Inside: 'Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb' (2000)

Great info about Dr. Strangelove in James B. Harris's words,how it was developed and imagined by Kubrick,why he choose Slim Pickens to pilot's role after tried Peter Sellers which didn't work,how about the giant and expensive set of war's room and the airplaine's cockpit,James Earl Jones interview and much more!!!Resume:First watch: 2018 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

As the title promises, this is a making of feature on Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. With a 44 and a half minute running time and 1 and a half minute of end credits(done in the same style as its subject!), this covers a lot of ground - not even shying away from a few things that paint Kubrick in a negative light, such as suing Fail Safe, on account of its similar concept, to ensure that it didn't overshadow his picture.This consists of sitdown interviews with cast and crew alike(the ones still alive - R.I.P.), behind the scenes photos and narration. It covers the entire process, including how this went from the originally intended thriller(!) to the beloved comedy it is today, Peter Sellers' multiple roles and priceless improvisation(such as the call between the US and USSR presidents - for my money, one of the funniest bits), to problems editing, the PR campaign and even the awards it has been given, both when it came out and over the decades.We'll learn how the unforgettable lines about "purity" and "essences" came about, additional details about Stanley being difficult to work with, how he handled the notoriously intimidating George C. Scott, the creation of the iconic War Room, the B-52 bomber interior being too realistic(!), Slim Pickens, how riding the bomb almost didn't happen(!), the sexual opening and, of course, the famously cut cream-pie fight climax.There is some strong language and disturbing content in this. I recommend this to fans of the movie and those who worked on it. 8/10

A documentary that looks at the creation and filming of the film Dr Strangelove. This uses footage and interviews to build up the story behind the scenes – the problems, the errors, the motivation behind what they did and the areas of improvisation.This documentary has it's weaknesses but for me it did the one thing a `making of…..' film should do, and that is to surprise me with things I didn't know about the film and how it was put together. Things like the fact that Sellers improvised many of the really funny scenes, that the word Dallas was replaced in a Slim Picken's speech, a planned pie fight at the end, even how the credits were thought up. At nearly every stage of this I was captivated at how much I didn't know!The documentary only lasts 45 minutes but there's so much information that it feels longer. The two main failures of the documentary are sadly biggies! The first is that the narrator is terrible – he's just cheesy and sounds a bit wooden with a slice of fake sincerity. The second problem is that many of those telling the stories are not those directly involved. Now in many cases the producers etc are still all alive, but there's too many friends, daughters and sons who pass it all on second hand. This doesn't take away from the fact that it's a very enlightening documentary.Overall this is a really good watch. It'll make you want to watch the film again and appreciate the creative processes that went into making such a great piece of art.

"Inside... Strangelove" is, as the title states, an account of the making of Kubrick's jet-black cold war opus. Covering topics as diverse as Pablo Ferro's dazzling handwritten titles, to Laurie Johnson's musical adaptations, to Gilbert Taylor's striking black-and-white camerawork, to Terry Southern's kinky sense of humor, no subject pertaining to Strangelove has been neglected. Even Kubrick's lawsuit against the makers of the thematically similar "Fail Safe" is recounted, with "Fail Safe" helmer Sidney Lumet adding comments! This picture is a model of economy. Lasting only 45 minutes in length, the creators crammed an astonishing amount of information, and interview subjects, within a relatively short running time. If you have a Bachelors in "Strangelove", this documentary will give you a Masters.The only liability is the somewhat annoying narration, which could be an homage to the equally annoying narration in The Killing (1956). Aside from this minor problem, "Inside... Strangelove" beautifully documents an important work by one of America's finest directors. Don't miss this one!