Saturday, February 14, 2009

Kubrick in the War Room


This week was taken up with trying to correct errors in the comments section of this blog. (Some people have not been able to post them successfully. "Accept third party cookies" and it will work. E-mail me if in trouble.) Then, shopping for and preparing dinner for tonight, notably making chocolate mousse.

So. I have slipped in two photographs from the past, one of which, that of Stanley Kubrick in the War Room from the making of Dr. Strangelove, was prompted by Richard Butler who brought up his interest in the film on Facebook.

Kubrick was lining up a shot of the circular table and standing in the light of one small spotlight. The Big Board is to the right and slightly behind me. Frequently he would get the grips to set up the camera and operate it himself. Sometimes the camera operator was not even on the set.

6 comments:

  1. Great photo. My all time favorite movie.

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  2. Another amazing photograph posted today of Kubrick!

    A number of your photos have already been etched into my consciousness, some many, many years ago--like the stills from the Kubrick movies you worked on. At the time I first saw some of them, when I might have been 9 or 10, they were so iconic and exciting, they have remained with me ever since. Charged neurons...!

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  3. Thanks for posting this shot. Odd to see Kubric without his beard. One of my favorite movie quotes takes place in this set when President Muffley scolds: "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"

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  4. I understand Weegee did some special photography stills on this film ..some poses just sold on ebay ..did you meet him at the time?

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  5. I did meet him, we were working on Dr. Strangelove at the same time. He walked about in heavy boots always with a cigar in his mouth. Every evening he returned to his hotel, developed the film in the bathroom and made enlargements, some of which he distorted in the manner that Weegee became known.

    He arrived the next day with a bundle of prints under his arm and showed them to Stanley. Stanley nodded as Weegee tossed print after print from the bundle on to the table.

    I remember seeing Weegee go up to George C. Scott, point his camera at him saying, "Ham it up a bit George."

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  6. Thats a great story..I'm glad I enquired
    Thanks Terence

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