy the entire world... oh man. Too much.
Seller was a big admirer of Alec Guinness who played 8 roles in Kind Hearts and Coronets. This may have been the start of stars playing multiple parts. Sellers worked with Guinness a couple of times.
Black and white isn't about just the absence of color. Its an art form all its own, using the medium of light. Good black and white uses light and shadows, smoke, contrast, shades of grey, to create an atmosphere that could never be achieved in color. That's why, even today, black and white remains a choice that directors still make use of, from time to time.
It's not George C.Scott who plays 3 roles in the film. It's Peter Sellars, who plays Dr Strangelove, The US President and Group Captain Mandrake (The British Air Force Officer). Both Scott and Sellars were absolutely brilliant
I used to listen to Peter Sellers in the Goon Show a lot, and I never stopped being amazed at how different all of his characters were. It was like he wasn't there!
If you rewatch the scene where Major Kong (Pickens) is going down the list of what's in the survival gear and then states ' A fella could have a good time in Vegas...', it has been overdubbed from the original line that you can actually see Pickens say which is the word 'Dallas'. This was made in 1963 and opened in 1964 and the Producers felt that Dallas wasn't proper after the JFK assassination.
Peter Sellers was also slated to play Major Kong, though an ankle injury prevented him from filming the necessary scenes in the plane, so Slim Pickens was cast in the role.
Enjoyed watching you guys react. Peter Sellers was a very well known character comedian in the UK. Best known acting role was probably 'The Pink Panther' film series, 5 sequels with Sellers playing inspector Clouseau.
The George C. Scott stumble was an unscripted accident. He wasn't supposed to stumble but he kept in character and Kubrick loved the result. Sellers was also supposed to play Major Kong but he broke his ankle so the part opened up for Slim Pickens. Also, while Kubrick got some help from the Air Force in filming he was not allowed to see the interior of a B-52. The set design of the interior of the B-52 he came up with was so close to the real thing the FBI investigated him. One more thing, the Peace is Our Profession sign was not a prop. It was an actual sign at Strategic Air Command.
Sellers only pretended that he broke his ankle - he was embarrassed that he couldn't nail a southern accent so he faked an injury instead (he was brilliant, but he *was* a man child). He told Kubrick the string had gone in his leg - and then Kubrick included that in the film, of course.
I'll never forget my first viewing of this film - I was a HS senior visiting my sister at Ohio University in '65. She invited me to a screening in the auditorium for the student body on campus. I fell in love with the film at first sight!
"The Russian Guy" (the soviet ambassador) was played by English actor Peter Bull, who was an old collegue of Peter Sellers from "The Goon Show". hence his grin during the doctor Strangelove scenes.
Having watched Dr. S. more times than I can count, the only way to experience it fresh is to watch someone else see it for the first time. It brought me joy.
Thanks for pointing out the scene where John Bull (The Russian Ambassador) broke character, and smiled. I enjoyed the insight into the camerawork. ..Now, I'll have to find a copy of "Barry Lyndon".
Holy s**t, awesome, I just woke up and thought I was dreaming. I wasn't expecting THIS Kubrick movie! I guess my plans have changed and I'll be spending the next hour on THIS! See you on the other side!
The plane that was used to take the background shots that the B-52 was composited onto for many of the flying scenes was a B-17. There are several sequences where you can clearly see the outline of the B-17 in shadow as the B-52 is flying low over the USSR. If I recall correct, Kubrick deliberately left them in. Also, for a very different take on this subject from a similarly brilliant filmmaker, definitely check out Fail Safe by Sidney Lumet...starring Henry Fonda among others. 🖖✌
I had always written the B-17 shadow off as an error that they hoped no one would notice. It was so out of place to the accuracy and seriousness of the flight scenes.
George C. Scott always cited this as his favorite among his other roles as a general (and that includes "Patton"....which is saying a lot!). Great post-movie remarks and also all the facts at the end. You taught me stuff I didn't know, and I've read every book about Kubrick, I thought I knew it all, lol.
About George C. Scott's performance : initially Scott was "Underplaying" Turgidson and Kubrick wanted more .... After a few takes Kubrick would ask Scott to give him one Over the Top .... and those were the ones he used in the film!
@@Alcagaur1 20 years earlier Frank Capra had used the same trick on Cary Grant in Arsenic and Old Lace. Cary hated the result and could only see himself overacting. Most of his fans found it worked perfectly. I think word has got out now and no director would try the 'Give me a big performance as an exercise' routine.
This movie was shot in England, quite near London. The genius was Peter Sellers playing three roles; the RAF officer, the President of the US, and Doctor Strangelove
One reason the brilliant Peter Sellers was so hard to detect as a character is that, by his own admission, he has no real personality of his own. He said in several interviews that the only time he feels comfortable is when he is portraying another person. He admitted to being very uncomfortable in social situations where he was expected to "be himself". He grew up in show biz, both his parents were involved, and he just found his passion, and never left it. Ever. For another truly stunning performance by Sellers, please check out "Being There". Also starring Shirley McClain and Melvin Douglas, Jr.. He plays a man who basically has had no contact of ANY kind with the outside world his whole life, and then he is thrust out into it at the age of about 50, when his benefactor dies. Must be seen.
So you guys are real movie nerds huh? I am not, not to that extent. But that's passion for you, it can be very infectious. I found this very enjoyable, and this is probably one of my favorite movies of all time. A view shared by one of my swedish teachers in my teens, by the way. This was the movie he showed in class to illustrate a film making masterpiece. By that point I had already seen the movie but it was still one of the best ways to pass time in class.
