Behind the Camera on DR. STRANGELOVE

The relatively simple and inexpensive sets for Dr. Strangelove (1964) were created and photographed for maximum impact. They were designed by Ken Adam, who was born in Germany and had studied architecture. His background may explain the echoes of German expressionism found in the film, such as the "War Room" set, which was influenced by Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927). Adam (who also designed several James Bond films) told Michael Ciment, author of Kubrick (Calmann-Levy, 1980), that the "War Room" was exaggerated in size and filmed in long shots to give a fantastic quality to the activity there, primarily the decision-making process where the power players are at considerable distances from each other. On the other hand, General Ripper's office and Major Kong's bomber, "The Leper Colony," are rendered realistically. The bomber scenes, shot in an area not much bigger than a closet, were very tightly framed to emphasize the claustrophobic cramped space and filmed with available lighting only, a Kubrick trademark he would perfect further in such later works as A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Barry Lyndon (1975). While giving the scenes the feel of photo-reportage, this lighting also lent a spectral, nightmarish air to the lethal plane's cabin. The assault on the air force base (the attempt to storm Ripper's office and reverse the attack order) is shot on orthochromatic film using a handheld camera that was operated much of the time by Kubrick himself (an activity rarely engaged in by feature film directors, although Steven Soderbergh shot his latest film, Traffic (2000) that way). The cinema verite style and gritty black and white give those sequences the feel of a documentary, adding to the suspense and the chilling humor. It was this air of realism and plausibility that led Columbia Pictures to tack the following disclaimer at the beginning of the film: "It is the stated position of the United States Air Force that their safeguards would prevent the occurrence of such events as are depicted in this film. Furthermore, it should be noted that none of the characters portrayed in this film are meant to represent any real persons living or dead."

"The real image doesn't cut the mustard [sic], doesn't transcend. I'm now interested in taking a story, fantastic and improbable, and trying to get to the bottom of it, to make it seem not only real but inevitable." - Kubrick in 1964 around the time of the film's release.

In a scene in which General Turgidson gets highly excited, George C. Scott got swept up in the character's agitation and fell over while performing the scene. It wasn't scripted, but Kubrick decided it was perfect for the character and kept the humorous shot in the film.

Although much of the film was tightly scripted, Kubrick gave Peter Sellers free rein to improvise his roles. Many of the lines delivered by his three characters were Sellers' own creation.

The film was shot in Shepperton Studios outside London, partly because Sellers was getting a divorce and couldn't leave the country for an extended period.

Kubrick sought no help from the U.S. Department of Defense. The flight deck of the B-52 bomber was based on a single still shot that had been published in a British aviation magazine. Most of the shots of the plane in flight were simulated with a ten-foot model of the plane and a moving matte image behind. Each shot cost about $600, virtually bargain-basement by today's special effects standards.

A visitor to the set observed Kubrick's total control over every aspect of the process, which, she said, the crew regarded with awe and respect rather than hostility. She noted there was an overall atmosphere of dedication and good humor although no prankishness was evident. The happiest moments, the ones that inspired outright laughter on the set, were when a difficult shot was achieved.

"He is most certainly in command, and he's so self-effacing and apologetic it's impossible to be offended by him." - George C. Scott