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Dr. Strangelove (1964) watch along (Patreon)

Published:
2024-07-29 17:00:09
Edited:
2024-10-12 04:15:40
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

Content

The winner of our Dark Comedy Poll and ranked #39 on the AFI list—another classic checked off the list, and it feels great! I'm glad I gave this one a watch. I did read right before watching as I brought it up that it was a satire about the Cold War so I was like “what do I know about this?” and will I get all the jokes? So I maybe knew I was doomed 😂 While it's clever and sharp, it doesn't quite make it to the top of my favorites list. But I must say, the sets, camera techniques, and lighting were amazing, and the acting was awesome. I loved the contrast of the situations and characters with the absurdity of war and the irony throughout. The characters were definitely memorable and outrageously over the top! I think I might have missed some things, but that's life! Very much so up for another rewatch, where I think the experience will be richer! Yet, I still had a lot of laughs!

Let me know all your thoughts down below! What did I miss? What are you fave lines in this? Mine was surely the "no fighting in the war room" line!

Thank you so much for supporting me on Patreon! Ya'll are the best!

xx

ames

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Dr. Strangelove (1964) watch a long

Comments

AJ

It's free with Prime in US. Tonight. LFG!

Jeffrey Schmidbauer

I like the names of the characters: General Jack D. Ripper, Premier Kissoff, Major "King" Kong, Colonel Bat Guano, etc.

Jeffrey Schmidbauer

Hardly any scene is as iconic as Major Kong riding the nuclear missle like a bucking bronco all the way down to oblivion.

Jeffrey Schmidbauer

"Fluoridation is a massive Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify our precious bodily fluids!"

MikeLL

Great reaction! I'm not convinced that Ames knows yet the full contribution Peter Sellers made in staring in this film!

ROBERT FONTAINE

Being a boomer, one of, if not my favorite dark comedy of all time. Great cast, especially Peter Sellers playing 3 different characters. Great job by George C. Scott. You didn't mention it during the watch. The bombardier on the B-52 was a young James Earl Jones.

Jeffrey Schmidbauer
>>145007903

Peter Sellers was also slated to play Major Kong the pilot. But Sellers protested as it would've been too much to undertake. (4 characters in one movie). He was up for the best actor Oscar for his roles but lost to (of all people) Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady.

Toc

Maybe it's because you're Canadian, but just like "All The President's Men", you knew way more about the history of the Cold War than most Americans who watch "Dr. Strangelove", at least from Gen X onwards. And it's not like America and Russia are great friends now, they're still enemies, still have lots of nuclear weapons, still playing geopolitical games, and there are more dopey conspiracy fantasies than ever.....which is why you quite rightly ended the reaction by saying "Hope they don't screw it up for us!" That's what people said in '64, '84 and now 2024! Relevant as it ever was!

Patrick Thompson

I think the whole movies humor can be summed up in one line…. “Gentleman you can’t fight in here, this is the war room!”

JM63

I'm glad Ames gives honest ratings. It feels a little weird when other reactors praise seemingly every movie as the best ever. That said, I still think this is an incredible film and in the top half of Kubrick's filmography. Originally Dr. Strangelove was supposed to be a serious adaptation of the novel Red Alert, but Kubrick quickly realized that a story about mutually-assured destruction (MAD) would be better told as a dark comedy. (Incidentally, Kubrick wrote or co-wrote nine of his eleven full-length films, which rarely gets mentioned.)

JM63
>>145032633

The standout for me is definitely Peter Sellers in the roles of Capt. Mandrake, Pres. Muffley, and Dr. Strangelove. Sellers absolutely nails his caricature of the flat Midwestern accent and in-over-his-head, clerk-like sensibility of the president. And I can't imagine anyone else animating Strangelove's crazy eyes behind those shades. Reportedly, Sellers improvised much of Strangelove's dialogue, the "alien hand syndrome" Nazi salutes, and the "I can walk" sequence. (The character of Strangelove is a nod to the real-world Operation Paperclip, a program which recruited hundreds of German scientists, including many former Nazis, to aid US research during the Cold War.) I'm amazed at how well Kubrick predicted the influence that conspiracy theorists like General Jack D. Ripper would have on American public life. Just think of how influential the anti-vax movement is today--surely the fear of polluting one's "precious bodily fluids" still resonates strongly. And when you think about how large a role conspiracy theorists of all types might play in electing the next US president, you could say that what was over-the-top satire in 1964 feels underplayed compared to where we are today.