From Wikipedia, information about the accuracy of the interior of the B-52 shown in the film: Lacking cooperation from the Pentagon in the making of the film, the set designers reconstructed the aircraft cockpit to the best of their ability by comparing the cockpit of a B-29 Superfortress and a single photograph of the cockpit of a B-52 and relating this to the geometry of the B-52's fuselage. The B-52 was state-of-the-art in the 1960s, and its cockpit was off-limits to the film crew. When some United States Air Force personnel were invited to view the reconstructed B-52 cockpit, they said that "it was absolutely correct, even to the little black box which was the CRM."[16] It was so accurate that Kubrick was concerned about whether Adam's team had carried out all its research legally.
This is one of the best reactions I've seen to this movie and I learned a few things from your technical analysis. What does seem to escape reactors to this movie, probably because it jumps generations (remember that this is filmed less than 20 years after the end of the WWII). The Dr Strangelove character is a pastiche of the german scientists repatriated after WWII by the US military. More specifically one of the targets for mockery is Werner von Braun who was virtually kidnapped from Europe by the US military authorities. von Braun was head of the German V2 missile program and many suspect that he never particularly renounced his allegiance to the 3rd Reich. Of course, von Braun was highly influential in the NASA programs that resulted in the Apollo missions to the moons. So the rogue arm giving the nazi salute and the outbursts of 'mein fuhrer' were a dig at the actual loyalties of the german scientists repatriated to the US to work on various military projects. Of course, in 1945 many of those scientists had a choice to make, get repatriated by the Americans / French/ British or by the Soviets. There is the quote from the 1950's in relation to the space race (I forget who by) about "Our German scientists being better than their German scientists" and that's the archetype of Dr Strangelove. You have to believe that in Kubrik's mind there was a German Scientist working for the Soviets in an equivalent role to Dr Strangelove who created the doomsday device.
Peter Sellers claimed that he wanted to get out of playing the pilot of the plane because of how exhausting it was playing the 3 parts and had a private clinic put his leg in plaster to convince Kubrick that his leg was broken.
George C. Scott was great in this movie. He only played one part. Peter Sellers played 3 parts. He played the president of the US, colonel Ripper and the German scientist Dr. Strangelove. Both Scotts and and Sellers performance were outstanding, and Kubric was a genious.
Supposedly two officers from US Strategic Air Command visited the set at Shepperton Studios and were stunned at how accurate the B52 cockpit set was, to the point they were concerned Kubrick had used classified documents to recreate it. Apparently the whole set was designed based off a single photograph and description in a book.
Kubrick was a fan of Peter Sellers, hence three roles in this film. He even allowed Sellers to ad lib some of the scenes because he was so enamored by Peters acting abilities. There would have been a fourth role too, as Kubrick wanted Sellers to play the B52 pilot, Major Kong, but Sellers did not want this part as he felt it was stretching his talent too thin playing four characters. What Peter did was fake a leg injury to avoid having to play the pilot role. I feel that had Peter lived he would definitely have had a part in Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. Peter Sellers was a phenomenal actor and entertainer as seen in this film and many others. But there were two aspects of Peter Sellers that remain little known. First, Peter Sellers had a very low self esteem. He felt that in reality he was a nobody, and portrayed that in the film Being There which Peter thought was some of his best work because it really illustrated how a simplistic nobody can be considered so wise. That film is really a testament to how Peter thought about himself. Second, Peter Sellers suffered from a severe identity crisis. To understand this Peter was like an empty vessel into which a character is poured, after which he took on that characters traits so remarkably well that he literally became the character. Unfortunately he had taken on the identity of so many characters that he really lost track of his own unique personal identity, and that took a toll on him over the years mentally.
I made a bunch of know-all comments before I watched your coda - and then watched the coda and had to delete my comments. There's a lesson in that: always watch a video until the very end before you start typing :) Really enjoyable review / reaction with some great expert insights. I just wish I could watch Dr Strangelove for the first time again (I must have seen it 20+ times in the past 30 years or so). You never forget your first time ;)
"Peace Is Our Profession" is the actual official motto of the Strategic Air Command. You also didn't show or comment on the SAC disclaimer at the start of the movie.
There’s so much fun trivia about this movie: -Wing Attack Plan R and the inability to recall the bombers was a real strategy that SACCOM (Strategic Air Command) got rid of because of this movie. It actually created a bit of a scandal when people realized how little control the civilian leadership had over General Curtis LeMay and his men at SACCOM (Scott’s character and Gen Ripper were loosely based on LeMay) . -The shots of the B-57 interior was identical to the real thing and Kubric was hauled in by the Dept of Defence to explain how he got this information. His explanation? He had simply used a magazine cover shot of Life Magazine about SACCOM. -Ronald Reagan thought the War Room was real when he first became president, and had it built when he learned that it didn’t actually exist. -George C Scott tripping as he was pointing at the Big Board was genuine. Kubric kept it because of how good it inadvertently was. -Sellar’s end monologue where he struggles with his inner nazi/eugenicist was completely improvised, hence why the Russian ambassador’s actor cracked and couldn’t keep a straight face. And those are the few I recall off the top of my head.
It's a model in front of a rear projection movie screen. It is a technique that looks good in black and white; when used for color it looks vary very fake. It was done extensively all the way back to the beginning of film making. The 1932 version of Scarface uses it in the drive by shootout scene if you want to see an earlier example.
Fun anecdote: When Ronald Reagan became US president in 1981, he asked the Joint Chiefs to be show him the War Room. They had to tell him that the country didn't have such a thing. Reagan had just seen this film and thought it was a given.
Peter Sellers also played 3 roles in the 1959 film "The Mouse That Roared" which also satirises the cold war and the policy of mutually assured destruction
Glad you had a great time with this! For an opposite take on a very similar situation, try “Fail-Safe” which came out in the same year. ( Also in B/W.) Also, try out these 3 black & white films which are guaranteed for a superior film watching experience and demonstrate cinematic mastery: The Third Man (1949); Seven Samurai (1954); Psycho (1960.) Color wouldn’t add anything to them, and would actually detract from the impact they make.
