DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB: Spotlight Podcast 5:5.1

Science! Peter Sellers as an ex-Nazi witnessing his dreams coming true in DR. STRANGELOVE OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB.
Science! Peter Sellers plays an ex-Nazi witnessing his dreams coming true in DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB.

It would be hard to overstate the excellence of DOCTOR STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB. Stanley Kubrick’s masterful dark comedy took the grimmest of concepts — the world on the brink of the apocalypse as a rogue American general (Sterling Hayden) orders a nuclear strike on Russia — and played it for laughs without managing to dilute any of the horror of the situation. With Peter Sellers serving triple-duty in three incredible performances as the noble Captain Mandrake, ineffectual American president Merkin Muffley, and the sinister ex-Nazi science adviser Dr. Strangelove — given considerable support by George C. Scott as the gung-ho General “Buck” Turgidson and Slim Pickens as the too-committed B52 pilot T.J. “King” Kong — DR. STRANGELOVE comes about as close to cinematic perfection as the field will ever see, and remains a potent cautionary tale fifty years on.
In celebrating the golden anniversary of STRANGELOVE’s release, the Cinefantastique Online team of Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons dig deep into Kubrick’s exquisite balance of humor and horror, discuss the process that led to the film’s hilarious yet credible performances, and explore the evolution of the script from its start as a straight-on thriller to its comedic final form. Click on the player to hear the show.

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Variations on A Christmas Carol: CFQ Round Table Podcast 2:48.2

a christmas carol

The Christmas season is upon us, and as we have had occasion to mention, that means ghosts and spirits. And what greater Christmas ghost story is there than Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL? That is the subject of this week’s Cinefantastique Round Table Podcast: Dan Persons, guest John W. Morehead (of Theofantastique.com), and Steve Biodrowski take a look back at the original novel and the numerous film and television adaptations, both live action and animated, that have brought not only Scrooge but also Jacob Marley and the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future to life on the screen. Listen for fond remembrances of everything from the 1951 classic SCROOGE starring Alistair Sim to the 1970 musical starring Albert Finney, from George C. Scott to Patrick Stewart, not to mention Mr. Magoo, the Muppets, and Doctor Who!


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