Hold Down A
>>145009732

I HAD a feeling the actors looked similar 😂😂😂 especially when dr sl rolls in and they cut. I WISH I said it out loud because I was like is it the same actor! I had a hunch lol

Reggie

I grew up during the cold war and remember having nightmares in the 80s about nuclear war. This really is a brilliant black comedy about an incredibly terrifying event. BTW....there was originally supposed to be a scene with the people in the war room having a pie fight in the end! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09GzTO6cFvI

Patrick Thompson

It took me a couple of watches when I first saw this, but bit by bit new layers of comedy emerged and it just became more and more brilliant. And to be fair, who can blame a man for being paranoid about fluoride in our water after a obvious Russian spy stole his precious bodily fluids during the physical act of love 🤷‍♂️

christopher brown

Great Reaction. One of my fav quotes is "well, I, uh, don't think it's quite fair to condemn a whole program because of a single slip-up, sir."

James Rogers

First of all, 39th is way too low a ranking. With a decision that poor I'm wondering if the Supreme Court is somehow involved. Fun fact: The film was originally going to end with a cream pie fight in the war room. Not-so-fun fact: The premier was originally scheduled for Nov. 22, 1963.

Jeffrey Schmidbauer

FYI: Ames was talking about the acting being "over the top". It's what Kubrick wanted obviously. He had to deceive George C. Scott (General Turgidson) to play it "over the top" as a prepartory acting exercise that would never ever be used in the movie. The deception was necessary because George C. Scott wanted to play it straight.

Jeffrey Schmidbauer

The tables of pies and cakes in the War Room were to be used in a big pie fight at the end of the movie. Kubrick decided not to use it because....THAT was over the top.

Jeffrey Schmidbauer

The same year Dr. Strangelove was released, a serious drama with pretty much the same plot was released. The title: "Fail Safe" starring Walter Matthau and Henry Fonda as the President. Fail Safe bombed at the box office while Dr. Strangelove was a huge hit.

Jeffrey Schmidbauer
>>145038839

When Major Kong was going through the Survival Kit contents, he said, "Shoot, a fella could have a good weekend in Vegas with that stuff." The line originally said "Dallas" but Vegas was dubbed in before the release because of the Kennedy assassination.

James Rogers
>>145046840

Perhaps validating Kubrick's decision to discard his original dramatic intentions in favor of gallows humor? Of course there is the lawsuit he brought against the producers of Fail Safe that insured Strangelove would be released first.

RicoRay317

Peter Sellers was Mandrake, the president and Dr Strangelove, one of the great characters of all time. Sterling Hayden as Gen Ripper should have won an Oscar.

Ron

I'd like to suggest some follow-up movies to watch that cover some of this era: * Fail Safe (1964) (already mentioned in other comments) * Thirteen Days (2000) Also, while not cold war related, it is at least in the same sphere (if you believe the various conspiracy theories): * JFK (1991) (Theatrical: I prefer this vs. the Director's Cut for 1st time viewing because it's paced better) Btw, I recommend watching them in the above order. ======== The "Dr. Strangelove" character, himself, was an amalgam of a number of real-life people: 1. Herman Kahn: A physicist and RAND Corporation strategist, Kahn was likely the primary inspiration for Strangelove. His book "On Thermonuclear War" provided much of the technical jargon used in the film (e.g., Doomsday Machine, Megadeath, "Two admittedly regrettable, but nevertheless distinguishable post-war environments", Global Targets in Megadeaths). 2. Wernher von Braun: The former Nazi rocket scientist who later worked for NASA may have inspired Strangelove's poorly repressed Nazism. 3. Edward Teller: The Hungarian-born physicist, known as the "father of the H-bomb," contributed to Strangelove's accent and hawkish views on nuclear weapons. 4. John von Neumann: Another Hungarian-born scientist who worked on the Manhattan Project and made significant contributions to various scientific fields. The film also satirized other real-life figures and institutions: * General Curtis LeMay: Both General Buck Turgidson and General Jack D. Ripper are satires of this general. (LeMay is also portrayed in Thirteen Days.) His aggressive military stance towards the Soviets, communist-plot paranoia, military authority to use nukes, unilateral action, and cigar-chomping were all from the real-life person. * RAND Corporation: Satirized as the "Bland Corporation" in the film, highlighting the absurdity of Cold War strategic planning. * Soviet Doomsday Machine ("Dead Hand"): The movie's Doomsday Machine parallels the real-life Soviet "Perimeter" system, an automated nuclear retaliation program believed to still be operational.