Kubrick's genius, but he's only my second favourite film-maker after Powell and Pressburger. For their stuff check out The Red Shoes, Life & Death of Colonel Blimp, Matter of Life & Death and Black Narcissus. I'm not saying they're better than Kubrick (who is?) but their films have a deep, humanistic, heightened and slightly surreal emotional punch that I love. They're also Scorcese's favourite. As for Strangelove... I mean, woah. Did you know that when Strategic Command saw this movue they lobbied for a bigger and better war room, because Kubrick's made theirs look so small and shabby? Most of the details in this movie regarding attack orders, unauthorised strikes and recall codes are true, thanks to a mix of working knowledge and inspired guesswork by screenwriter Peter George, who worked for UK's nuclear bomber command. Early attack plans in the early 60s under Strategic Command had a bomb for every Soviet Russian snd Chinese city of over 25,000 inhabitants, plus weapon sites. Their study estimated 275 million dead within the first few hours, and another 325 million within six months. Added on to this is 200 million in Eastern Europe and 100 million in Western Europe. This is without even factoring the Russian / Chinese retaliatory strikes. Another fun fact is that to shave off time to launch in response, the safeguard codes were set and kept on 0000000000, until at least the early seventies. The theory being that the risk of an accidental launch was preferable to having your missiles caught on the ground. There's a brilliantly horrifying and darkly funny book called Command & Control, which is an exhaustive history of all this, including the time they almost blew up North Carolina.
Peter Evan, mate I'm totally with you on Powell & Pressburger. Another great film (by just Powell I think) is Peeping Tom. It kind of covers the same ground as Psycho but is more insightful and outclasses it in everyway 😉
Some trivia I heard: Peter Sellers was also supposed to play Major Kong, but they got Slim Pickens instead. And the bit where the POTUS is talking to the Russian Premiere was mostly ad-libbed by Sellers as well as his performance as Dr. Strangelove. And don't forget that Kubrick brought us 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) which, in one swoop, changed the way science fiction is portrayed in the movies. I watched a space sci-fi flick that was made in 1967 where they were using silver space rockets and the same old space suits that were used in the 50s, along with a cheesy storyline and I thought "Wow! This came out only a year before 2001!"
20:45 Both the US and the USSR had nuclear ground to air missiles at this time. I've looked up and left numerous links for the user but, in this case, I'll leave it as an exercise for the reader
His hero was Alec Guinness, who had previously played NINE characters in Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949). They worked together on the original Ladykillers.
If you watch closely during the scene when Maj. Kong is reading off the contents of the survival kit the film and sound track don't match up on the line about being able to have good time Vegas with all that. Since Kong was supposed to be a Texan that original line was that a man could have a good time in Dallas but the movie was being released pretty much right after JFK was killed in Dallas so they went back and had Slim Pickens rerecord the line but they didn't have time to reshoot the scene.
It’s great that you laugh so much and for so long while watching this classic comedy. Problem is, you are missing many more subtle and hilarious moments during your lengthy expressions of mirth.
So many intelligent details, here’s one: the film stock used for the exterior battles between the army and the air force was WW2 vintage orthochromatic b&w. That is how the newsreel style was achieved. One more: the song We’ll Meet Again was a popular USO sing along from WW2. The pairing of a ‘good war’ nostalgia piece and nuclear Armageddon was making the point that such nostalgia feeds American exceptionalism, and in a nuclear age is suicidal.
Oh my god, Major, I wish Kubrick himself could have seen your reaction, you got this movie 100% from the opening shot to the closing shot! And at the same time, schooling me in lighting. 20:16, for instance! NEVER caught that! And 30:04, brilliant encapsulation, they should put that on the DVD cover, man. What a reaction to a movie that I almost take for granted.!/Richard, that's a great story about how you stumbled upon this film, how it was your first black & white movie, and how you didn't connect it to Kubrick! I did not expect you to pick this as your next Stanley flick! Your story reminded me of a family member who saw "Strangelove" opening day as a kid, back then you'd just go to the movies and watch whatever was playing.....he had no idea what this was, and came out VERY disturbed! I was thinking during the reaction how we're so used to "what the f**k" endings, but this has to be the first. Kubrick almost always has great endings. (I would say "Lyndon" doesn't have the most iconic ending, or "Lolita", but the rest definitely do.) Do Kubrick ANY time! PS: Richard, checked out one of your cooking vids, got me so hungry! Been meaning to tell you that for a while!
Great review! I love this movie and as a photographer really appreciated your evaluation of the lighting. For another great nuclear weapon movie, again with Sellers in multiple parts, check out The Mouse That Roared. And for more Sellers brilliance, I recommend the Pink Panther series, which nobody else seems to have done.
Sellers played two roles in Lolita, Kubrick's previous film before Strangelove. Probably his greatest and certainly most nuanced performance was in Being There, which unfortunately proved to be his penultimate role.
Hi fellas ! Ned from Spain here. Thank you for doing an awesome job in reacting to this pitch black comedy masterpiece and one of my favorites. The writing acting and production are pretty hard to top. Ever notice the non stop talk about food n sex ? Like even their names fit into that. I love that weird green screening of the B 52 because it actually adds to the unreal waking nightmare vibe. Your method of letting the majority of the film play out at the lower half of the screen works so well and your comments never intrude on the images or dialogue. That's something that other "reactors" should take note of. Thank again.
