And the guy wasn't even a comedian...but he did a GREAT job acting like one. I think of some of the roles he had..like being a stern prosecuting attorney in "Anatomy of a Murder" and of course as the rambunctious General in "Patton". His versatility really SHINED in Doctor Strangelove!
Agree! Great performance. And to think Kubrick got some of the BEST takes when he told Scott to just ad lib..."off the top". Evidently those ad libs, to Scott's consternation, wound up going into the final product.
I've seen this movie at least 10 times and this scene always left me in stitches. The look on George C. Scott's face while he's mimicing airplane movements is priceless.
This movie is A++ in every regard, but I have to say, in addition to the hysterical conclusion of his monologue: "And that's not meant as an insult, Mr. Ambassador! I mean, you take your average Ruskie, we all know how much guts he's got-- hell, look at all them that them Nazis killed off and they still wouldn't quit!" LOL
That's very insightful. In a different story, Kong and the rest of his crew would almost assuredly be due for the receipt of numerous promotions and citations (as he himself mentioned).
I was on a B-52 crew in the early 70's. I don't think ANYONE on a B-52 crew ever thought they would live long enough for the "receipt of numerous promotions and citations" ......if a WWIII broke out! NOR...did they think anyone would be LEFT... to pass them out!
My favourite bit is his body language around the phrase "a big plane like a fifty-two". The short pause before PEON is terrific. He's a fabulous voice actor. The "hell yeah" conclusion is over the top for me on repeated viewings. The reception of the group is supposed to be dawning on him in the very moment, but I don't think that's how this general's mind really works. He's not a slow thinker even if his childish enthusiasms tend to shine through. But it really works on first viewing.
I can't think of any movie that has more memorable scenes in it. This however, might be my favorite. Scott just is such an impressive actor, I can't believe he did not like his performance here.
When I first saw this movie, in 1964, I thought it was some kind of "art movie". "Art movies" were fashionable at the time. They were usually in "Black and White"...Short (like this one)...and full of crazy stuff. And Kubrick, in 1964, wasn't the "rock star" he eventually became. The only "famous" movies he had directed were the somewhat WEIRD "Lolita" and "Spartacus". No wonder it didn't win any major awards. Of course, NOW, we recognize it for being the "hidden gem" that it truly was.
@@ahmedamine24 I SHOULD have rephrased that. "Lolita" was "somewhat weird"...NOT "Spartacus". Spartacus was, and still is, a classic. It's just I don't think Kubrick got a lot of popularity and name recognition from it...at least not enough to think "Dr. Strange love" was NOT an "art movie" produced by some unknown.
Scott had a touch of comic genius along with his excellent acting ability. There is a scene in this film where he is going off about something while backing up. He trips and does a full reverse somersault on the floor, popping back up to seamlessly complete the line. It was an unscripted accident, but was so hilarious they left it in final cut. As outstanding as was Peter Sellers, playing all those roles, I thought Scott stole the show.
He was basically channeling Patton in that role, that guy hated commies more than he did ze nohtzees...But like any good commander respected his foes/allies.
I heard Kubrick told him to be extra wacky to get the extra energy out of his system for a real take and then used the wacky ones against Scott's wishes.
This is my favorite scene in the entire film. George C. Scott was my favorite aspect of this movie. I literally fell out of my chair and couldn't stop laughing after this outburst. God bless Stanley Kubrick and those who worked with him :)
George C Scott was and is a great actor his roles in every movie he made was a excellent performance! On the best scenes was. Mandrake told the sergeant when he was still short a few coins to call the war room. Telling the sergeant you bloody twit shoot the lock off that coke machine. After the coins came out the machine got it's revenge. Shot a load of coke cola right into the face of that Sargeant priceless! As for a Oscar for Mr Scott. He should have gotten one! It was a tragically that he didn't! But Mr Scott was a humble man he didn't go in for. Awards and statues
@dideroted He didn't exactly "Dislike IT" he was just mad that Kubrick told him to do it in an over the top fashion and said to him "They're just test parts" when in actuality they where what he really used in the final film. So in essence he felt betrayed by Kubrik.
the end of this scene has a great comparison to the scene when they cross fingers and pray. thousands people would probably have thousands of intpretation lol.
He was an incredible actor. He didn't like several scenes he played in the movie because according to him, he was just haming it up and they should have been cut and another retake should have occured.
This scene responds to a creeping feeling among the American public back in the '60 -- and still current today -- that the U.S. builds up military might in large part for the gratification of its managers and end-users --"boys with their toys" -- instead of to serve national ends.
Finally someone who understands this movie. Yes, Major Kong was a bit odd, but he held his crew together and did what he promised to do at the cost of his own life.
