Capital Celluloid 2013 - Day 159: Sat Jun 8

Dr Strangelove (Kubrick, 1963): ICA Cinema, 6pm

Here is the ICA introduction: In his new book A Short History of Nuclear Folly, Rudolph Herzog, the acclaimed author of Dead Funny, presents a devastating account of history's most irresponsible uses of nuclear technology. From the nightmare of Broken Arrows to Nazi bombs, suicide dust to plummeting nuclear satellites - and the death of John Wayne - Herzog focuses in on long-forgotten nuclear projects that nearly led to disaster.

A Short History of Nuclear Folly is a blackly sardonic people’s history of atomic blunders and near-misses in the spirit of films such as Dr. Strangelove and The Atomic CafĂ©. So it's only fitting that this celebrated young historian will introduce the book before a screening of Kubrick's Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

Rudolph Herzog is the author of the hugely popular Dead Funny: Telling Jokes in Hitler’s Germany (Melville House, 2011) and, as a director, is best known for the reality crime series The Heist (Channel 4). He is the son of the celebrated filmmaker Werner Herzog.


Time Out review:
'Perhaps Stanley Kubrick's most perfectly realised film, simply because his cynical vision of the progress of technology and human stupidity is wedded with comedy, in this case Terry Southern's sparkling script in which the world comes to an end thanks to a mad US general's paranoia about women and commies. Peter Sellers' three roles are something of an indulgent showcase, though as the tight-lipped RAF officer and the US president he gives excellent performances. Better, however, are Scott as the gung-ho military man frustrated by political soft-pedalling, and - especially - Sterling Hayden as the beleaguered lunatic who presses the button. Kubrick wanted to have the antics end up with a custard-pie finale, but thank heavens he didn't; the result is scary, hilarious, and nightmarishly beautiful, far more effective in its portrait of insanity and call for disarmament than any number of worthy anti-nuke documentaries.'
Geoff Andrew

Watch this trailer. Now try and tell me you don't want to see this film again.

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