It was great to hear reactions and analysis of this movie from two people who love this film as much as I do. Couldn’t agree more with you about Kubrick’s films and nobody will ever change my mind either. 2001 has been my favourite film since I first saw it in 1968.
they got in trouble for a few things in this movie. they flew around Greenland taking the plane footage and they accidentally went over Thule base and had to land to get rid of that film. The government was not concerned with the interior of the plane but they were concerned about Dr strangeloves computer the curved slide rule which was a real thing. You can download it today but it gave the curves for determining bomb yield and was top secret at the time. Kubrick thought they were concerned with the notification device on the planes but ti was the slide rule thing that dr strangelove used to calculate the time it would take to be underground that was the thing they were concerned about. and Peter Sellers played at least 4 people, he was an extra in the background when George C Scott was explaining the initial plan r attack . Might be more
The richest irony is that in the midst of craziness and perceived incompetence, the end of the world is brought about by the extreme competence of the flight crew:. they overcome a missile strike, they improvise a new target of opportunity, and the apparently backwoods Major Kong repairs the bomb door circuitry under extreme time pressure.
I never thought it was meant to be funny at the beginning when it turns out they're talking over radios to each other despite being 10 feet away ....the way I understood it, the roar of the engines is so loud they can't really hear each other clearly without their headsets
I've seen this movie about a dozen times in a span of 50 yrs..I just noticed the Russian guy about to burst out laughing when Strangelove is fighting with his Heil Hitler salute..Check it out...Can you blame him?!..One of the funniest scenes in the history of films...Oops!..I commented before I saw your analysis!
At 1420; I'm sure you know now that Peter Sellers, not George C. Scott played three parts (was going to be four). ;-) The secretary was also the girl in Playboy. Much of the dialog of the President (Sellers) talking to the Russian leader was impromptu. The military didn't support the movie, but had questions after, regarding the bombers realistic interior and equipment. George C. Scott's fall was an accident, but they kept it in. During Dr. Strangelove's mine shaft rant, the actor playing the Russian Ambassador (left of Sellers, our view) was having difficulty not breaking up.
"Peace is our Profession" was and still is the motto of (then) Strategic Air Command and the current Strategic Command. Not a joke; it is based on deterrence through mutually assured destruction.
Yup. I was in SAC and the signs were on our base. I was also a cop, and a sign at our squadron said "Home Of The Peacekeepers." Which was true. We were keeping the peace.
I watched Spike Milligan on a chat show talking about Peter Sellers knocking on his door early one morning and when Spike opened the door ,there was Peter naked apart from a bowler hat asking Spike if he knew of a good tailor. Spike Milligan ,Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe formed the "Goons" which was a crazy radio show from the 50s and the chat show was called "Parkinson ".
Peter Sellers killed it in all three roles in this. Just an all time great.
Of all the war movies, in the history of war movies, this is and always will be may favorite. Nothing else comes close... Best movie ever...
My mother saw this when it originally came out in the early 1960's. She didn't normally have a dirty mind, but she told me she was the only person in the theater who realized the opening scene with the planes refueling was a "love" scene, and had to hide her laughter. I have confirmed she is correct, that was definitely the intent. This film has such a dry, dark humor.
Amazing how many people don't connect the romantic music with the scenes of probes entering airplanes and make that connection regarding the sexual symbolism.
Notice when things seem to be resolved, they show Strangelove lurking back in the dark. He reemerges when war is imminent. He represents the world fighting nuclear war against itself (Strangelove's alien hand syndrome) and thus the insanity of fighting against each other when we all lose.
Production Designer Ken Adam designed the War Room to look like a giant gambling poker table. The two super powers gambling on the outcome of humanity . Ken Adam is best known for the sets he did for many of the 007 movies of the 60's and 70's. He worked with Kubrick again for Barry Lyndon.
Good information
You want to be truly blown away by Peter Sellers as an actor? Watch BEING THERE. It's eerie as hell how his character just slides into the situations without truly understanding them at all, yet manages to succeed because he really doesn't have a personality, just a face that everyone else projects what they want to see upon. It's outrageous.
Seen it Chauncey Gardner, exceptional
Great movie.
"Peace is Our Profession" is not a joke. It's the real motto of Strategic Air Command (or SAC), mentioned in the movie. It was coined by it's founder General Curtis LeMay is late 1940's. LeMay was Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force in the 1960's serving under JFK and LBJ administrations. He was in key roles during the Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis and the early stages in Vietnam War. I believe General Buck Turgidson is modeled after him.
Actually its General Jack D Ripper who is based more on Curtis LeMay, who was considered the ultimate war hawk and anti-Communist zealot in the upper echelons of the Pentagon at the time. Ironically, he was played by Sterling Hayden, who had been a committed Communist in his youth.
"The strange thing is they make such bloody good cameras." My ATF non-sequitur.
George C. Scott's elastic face is one of my favorite things about this movie. God his expressions are just brilliant. The huge grin and wild eyes as he describes the planes flying under radar, getting ready to destroy the entire world... oh man. Too much.
Peter Sellers plays even more roles in The Mouse That Roared.
Seller was a big admirer of Alec Guinness who played 8 roles in Kind Hearts and Coronets. This may have been the start of stars playing multiple parts. Sellers worked with Guinness a couple of times.
Black and white isn't about just the absence of color. Its an art form all its own, using the medium of light. Good black and white uses light and shadows, smoke, contrast, shades of grey, to create an atmosphere that could never be achieved in color. That's why, even today, black and white remains a choice that directors still make use of, from time to time.
Agreed with you in the recent update bideo
It's not George C.Scott who plays 3 roles in the film. It's Peter Sellars, who plays Dr Strangelove, The US President and Group Captain Mandrake (The British Air Force Officer). Both Scott and Sellars were absolutely brilliant
Yes I know it was an error in cutting
The USAF was seriously pissed off at the accuracy of the B-52 interior and had no idea how such accuracy had been achieved.
I used to listen to Peter Sellers in the Goon Show a lot, and I never stopped being amazed at how different all of his characters were. It was like he wasn't there!
