'Dr. Strangelove' film showing to be introduced by Kubrick aide

SALISBURY — The 1964  black comedy classic “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb†will be shown at the Scoville Memorial Library on Sunday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m.  — and it will be introduced by Lee Minoff of Sharon. Minoff worked as a unit publicist and aide to legendary director Stanley Kubrick during production of the movie.

“When Kubrick started on ‘Dr. Strangelove,’ he had just finished ‘Lolita,’ and at that time he was considered the top American director, and he could do whatever he wanted,†Minoff said. “I don’t even think he showed the studio the script before he filmed it.â€

“Lolita†remains one of the most controversial films made in America in the 20th century. Starring Peter Sellers and James Mason, it is the onscreen adaptation of the novel by Vladimir Nabokov about an older man’s obsessive love (and lust) for his adopted stepdaughter.

Minoff worked in Hollywood for years  and came up with the original concept and story for The Beatles’ avant garde animated film, “Yellow Submarine.â€

He left the movie industry in 1983 and moved to Sharon, where he now has a practice as a psychoanalyst.

“Kubrick was the only person that I had any kind of close or remote relationship with who I thought was a genius,†Minoff said in an interview with The Journal. “The way he handled his work was very gentle, which is a little unusual for a director. It was interesting for me to learn that you did not have to be like Otto Preminger to be a director. I never heard Kubrick raise his voice or get angry at anyone.â€

Minoff said Kubrick was extremely intellectual and read pretty much everything that was published at the time about thermonuclear war before he started work on “Dr. Strangelove.†The movie, which stars Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, is a satirical comedy of errors. It is set in the 1960s and spoofs the Cold War era. A crazed U.S. Air Force general takes it upon himself to begin a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union because he is sfearful of a Communist takeover of America.

“He did his homework on everything, even interviewed people from Washington, D.C., about the film,†Minoff said.

Most of his research was done from home.

“Kubrick loved the peacefulness of England and never flew anywhere. He had a pilot’s license, but he told me he never used it because he knew all the things that could happen on a plane.â€

Sellers plays multiple roles in the film, including the part of the U.S. president who is trying desperately to get the situation under control. But he is best remembered by many film fans  as the German-accented, wheelchair-ridden  Dr. Strangelove.

Minoff remembers Sellers as one of the greatest character actors in cinema history, but said he had little to no personality offscreen.

“There are some things about character actors that are different from stars,†Minoff said. “Major stars like Jack Nicholson, Gary Cooper or Henry Fonda, they always had a self-centered core. When Peter Sellers was just himself, you had to spend time looking for him. If you had dinner with him, it would be just like having dinner with your uncle. It just wouldn’t spark.â€

As for Scott, Minoff said Kubrick literally tamed him through games of chess.

“At the time Scott was hired, he was apparently drinking heavily and fighting with practically everyone,†Minoff said. “Kubrick handled him beautifully by bringing a chess board to the set while they were filming. Kubrick was a master chess player and he would move a piece between takes, then Scott would study the board and make a move. Scott had incredible respect for him.â€

Despite the passage of time (more than 46 years since the film was released), Minoff said “Dr. Strangelove†is still relevant.

“President George W. Bush sent America into Iraq because we were afraid they had weapons,†he said. “Now we might be doing the same because we’re afraid Iran might have weapons. Things have become much more complex and dangerous since the Cold War. The world has become a little crazier — because of which, ‘Dr. Strangelove’ is still a very pertinent film today.â€

The Scoville Memorial Library is at 38 Main St. in Salisbury. Admission to the showing is free. For more information call 860-435-2838 or visit the Web site at scovillelibrary.org.