Dr. Strangelove

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Lore & Background

The story concerns a paranoid brigadier general of the United States Air Force, Jack D. Ripper, who orders a pre-emptive nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. It follows the President of the United States (Sellers), his scientific advisor Dr. Strangelove (Sellers), a Royal Air Force exchange officer (Sellers), and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Scott) as they attempt to stop the crew of a B-52 from bombing the Soviet Union and starting a nuclear war. In the War Room, President Merkin Muffley learns from the Soviet ambassador that the USSR has created a doomsday machine—buried cobalt bombs set to detonate automatically upon any nuclear attack, rendering Earth uninhabitable for 93 years. The device cannot be deactivated. Despite recall efforts, one B-52, commanded by Major T. J. 'King' Kong, cannot receive communications due to damaged radio equipment. Kong repairs the bomb bay doors and rides the falling bomb to his death. The film ends with a montage of explosions set to 'We'll Meet Again,' signifying the doomsday device's activation.

Reader's Guide

Dr. Strangelove is widely considered one of the best comedy films and one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. In 1998, the American Film Institute ranked it 26th in its list of the best American films (in the 2007 edition, the film ranked 39th), and in 2000, it was listed as number three on its list of the funniest American films. In 1989, the United States Library of Congress included Dr. Strangelove as one of the first 25 films selected for preservation in the National Film Registry for being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.' The film received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor for Sellers. The film was also nominated for seven BAFTA Film Awards, winning Best Film From Any Source, Best British Film, and Best Art Direction (Black and White), and it also won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.

Did You Know?

• Peter Sellers originally was expected to play Major T. J. 'King' Kong but sprained his ankle and could no longer work in the cramped aircraft mockup.
• Sellers improvised much of his dialogue, with Kubrick incorporating the ad-libs into the written screenplay, a practice known as retroscripting.
• For his performance as President Merkin Muffley, Sellers drew inspiration from Adlai Stevenson, the former Illinois governor and U.N. ambassador during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
• The film was one of the first 25 films selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1989.
• The doomsday machine in the film consists of buried cobalt bombs set to detonate automatically, rendering Earth uninhabitable for 93 years.