Probably the most famous depiction of the sabre-rattling between nuclear powers that was common at the height of Cold War tensions, and its possible consequences, Dr. Strangelove was originally intended to be a serious drama before Kubrick’s realisation that there was a rich seam of dark humour to be mined from the seemingly ever-present threat of nuclear annihilation. Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), having lost his mind to paranoia, sets in motion a nuclear attack without the knowledge of his superior officers. His executive officer, Group Captain Mandrake (Peter Sellers), tries to avert disaster, as do US President Muffley (Sellers) and his coterie of advisers, including the sinister doctor (Sellers again). With even the smallest parts perfectly sketched, and actors delivering their lines brilliantly, surrounded by Ken Adams’s famed sets, Strangelove remains arguably the most entertaining depiction of humanity’s end.

This screening will be accompanied by a specially commissioned six-minute short, Stanley Kubrick Considers the Bomb.

Screening as part of the Fallout season.

Notes by Kevin Coyne.