If you rewatch the scene where Major Kong (Pickens) is going down the list of what's in the survival gear and then states ' A fella could have a good time in Vegas...', it has been overdubbed from the original line that you can actually see Pickens say which is the word 'Dallas'. This was made in 1963 and opened in 1964 and the Producers felt that Dallas wasn't proper after the JFK assassination.
Both Doctor Who and Doctor Strangelove had their premieres delayed by the JFK assassination.
Interesting
And the original ending with the pie fight was pretty much cut for the same reason (read: not being in good taste after the JFK assassination).
I heard it was cut because it was too absurd and didn't fit with the rest of the film.@@canaisyoung3601
The script said Hi Demetri. It was left to Sellers to improvise the rest of the phone call.
Peter Sellers was also slated to play Major Kong, though an ankle injury prevented him from filming the necessary scenes in the plane, so Slim Pickens was cast in the role.
Satire, when done properly, is a beautiful thing.
Enjoyed watching you guys react. Peter Sellers was a very well known character comedian in the UK. Best known acting role was probably 'The Pink Panther' film series, 5 sequels with Sellers playing inspector Clouseau.
All time classic thanks guys so many great performances Sterling Hayden was one of my favorites
The George C. Scott stumble was an unscripted accident. He wasn't supposed to stumble but he kept in character and Kubrick loved the result. Sellers was also supposed to play Major Kong but he broke his ankle so the part opened up for Slim Pickens. Also, while Kubrick got some help from the Air Force in filming he was not allowed to see the interior of a B-52. The set design of the interior of the B-52 he came up with was so close to the real thing the FBI investigated him. One more thing, the Peace is Our Profession sign was not a prop. It was an actual sign at Strategic Air Command.
Sellers only pretended that he broke his ankle - he was embarrassed that he couldn't nail a southern accent so he faked an injury instead (he was brilliant, but he *was* a man child). He told Kubrick the string had gone in his leg - and then Kubrick included that in the film, of course.
I'll never forget my first viewing of this film - I was a HS senior visiting my sister at Ohio University in '65. She invited me to a screening in the auditorium for the student body on campus. I fell in love with the film at first sight!
Delighted to see you have most of my Top Ten films ever on this channel. You have excellent taste. 👍
You should react the other mistaken nuclear attack film that came out the this same year. Fail Safe (1964)
"The Russian Guy" (the soviet ambassador) was played by English actor Peter Bull, who was an old collegue of Peter Sellers from "The Goon Show". hence his grin during the doctor Strangelove scenes.
Having watched Dr. S. more times than I can count, the only way to experience it fresh is to watch someone else see it for the first time. It brought me joy.
That in turn brings us joy
Thanks for pointing out the scene where John Bull (The Russian Ambassador) broke character, and smiled. I enjoyed the insight into the camerawork. ..Now, I'll have to find a copy of "Barry Lyndon".
Peter Bull
The ultimate 'omg he played how many characters' movie is _Kind Hearts and Coronets_ in which Alec Guinnes played nine roles.
As fantastic as Sellers is, I think George C. Scott really makes this film. He is just perfect.
Holy s**t, awesome, I just woke up and thought I was dreaming. I wasn't expecting THIS Kubrick movie! I guess my plans have changed and I'll be spending the next hour on THIS! See you on the other side!
Damn, thanks for the shout out! Ha!
Dr. Strangelove is a masterpiece! And you guys are great.
Really loving this channel. Thanks, guys.
The plane that was used to take the background shots that the B-52 was composited onto for many of the flying scenes was a B-17. There are several sequences where you can clearly see the outline of the B-17 in shadow as the B-52 is flying low over the USSR. If I recall correct, Kubrick deliberately left them in.
Also, for a very different take on this subject from a similarly brilliant filmmaker, definitely check out Fail Safe by Sidney Lumet...starring Henry Fonda among others. 🖖✌
Thx for the insight we appreciate it!
I had always written the B-17 shadow off as an error that they hoped no one would notice. It was so out of place to the accuracy and seriousness of the flight scenes.
George C. Scott always cited this as his favorite among his other roles as a general (and that includes "Patton"....which is saying a lot!). Great post-movie remarks and also all the facts at the end. You taught me stuff I didn't know, and I've read every book about Kubrick, I thought I knew it all, lol.
One of my favourite films of all time, and the music "We'll Meet Again" when the bomb dropped..
"The only thing he didn't do was a musical." So we aren't going to count the Singing in the Rain scene in A Clockwork Orange?
I would say it doesn’t count. McDowell improvised it.
I love the scene where Strangelove is fighting with his arm and the actor playing the Russian guy behind him struggles to hold back a laugh.
About George C. Scott's performance : initially Scott was "Underplaying" Turgidson and Kubrick wanted more .... After a few takes Kubrick would ask Scott to give him one Over the Top .... and those were the ones he used in the film!
Without telling Scott, and against the actor's express wishes, as I understand it.
Kubrick did the same thing with Adolphe Menjou in Paths of Glory.
@@Alcagaur1 20 years earlier Frank Capra had used the same trick on Cary Grant in Arsenic and Old Lace. Cary hated the result and could only see himself overacting. Most of his fans found it worked perfectly. I think word has got out now and no director would try the 'Give me a big performance as an exercise' routine.
This movie was shot in England, quite near London. The genius was Peter Sellers playing three roles; the RAF officer, the President of the US, and Doctor Strangelove
Alec Guinness played 8 parts in the classic "Kind Hearts and Coronets."
One reason the brilliant Peter Sellers was so hard to detect as a character is that, by his own admission, he has no real personality of his own. He said in several interviews that the only time he feels comfortable is when he is portraying another person. He admitted to being very uncomfortable in social situations where he was expected to "be himself". He grew up in show biz, both his parents were involved, and he just found his passion, and never left it. Ever. For another truly stunning performance by Sellers, please check out "Being There". Also starring Shirley McClain and Melvin Douglas, Jr.. He plays a man who basically has had no contact of ANY kind with the outside world his whole life, and then he is thrust out into it at the age of about 50, when his benefactor dies. Must be seen.
