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The disturbing truth of ‘Dr. Strangelove’

Dr. Strangelove
Dr. Strangelove
Dr. Strangelove

Almost everything about Stanley Kubrick's Cold War satire Dr. Strangelove feels surreal, but some of the situations it depicts turn out to have been disquietingly realistic. Eric Schlosser, author of the celebrated Fast Food Nation — which Richard Linklater turned into a movie starring Greg Kinnear and Bruce Willis — says that the scenario of a crazed general launching a nuclear strike without presidential approval was actually possible during the era. Described as a "secret delegation of power," this was only one of the many details you'll find in Kubrick's movie that seem absurd on the surface, but were actually faithful to reality. Read Schlosser's full review of the lesser-known facts in his article for The New Yorker.

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