Vintage Image of the Day: Dr. Strangelove
Filed under: Classics, Comedy, Vintage Image of the Day
A thoughtful reader pointed out to us that yesterday was Stanley Kubrick's birthday -- he would have been 78 had he not died in 1999 -- and I couldn't let the occasion pass without an image from one of his movies. At first, I thought I should remember one of the lesser-known films, something that many people haven't seen, like Paths of Glory or Barry Lyndon. Barry Lyndon has some gorgeous images, as does A Clockwork Orange. But ultimately I decided to go with one of the most iconic images from a Kubrick film, the one that most of us would recognize instantly, the one that reminds you that you haven't seen Dr. Strangelove in awhile and ought to rent it again soon.
I don't need to explain the context of the above image, although it reminds me how much I enjoyed Slim Pickens as Major Kong. Rumor has it that Peter Sellers was supposed to take that role too, but was unable to do so. As much as I enjoy Sellers, I'm not sure he'd be quite as convincing a Texan as Pickens in this dark comedy. If you don't know anything about the above image, get to a video store immediately and rent Dr. Strangelove. And don't forget to wish Kubrick a (late, but sincere) happy birthday.
[Thanks to Asim for the tip.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-27-2006 @ 3:29PM
Myron said...
Great flick. Every American should see it. It's your civic duty.
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7-27-2006 @ 3:37PM
David said...
True dat. True dat...
Reply
7-27-2006 @ 8:14PM
Chris G. said...
I concur. Every American should see Dr. Strangelove. In addition, it is the only movie (that I have seen at least) that shows AF Security Police in action. For those that don't know, AF SP's not only do base law enforcement, but also provide base defense. Kubrick certainly did his homework.
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7-27-2006 @ 10:45PM
Geoff said...
Hell with it: I'm British and I consider this an essential film.
Anyone from the West should see it.
Happy birthday, Mr Kubrick!
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7-28-2006 @ 3:30PM
josh said...
"Rumor has it that Peter Sellers was supposed to take that role too, but was unable to do so. "
It's not rumor, it's an established fact. Cinematical has even posted images of Sellers dressed as Kong before.
Sellers was to play the role; Kubrick wanted him to do it. However, Sellers didn't think his deep South accent was good enough, and he didn't think he could get it good enough in time to do the shoot, on top of all the other characters he was playing.
A test shot of Sellers as Kong:
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/3566/clock/di6.jpeg
So Kubrick got Slim Pickens, who he did not tell that the film was a dark comedy. He played the role straight (to him). The rest is history. Great movie!
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7-28-2006 @ 4:18PM
Ben said...
Didn't sellers also break his leg durring the filming preventing him from completeing that role? At least thats what I though I remembered from the DVD commentary.
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