14:20 I think you meant Peter Sellers is playing 3 parts
So you guys are real movie nerds huh? I am not, not to that extent. But that's passion for you, it can be very infectious. I found this very enjoyable, and this is probably one of my favorite movies of all time.
A view shared by one of my swedish teachers in my teens, by the way. This was the movie he showed in class to illustrate a film making masterpiece. By that point I had already seen the movie but it was still one of the best ways to pass time in class.
From Wikipedia, information about the accuracy of the interior of the B-52 shown in the film: Lacking cooperation from the Pentagon in the making of the film, the set designers reconstructed the aircraft cockpit to the best of their ability by comparing the cockpit of a B-29 Superfortress and a single photograph of the cockpit of a B-52 and relating this to the geometry of the B-52's fuselage. The B-52 was state-of-the-art in the 1960s, and its cockpit was off-limits to the film crew. When some United States Air Force personnel were invited to view the reconstructed B-52 cockpit, they said that "it was absolutely correct, even to the little black box which was the CRM."[16] It was so accurate that Kubrick was concerned about whether Adam's team had carried out all its research legally.
Dr Strangelove was the first use of the designation of a CRM114 device which has used, in various forms, in about 10 other movies.
This movie still holds up it's amazingly visionary
Legend has it that when Ronald Reagan became President one of his first requests was to be shown the War Room, not realizing that it was fictional.
Thank you for being almost the only person on UA-cam to react to this brilliant classic!
Thank you for the nice comment
Every Kubrick film had one thing in common. They all kept you on the edge. That's where he did his best.
This is one of the best reactions I've seen to this movie and I learned a few things from your technical analysis.
What does seem to escape reactors to this movie, probably because it jumps generations (remember that this is filmed less than 20 years after the end of the WWII). The Dr Strangelove character is a pastiche of the german scientists repatriated after WWII by the US military. More specifically one of the targets for mockery is Werner von Braun who was virtually kidnapped from Europe by the US military authorities. von Braun was head of the German V2 missile program and many suspect that he never particularly renounced his allegiance to the 3rd Reich. Of course, von Braun was highly influential in the NASA programs that resulted in the Apollo missions to the moons.
So the rogue arm giving the nazi salute and the outbursts of 'mein fuhrer' were a dig at the actual loyalties of the german scientists repatriated to the US to work on various military projects. Of course, in 1945 many of those scientists had a choice to make, get repatriated by the Americans / French/ British or by the Soviets.
There is the quote from the 1950's in relation to the space race (I forget who by) about "Our German scientists being better than their German scientists" and that's the archetype of Dr Strangelove. You have to believe that in Kubrik's mind there was a German Scientist working for the Soviets in an equivalent role to Dr Strangelove who created the doomsday device.
Peace is our Profession was the actual motto of the Strategic Air Command
Great to hear the laughter.
Peter Sellers is just brilliant in this film. I love actors with that chameleon like way to completely alter themselves for a character.
Favorite movie line ever. " you gentlemen can't fight in here, this is the war room."
Peter Sellers claimed that he wanted to get out of playing the pilot of the plane because of how exhausting it was playing the 3 parts and had a private clinic put his leg in plaster to convince Kubrick that his leg was broken.
George C. Scott was great in this movie. He only played one part. Peter Sellers played 3 parts. He played the president of the US, colonel Ripper and the German scientist Dr. Strangelove. Both Scotts and and Sellers performance were outstanding, and Kubric was a genious.
it's actually Peter Sellers who plays three roles; group captain Mandrake, President Muffley and Dr. Strangelove; brilliant acting !!!!!
As I said
@@majormoviemadness9927 14:20 as you said
@@j.c.a2872 ahhh, I must have edited out peters name, please refer to 31:08 thanks for correction
@@majormoviemadness9927 sorry, never made it that far; my bad
Supposedly two officers from US Strategic Air Command visited the set at Shepperton Studios and were stunned at how accurate the B52 cockpit set was, to the point they were concerned Kubrick had used classified documents to recreate it. Apparently the whole set was designed based off a single photograph and description in a book.
Kubrick was a fan of Peter Sellers, hence three roles in this film. He even allowed Sellers to ad lib some of the scenes because he was so enamored by Peters acting abilities. There would have been a fourth role too, as Kubrick wanted Sellers to play the B52 pilot, Major Kong, but Sellers did not want this part as he felt it was stretching his talent too thin playing four characters. What Peter did was fake a leg injury to avoid having to play the pilot role. I feel that had Peter lived he would definitely have had a part in Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut.
Peter Sellers was a phenomenal actor and entertainer as seen in this film and many others. But there were two aspects of Peter Sellers that remain little known. First, Peter Sellers had a very low self esteem. He felt that in reality he was a nobody, and portrayed that in the film Being There which Peter thought was some of his best work because it really illustrated how a simplistic nobody can be considered so wise. That film is really a testament to how Peter thought about himself. Second, Peter Sellers suffered from a severe identity crisis. To understand this Peter was like an empty vessel into which a character is poured, after which he took on that characters traits so remarkably well that he literally became the character. Unfortunately he had taken on the identity of so many characters that he really lost track of his own unique personal identity, and that took a toll on him over the years mentally.
I made a bunch of know-all comments before I watched your coda - and then watched the coda and had to delete my comments. There's a lesson in that: always watch a video until the very end before you start typing :)
Really enjoyable review / reaction with some great expert insights. I just wish I could watch Dr Strangelove for the first time again (I must have seen it 20+ times in the past 30 years or so). You never forget your first time ;)
Well that’s what the reaction is for, to relive the first time I think? Right?