Greg in East TN

I read all the comments. Much of what I had to say has already been said. I don't think anyone mentioned the pilot was Slim Pickens (from Blazing Saddles fame). I met him once. He was a very nice guy and easy to talk to, with a great sense of humor. As far as the Cold War, it was tense and sometimes brutal. I was in the Army stationed on the East/West German border during the late 70s, spending much time at Observation Post Alpha (known as the hottest spot of the cold war). It was sad that people got killed trying to escape from East Germany. Often right in front of our post. We were well prepared for a Soviet invasion. Like Napoleon, there was only one way to or from Europe from Russia, through the Fulda Gap in the mountains. And that's where we were. We had lots of tanks, infantry, artillery, reconnaissance, radar, and lots of nuclear weapons at our disposal (like nuclear artillery ammo and mines, etc.). Luckily nothing happened and when the wall came down in 1989, we all heaved a sigh of relief. Of course this film was made about 15 years or so before I went into the army, but I did live through the 60s and remember much about it. I'm glad you didn't have to live through those troubled times. But I thoroughly enjoyed the watch-along. I've got a lot of catching up to do!

Greg in East TN

I can't believe I forgot to mention this. Dr. Strangelove's weird arm is probably where Mel Brooks got the idea for the Burgermeister (or whatever he was) that had the bad arm in Young Frankenstein.

James Rogers
>>161563059

There may have been a character in one of those old Frankenstein films that lost his arm to the monster but I'm not really sure. A funny gag either way.

Gentil Aquitaine

The first moments of the film are a tell: the opening credits with the two planes--Hayes-Code-like, with lush strings in the score--suggesting intercourse. Rather than a serious film like 'Failsafe' (which came out pretty much at the same time as this), Kubrick opted to hit the absurdity of the American military complex with a sex comedy. (The General's handling of his cigar back this up.) Thus, for me, the line of the film is that in which the mad General first mentions his theory about 'precious bodily fluids'--which George C. Scott's General, in the War Room, repeats. Past that line the die is cast for the tone of this film. One of the best black comedies in cinema history.

Greg In East TN

A couple of late thoughts after rewatching your reaction. I can't find Patton on your list. George C Scott, and an all star cast, puts in a stellar performance. One of the greatest movies made, IMO. But I was a tank crewman and understand a lot of the ins and outs of things. The other thought is if you like Peter Sellers, you must must must see Being There. One of these days you'll see it and remember some hillbilly being a thorn in your side about watching it. It is also a dark comedy, but Sellers plays it to the hilt. Also, bloopers in the end credits.

Brian

There’s not much more for me to add than what’s already been discussed above, and much more eloquently than I ever could. It was my stepfather that introduced me to Dr. Strangelove when I was growing up. I loved it. He REALLY loved it. And I loved discussions with him afterwards, describing what it was like growing up in Cold War America in the 60’s. I feel like this movie hits harder for those who grew up in the Baby Boomer generation, compared to my Gen-X generation. My mom & stepfather both would tell me of having air raid drills in elementary school (not sure what climbing under your desk would do to protect you in a school classroom, in the event of a nuclear warhead dropping in your vicinity, but it was the best they could do, at the time…), and how it was common for folks to be building and stocking underground fallout shelters in their backyards, at that time. Growing up in Gen-X, all I ever had to deal with were fire drills at school. Growing up today, they have active shooter drills in schools, which neither I nor Baby Boomers ever had to deal with. Long winded way of me rationalizing why I feel this movie is more impactful, based on the generation you are raised. And, on a personal note, you can’t see this, but love & miss you pop. My step father was such a great catalyst for my love of films growing up. I couldn’t even begin to remember how many amazing films he introduced me to in my formative years, and I was ALWAYS his ‘movie date’ to watch 80’s horror movies in the theater, as mom HATED scary movies! ☺️❤️