SILVER

or: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB
Stanley Kubrick's classic Cold War satire kicks off when the paranoid Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) initiates a pre-emptive nuclear strike against the Soviet Union, promoted by General Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott), because he suspects the communists are poisoning America's water supply "to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids." Peter Sellers masterfully plays three distinct roles — the U.S. president, a British military man and Dr. Strangelove, a former Nazi genius recruited to work on weapons designs for the Americans. James Earl Jones made his film debut as Lieutenant Zogg, a bombardier aboard a B-52 under the command of Major T. J. “King” Kong (Slim Pickens); he was cast after Kubrick saw him onstage alongside George C. Scott in a production of “The Merchant of Venice.” The film was nominated for four Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor for Sellers. DIR/SCR/PROD Stanley Kubrick; SCR Peter George, Terry Southern, from George's novel "Red Alert." UK/U.S., 1964, b&w, 96 min. RATED PG

In Memoriam: James Earl Jones (1931–2024)