"Peace Is Our Profession" is the actual official motto of the Strategic Air Command. You also didn't show or comment on the SAC disclaimer at the start of the movie.
There’s so much fun trivia about this movie:
-Wing Attack Plan R and the inability to recall the bombers was a real strategy that SACCOM (Strategic Air Command) got rid of because of this movie. It actually created a bit of a scandal when people realized how little control the civilian leadership had over General Curtis LeMay and his men at SACCOM (Scott’s character and Gen Ripper were loosely based on LeMay) .
-The shots of the B-57 interior was identical to the real thing and Kubric was hauled in by the Dept of Defence to explain how he got this information. His explanation? He had simply used a magazine cover shot of Life Magazine about SACCOM.
-Ronald Reagan thought the War Room was real when he first became president, and had it built when he learned that it didn’t actually exist.
-George C Scott tripping as he was pointing at the Big Board was genuine. Kubric kept it because of how good it inadvertently was.
-Sellar’s end monologue where he struggles with his inner nazi/eugenicist was completely improvised, hence why the Russian ambassador’s actor cracked and couldn’t keep a straight face.
And those are the few I recall off the top of my head.
I've heard that Kubrick's guesswork on how SAC nuclear protocols work was so on-point that he got investigated.
It's a model in front of a rear projection movie screen. It is a technique that looks good in black and white; when used for color it looks vary very fake. It was done extensively all the way back to the beginning of film making. The 1932 version of Scarface uses it in the drive by shootout scene if you want to see an earlier example.
The map on the wall in Ripper’s office is an aerial shot of London Heathrow airport. Congratulations on a great (and rare) reaction!
Thank you sir!
Fun anecdote: When Ronald Reagan became US president in 1981, he asked the Joint Chiefs to be show him the War Room. They had to tell him that the country didn't have such a thing. Reagan had just seen this film and thought it was a given.
Peter Sellers also played 3 roles in the 1959 film "The Mouse That Roared" which also satirises the cold war and the policy of mutually assured destruction
Glad you had a great time with this! For an opposite take on a very similar situation, try “Fail-Safe” which came out in the same year. ( Also in B/W.)
Also, try out these 3 black & white films which are guaranteed for a superior film watching experience and demonstrate cinematic mastery: The Third Man (1949); Seven Samurai (1954); Psycho (1960.) Color wouldn’t add anything to them, and would actually detract from the impact they make.
Kubrick's genius, but he's only my second favourite film-maker after Powell and Pressburger. For their stuff check out The Red Shoes, Life & Death of Colonel Blimp, Matter of Life & Death and Black Narcissus. I'm not saying they're better than Kubrick (who is?) but their films have a deep, humanistic, heightened and slightly surreal emotional punch that I love. They're also Scorcese's favourite. As for Strangelove... I mean, woah. Did you know that when Strategic Command saw this movue they lobbied for a bigger and better war room, because Kubrick's made theirs look so small and shabby? Most of the details in this movie regarding attack orders, unauthorised strikes and recall codes are true, thanks to a mix of working knowledge and inspired guesswork by screenwriter Peter George, who worked for UK's nuclear bomber command. Early attack plans in the early 60s under Strategic Command had a bomb for every Soviet Russian snd Chinese city of over 25,000 inhabitants, plus weapon sites. Their study estimated 275 million dead within the first few hours, and another 325 million within six months. Added on to this is 200 million in Eastern Europe and 100 million in Western Europe. This is without even factoring the Russian / Chinese retaliatory strikes. Another fun fact is that to shave off time to launch in response, the safeguard codes were set and kept on 0000000000, until at least the early seventies. The theory being that the risk of an accidental launch was preferable to having your missiles caught on the ground. There's a brilliantly horrifying and darkly funny book called Command & Control, which is an exhaustive history of all this, including the time they almost blew up North Carolina.
Peter Evan, mate I'm totally with you on Powell & Pressburger. Another great film (by just Powell I think) is Peeping Tom. It kind of covers the same ground as Psycho but is more insightful and outclasses it in everyway 😉
Some trivia I heard: Peter Sellers was also supposed to play Major Kong, but they got Slim Pickens instead. And the bit where the POTUS is talking to the Russian Premiere was mostly ad-libbed by Sellers as well as his performance as Dr. Strangelove.
And don't forget that Kubrick brought us 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) which, in one swoop, changed the way science fiction is portrayed in the movies. I watched a space sci-fi flick that was made in 1967 where they were using silver space rockets and the same old space suits that were used in the 50s, along with a cheesy storyline and I thought "Wow! This came out only a year before 2001!"
Failsafe is also great of course the serious version of this book thanks
20:45 Both the US and the USSR had nuclear ground to air missiles at this time. I've looked up and left numerous links for the user but, in this case, I'll leave it as an exercise for the reader
Sellers was also planned to play Major Kong. I can't see anyone but Slim Pickens doing that role.
Peter Sellars playing three roles was an outstanding choice. My favourite comedy.
I believe he was also supposed to play Major Kong but had a sprained ankle and couldn't get in and out of the cockpit set
Sellers was a master of imitation. I believe he was the first actor to play three characters in the same film, which gets done frequently now.
His hero was Alec Guinness, who had previously played NINE characters in Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949). They worked together on the original Ladykillers.
@@nevrogers8198 i stand corrected, thank you.
My favourite part is that in the plane safe, he kept the cowboy hat in
keep doing this. love watching your reactions. And congrats winning the world series.
Thanks go braves
If you watch closely during the scene when Maj. Kong is reading off the contents of the survival kit the film and sound track don't match up on the line about being able to have good time Vegas with all that. Since Kong was supposed to be a Texan that original line was that a man could have a good time in Dallas but the movie was being released pretty much right after JFK was killed in Dallas so they went back and had Slim Pickens rerecord the line but they didn't have time to reshoot the scene.