I may be mistaken...but somewhere I read or heard that Slim Pickens was kind of a last minute "fill in" for the part after the decision was made that Peter Sellers already had too much on his plate with the 3 characters he was playing in the movie. So they asked Pickens to come to Britain to do the part. I believe the guy didn't even have a passport so he had to work THAT problem before he could show up. And when he arrived at the British Studios he was wearing a 10 Gallon Cowboy hat. People couldn't believe this guy was going to be a lead actor in the movie! And HE thought he was being hired to do a straight part...in a straight movie. Thank GOD he was wrong! (And believe it or not, Slim Pickens got his name on the rodeo circuit. He was both a rider and a rodeo clown...a FAMOUS rodeo clown...long before he was asked to partake in the movie business.)
Nuke Russia. A rogue US General orders a nuclear strike on Russia in the movie without anyone else's knowledge and they're talking about the pilot that is on his way to drop the bomb.
I like the intentional contrast.....General Ripper had a calm, passive demeanor, and that somehow made him seem even more batshit crazy. Whereas if you take out the fact that Turgidson sounds and acts like a complete lunatic, he makes the most sense out of anyone else in the war room.
Sorry, but I think the guy who made the most sense was the president. He's the only one who does *not* have annihilating the Soviet Union as the first option.
What are you even talking about. Turgidson is a complete lunatic who wants to wipe out the entire Russian population for no good reason. He's a ludicrous caricature of ignorant warmongering american officials during the cold war; it seems we haven't watched the same film
Tevdrew3 Meower Maneki meant with "down to earth" in the way that, although flamboyant the character can be, still, there's people like this in the real world. He just remarked how the reality of a subconscious like the one of Buck's can be. And Buck acted just the way he was really thinking, as flamboyant and infantile it can be (and as one can get too)...
RIP Peter Sellers (September 8, 1925 - July 24, 1980), aged 54 And RIP George C. Scott (October 18, 1927 - September 22, 1999), aged 71 You both will be remembered as legends.
At the time...I don't think Dr. Strangelove was even considered a movie. It was pegged as some kind of weird art experiment. I think the length wasn't even commensurate with the kind of block busters that were playing at the time: "Like the Great Race" or "Cleopatra" which (I think?) were in theaters at about the same time. What a mistake that was!
10 years old but worth replying regardless As Buck, Stanley Kubrick tricked the actor into giving this over the top performance by saying it was only demo takes. After this the actor felt so betrayed he wouldn't work with Kubrick further. They also used to settle creative disagreements over chess which both were very fond of, Kubrick often winning.
He won Best Actor for his Patton, and before that had been nominated for three other films, but unfathomably not for this one, where his role was a mock-up for his later miles gloriosus.
Best part of the movie was the bombers run in with the SAM. Pretty fine drama for a black comedy. Unfortunately no one ever uploads it outside the full movie. Regards from DearJohn & HiThere.
No. Powers was shot down May 1st, 1960. And this movie came out just after JFK was shot November 1963. (In fact that's why they had to change Slim Pickens' comment going through the survival kit check: "A guy could have a good time in Dallas with all this stuff" to "A guy could have a good time in Vegas with all this stuff". If you watch closely..you can lip read "Dallas" on Slim Pickens' lips although it was dubbed with "Vegas" before the movie was released.
Because the Academy seems to have little to no respect for comedy. Hell, Charlie Chaplin never actually won an Oscar for any of his films, they just gave him a lifetime achievement award.
Thomas Marshall I remember when I was 7yo (1975) the family watched "Gold Rush(?)" it was the first time that I can remember laughing so hard Tears were rolling. The part were the big guy tried to eat Charlie.... LOL Good times
@dideroted I think Kubrick wanted Scott to be more like an over the top general, with the same attitude that patton had. obviously this movie was made before patton. but we can all agree that Scott's performance in Patton (1970) was amazing!
Well, he did feel lied to, which was understandable. The performance he intended to be screened was replaced by something he thought was only practice. But still, it's too bad he didn't see how well the final product turned out in the end xD
I may have to agree. Seen the movie countless times and, although there are so many wonderful scenes, this could be the best. The president isn't expecting such an enthusiastic and optimistic response as General Turgidson then realizes....
The funniest part about this is that this scene was meant to be a practice take. Kubrick told George C. Scott that this scene of him going crazy wouldn't be used. Well, it honestly makes me laugh thinking he did this as an elaborate prank. hahaha
George C Scott complained about this, though, and felt it was overacting. Kubrick asked him to play straight, funny, and over the top. And he always picked over the top.
Technically Kubrick tricked him into doing practice over the top performances as "warm ups," followed by more serious takes. He eventually used the silly takes for comedic effect and Scott felt betrayed by Kubrick's intentions.
@akf2000 He had to be prodigiously cogent and persuasive and Kubrick translated this through how intrinsically competetive he is at the game of chess, wasn't it? But regardless his performance will be predominantly great and perpetrate perpetually. I anticipate anyway.
