COMPETING FILM SHOWDOWN - Dr Strangelove vs Fail-safe

Looking at film.  Sometimes two very similar films come out close together, see which one is better...

1964: Accidental Nuclear Showdown

In 1964, at the height of the Cold War two films were made about rogue US bombers accidentally putting the world on the brink of a nuclear war.

WHY DID IT HAPPEN?

I've already said it was the height of the Cold War.  The Cuba Missile Crisis was ....  They were both based on books Dr Strangelove was loosely based on Red Alert (aka Two Hours To Doom) from 1958 and Fail-Safe was based on its namesake 1962 novel.  But most bizarrely they were both released by Columbia Pictures.

Round 1

TITLE

Both films have titles which suit them.  The full title "Dr Strangle Love; Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" is an overblown satirical title for an overblown satirical film.  "Fail-Safe" is a tight, tense title for a tight tense film.

TIE

Round 2

PLOT

The similarities in the plot are really the plot to Fail-Safe.  US bombers head are heading towards Russia and there's nothing America to do to stop this potentially world-ending mistake.  Dr Strangelove gets a little more complex with the reason (a simple computer error in Fail-Safe) becoming the plan of an insane Brig. General.  Both are interesting, but there's something pure about Fail-Safe's simplicity.

WINNER:  FAIL-SAFE

Round 3

CHARACTERS

Fail-Safe has some really strong characters, especially the President played by Henry Fonda... but the roles played but even ignoring the roles played by Peter Sellers (and you can't) there are a number of amazing characters in Dr Strangelove:  Major Kong (a role meant for Sellers), General Turgidson, Brig. General Ripper, Col. Guano, Alexi (the Russian Ambassador) and Lt Zogg.

WINNER:  DR STRANGELOVE


Round 4

ACTORS

Fail-Safe has a great cast.  Dr Strangelove has a great cast.  Both have established actors an people more recognisable today than they were back then.

TIE.

Round 5

STAR POWER

Dr Strangelove has Peter Sellers and Peter Sellers and Peter Sellers... no matter how good the rest of the casts are in both films... Peter Sellers.

  

WINNER:  DR STRANGELOVE

Round 6

SUSPENSE

Both are tense.  I mean, really, they're about the world being on the bring of an accidental nuclear war.  Dr Strangelove has a couple of twists and turns to keep the tension up and does feature pretty much the end of the world.  However, Fail-safe with the simpler plot and personalisation of the deaths really maintains the tension throughout.

WINNER:  FAIL-SAFE

Round 7

ENDING

Both have bleak endings.

Dr Strangelove ends with the oncoming destruction of the world through the automatic activation of a doomsday device.  There are plans being made - insane plans, but plans - for important men and sexy woman to be sheltered in mines.  Although one would think that these plans should have been made much, much early and it's probably now too late at least we're comforted by Vera Lynn as the credits roll and the nukes fly.

Fail-safe has a more hopeful ending.  The "war" seems to have been limited to 2 strikes: the US's accidental strike on Moscow and their own strike on New York as restitution.  Although just two cities not the world the New York strike is personalised - we see children playing and ordinary people doing ordinary things the moment it happens.  And we are aware that the President who gave the order knews his wife was in New York when he gave the order.

WINNER:  FAIL-SAFE


Round 8

MORAL VICTOR

Both are anti-war films which is nice moral ground to start from.  Both are based on books, with Doctor Strangelove's source being released a few years earlier.  Upon learning of competition to his film, Kubrick initiated a lawsuit, over plagiarism of the book he was using by the writers of Fail-Safe.  The suit was settled by the makers of Doctor Strangelove, Columbia,buying the rights to Fail-Safe, allowing Kubrick to insist his film was released first and the comedy being released before the serious film killed Fail-Safe. at the box-office.

WINNER:  FAIL-SAFE

Round 9

TESTS

Both films were made in the 60s and were about the military and politics, the women that appear are few and minor, both have no hope of passing the Bechdel Test.

TIE.

Round 10

BOX OFFICE

It is well known that Fail-Safe performed worse than Dr Strangelove.  Stats from the 60s are hard to find, though.  Dr Strangelove was #1 for 3 weeks $2,864,385, $2,385,924 &  $2,199,743, whereas Fail-Safe was only #1 for one week $2,375,382.  Mary Poppins (which lost the the #1 spot a week before Fail-Safe was released, regained the position 2 weeks later.)  The US cinema rentals (the amount the cinemas paid to show the film) for the two films are known Dr Strangelove ($4,420,000) and Fail-Safe ($1,800,000).  Box Office Mojo lists Dr Strangelove's US gross as 9,164,370.

  WINNER:  DR STRANGELOVE

Round 11

RATINGS

IMDb

• Doctor Strangelove - 8.5/10.
• Fail-Safe - 8/10.

Rotten Tomatoes - Critics.

• Dr Strangelove - 99%
• Fail-Safe - 92%

Rotten Tomatoes - Audience (Liked it).

• Dr Strangelove - 94%
• Fail-Safe - 91%

 WINNER:  DR STRANGELOVE

Round 12

SHOWDOWN REVIEWS

• Digital Journal:  Op-Ed: 'Dr. Strangelove' – Still hilarious and potent after 50 years - Dr Strangelove.
• Foreign Policy Blog:  Fail-Safe (1964) and Dr Strangelove (1964) - Tie.
• Magic Lantern Film:  Flashback Friday: Fail-Safe (1964) - Fail-Safe.

TIE.

Round 13

READER'S POLL

Even if you haven't seen both films, do the survey.

RESULTS SO FAR

Dr Strangelove - 8 (4 wins, 4 ties)

Fail-Safe - 8 (4 wins, 4 ties).

A tie, so the Reader's poll becomes far more important this time... so do it.

Personally, I think they are both great films - Dr Strangelove is a classic, but Fail-Safe is still a powerful film, although modern audiences may prefer George Clooney's 2000 live remake.

Upcoming Showdowns

30th January

~ DUG.

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