It’s great that you laugh so much and for so long while watching this classic comedy. Problem is, you are missing many more subtle and hilarious moments during your lengthy expressions of mirth.
If you want to see an earlier cold war comedy with Peter Sellers, watch The Mouse that Roared. He played three parts in that one too.
So many intelligent details, here’s one: the film stock used for the exterior battles between the army and the air force was WW2 vintage orthochromatic b&w. That is how the newsreel style was achieved. One more: the song We’ll Meet Again was a popular USO sing along from WW2. The pairing of a ‘good war’ nostalgia piece and nuclear Armageddon was making the point that such nostalgia feeds American exceptionalism, and in a nuclear age is suicidal.
Oh my god, Major, I wish Kubrick himself could have seen your reaction, you got this movie 100% from the opening shot to the closing shot! And at the same time, schooling me in lighting. 20:16, for instance! NEVER caught that! And 30:04, brilliant encapsulation, they should put that on the DVD cover, man. What a reaction to a movie that I almost take for granted.!/Richard, that's a great story about how you stumbled upon this film, how it was your first black & white movie, and how you didn't connect it to Kubrick! I did not expect you to pick this as your next Stanley flick! Your story reminded me of a family member who saw "Strangelove" opening day as a kid, back then you'd just go to the movies and watch whatever was playing.....he had no idea what this was, and came out VERY disturbed! I was thinking during the reaction how we're so used to "what the f**k" endings, but this has to be the first. Kubrick almost always has great endings. (I would say "Lyndon" doesn't have the most iconic ending, or "Lolita", but the rest definitely do.) Do Kubrick ANY time! PS: Richard, checked out one of your cooking vids, got me so hungry! Been meaning to tell you that for a while!
Great review! I love this movie and as a photographer really appreciated your evaluation of the lighting.
For another great nuclear weapon movie, again with Sellers in multiple parts, check out The Mouse That Roared.
And for more Sellers brilliance, I recommend the Pink Panther series, which nobody else seems to have done.
Sellers played two roles in Lolita, Kubrick's previous film before Strangelove. Probably his greatest and certainly most nuanced performance was in Being There, which unfortunately proved to be his penultimate role.
Hi fellas ! Ned from Spain here. Thank you for doing an awesome job in reacting to this pitch black comedy masterpiece and one of my favorites. The writing acting and production are pretty hard to top. Ever notice the non stop talk about food n sex ? Like even their names fit into that. I love that weird green screening of the B 52 because it actually adds to the unreal waking nightmare vibe. Your method of letting the majority of the film play out at the lower half of the screen works so well and your comments never intrude on the images or dialogue. That's something that other "reactors" should take note of. Thank again.
Thanks Ned, I appreciate it!
It was great to hear reactions and analysis of this movie from two people who love this film as much as I do. Couldn’t agree more with you about Kubrick’s films and nobody will ever change my mind either. 2001 has been my favourite film since I first saw it in 1968.
Agree and agree
they got in trouble for a few things in this movie. they flew around Greenland taking the plane footage and they accidentally went over Thule base and had to land to get rid of that film. The government was not concerned with the interior of the plane but they were concerned about Dr strangeloves computer the curved slide rule which was a real thing. You can download it today but it gave the curves for determining bomb yield and was top secret at the time. Kubrick thought they were concerned with the notification device on the planes but ti was the slide rule thing that dr strangelove used to calculate the time it would take to be underground that was the thing they were concerned about.
and Peter Sellers played at least 4 people, he was an extra in the background when George C Scott was explaining the initial plan r attack . Might be more
so many insane lines, but my favorite line of the whole movie "gentlemen, you can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
The richest irony is that in the midst of craziness and perceived incompetence, the end of the world is brought about by the extreme competence of the flight crew:. they overcome a missile strike, they improvise a new target of opportunity, and the apparently backwoods Major Kong repairs the bomb door circuitry under extreme time pressure.
W. C. Fields said "I never drink water 'cause fish fuck in it." 🐠🐟
I never thought it was meant to be funny at the beginning when it turns out they're talking over radios to each other despite being 10 feet away ....the way I understood it, the roar of the engines is so loud they can't really hear each other clearly without their headsets
I've seen this movie about a dozen times in a span of 50 yrs..I just noticed the Russian guy about to burst out laughing when Strangelove is fighting with his Heil Hitler salute..Check it out...Can you blame him?!..One of the funniest scenes in the history of films...Oops!..I commented before I saw your analysis!
At 1420; I'm sure you know now that Peter Sellers, not George C. Scott played three parts (was going to be four). ;-)
The secretary was also the girl in Playboy.
Much of the dialog of the President (Sellers) talking to the Russian leader was impromptu.
The military didn't support the movie, but had questions after, regarding the bombers realistic interior and equipment.
George C. Scott's fall was an accident, but they kept it in.
During Dr. Strangelove's mine shaft rant, the actor playing the Russian Ambassador (left of Sellers, our view) was having difficulty not breaking up.
Ah, you caught the Russian Ambassador having difficulty not breaking up. ;-D
My favorite J. E. Jones line. "Hey, where's Major Kong?"
"Peace is our Profession" was and still is the motto of (then) Strategic Air Command and the current Strategic Command. Not a joke; it is based on deterrence through mutually assured destruction.
“Peace is Our Profession” wasn’t made up for the film, that was the actual motto of the Strategic Air Command.
Yup. I was in SAC and the signs were on our base. I was also a cop, and a sign at our squadron said "Home Of The Peacekeepers." Which was true. We were keeping the peace.
6:45 From what I understand, the B52 scenes were SO accurate that an investigation was launched to determine if someone had leaked top secret info.
Great reaction. 👍
Thank you for this reaction.
Thank you.
gawd this is such a strange movie.
Abouslutly love it! I've watched it over 20 times ( over 40 years lol)