Coate: How effective or memorable a hero was Jeff Bridges’ Kevin Flynn and where do you think that performance ranks among his body of work?
Kallay: How can you go wrong with Jeff Bridges? He can read the ingredients off of a can of bargain chili and I would listen to him. Kevin Flynn is Jeff Bridges. I had the golden opportunity to talk to Jeff and he was the most gracious person. What you see in Flynn is Jeff’s own fun and genuine personality. The character of “The Dude” in The Big Lebowski (1998) is like Flynn but off the charts. I always loved the character of Flynn because he was a cool video game guy who happened to own an arcade. To a teenager back in 1982, this was a guy who I wanted to be. And by the way, the scene in Flynn’s Arcade when Flynn loses his temper is totally based on Steven Lisberger’s occasional rants on the Tron set.
Coate: How effective or memorable a villain was David Warner’s Ed Dillinger/Sark and where do you think that performance ranks among his body of work?
Kallay: Let me put it this way. One of the earliest VHS rentals I ever got was Time Bandits (1981). The movie freaked me out because David Warner could look at you and you would imagine he would destroy you! As Dillinger/Sark, Warner owned that role as the cold corporate executive bent on taking over the world with computer technology, while he ate up the scenery in the Electronic World as Sark. I think it is his most memorable performance. My regret with the book is that I could not get in touch with Mr. Warner for an interview.
Coate: What was the objective with your Tron book?
Kallay: Years ago, I was a freelance writer who simply loved movies and the craft of making movies. I was a film school graduate, but honestly, never was able to break into the Hollywood filmmaking industry. When I was writing for a home theater magazine, it gave me a great opportunity to somewhat get into the “biz.” Because I was a member of the press, I gained access to most of the major movie studios, red carpet premieres, and award shows. Having that access allowed me to meet some of my heroes from the film business.
One of my heroes was Harrison Ellenshaw. Since I was such a Disney fanatic, his name and his father’s name were very familiar to me as a young film buff. I knew that Peter Ellenshaw had been one of Walt Disney’s go-to guys and just having 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (1954) and Mary Poppins (1964) on his resume alone simply did not give Peter enough praise for his work as a matte painter and visual effects icon.
With Harrison, I knew of his name on the credits for The Black Hole (1979), Tron (1982), and for heaven’s sake, Star Wars (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980). The dude had some street cred! One evening I was attending a panel discussion at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. I honestly do not recall the theme, but after the discussion, I sheepishly approached Harrison and asked him if he would be willing to talk about his work in large format and 65mm cinematography. He said sure and asked me for my card or email address.
A few weeks passed and I had not heard from him. Of course, even as a young adult, I was bummed. Then suddenly he emailed me! Harrison Ellenshaw? I have to say that the fan factor, that “geek” factor, does not subside even in adulthood. He graciously answered my technical film questions.
Harrison was totally kind to me and answered tons of questions about his work in visual effects, the people he worked with, and his own experience on Tron. Going back to my first viewings of Tron, I cannot say that the film won me over. But by the time I met and befriended Harrison, I had a newfound respect for the how the film was made.
This got me thinking. Why not write a book about the making of Tron? Granted, Disney released a stunning LaserDisc which went into the making of the film. I, being completely naive, thought I would tackle this massive subject in book form.
When it came down to the objective of writing about Tron, I was more intrigued by the people who made it, their ideas, their artistry, and their feelings about making the film. Audiences, not to their fault, sometimes forget that filmmaking is an intensive process. It involves imagination, creativity, clashing egos, studio budgets, and sometimes not knowing how a film will turn out. Tron had all of this and more. Little did I know, it would take me six years to track down as many people as I could, and tons of rejection from publishers.
Coate: What are your thoughts on Tron: Legacy? How does it compare to the original?
Kallay: I had huge hopes for Tron: Legacy. The announcement came as a total surprise to me and many of the artists I interviewed for my book. I was happy to see Steven Lisberger as a producer on the film. Knowing and being friends with many people who worked on the original film, I had hoped they would somehow be involved, but they were not.
I went to a special screening at the Academy. As I sat there, I was amongst some of the original Tron artists like Syd Mead. I hoped that the new director, Joseph Kosinski, would expand on the original ideas of Tron and fill in gaps in the original storyline. I hoped that there would be more action with newer CGI effects.
As the film unfolded, there were some pretty cool action scenes, especially in the arena Light Cycle race. I thought the lifeblood of Legacy was Jeff Bridges as Flynn dealing with his son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund) and Olivia Wilde was great as Quorra. As a whole, I felt that the film could have been so much more. I was moved by the scenes of Flynn trying to reconcile with his son Sam, but that to me was not the character and motivation of Flynn. He was an independent dude! Even in his middle aged years, I thought that Flynn would be a responsible father but also fun. It would have been cool to see Flynn and Sam racing Light Cycles across the Grid, for example.
Comparing Legacy to the original is difficult for me. Tron, was a brilliant attempt to immerse audiences into a world they had never seen before. It was a uniquely brave film.
Legacy to me falls into that trap that so many movies and TV shows do today: focusing on the parent/child relationship or a missing or dead parent. I understood why this was done, but I do not go see a Tron movie to see father/son bonding. I go to a Tron film to see Flynn being a smart ass, Tron being Mr. Hero, and Programs fighting in Deadly Disc battles.
Tron: Legacy is not a bad or poorly made film. I just felt it could have filled in the missing pieces of Tron and made itself unique. Kosinski shows his ability to direct and I think he really showed his directorial chops later with Oblivion (2013).
Coate: What is the legacy of Tron?
Kallay: Tron has made a huge impact on visual effects, animated kid flicks, or short homemade films on YouTube. Without the amazing cast and crew of Tron, we would not see digital characters like Anna & Elsa, Woody & Buzz Lightyear or Shrek. We would not see CGI effects in Jurassic Park (1993) or hundreds of visual effects in every Marvel or DC film. A teenager can now do spectacular visual effects on their laptop with inexpensive software that was unheard of in 1982. Tron created, just by using computer effects and human ingenuity, a multi-billion visual effects industry. Even the concept of a video game tie-in was largely due to Tron.
Disney also changed. The studio is now a powerhouse not only as a studio, but as a gigantic corporation. If Tron was such a big flop, why did Disney make a sequel in 2010 and open a roller coaster in Shanghai Disneyland? Tron continues to make money for Disney.
Thanks to the inventive makers of Tron, they created their own legacy that remains 35 years later.
Coate: Thank you, Bill, for sharing your thoughts on Tron on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of its release.
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IMAGES
Selected images copyright/courtesy Buena Vista Distribution, Buena Vista Home Video, Celluloid Chicago, Lisberger/Kushner Productions, Walt Disney Home Video, Walt Disney Productions.
SOURCES/REFERENCES
The primary references for this project were regional newspaper coverage and trade reports published in Billboard, Boxoffice, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety; and the book The Making of Tron: How Tron Changed Visual Effects and Disney Forever (William Kallay; 2011). All figures and data included in this article pertain to the United States and Canada except where stated otherwise.
SPECIAL THANKS
Don Beelik, Celluloid Chicago, Diane Donham, Bobby Henderson, William Kallay, Sarah Kenyon, Steve Kraus, Bill Kretzel, Mark Lensenmayer, Stan Malone, Monty Marin, John Stewart, Sean Weitzel, Chicago’s Music Box Theatre, and to all of the librarians who helped with the research for this project.
IN MEMORIAM
- Al Roelofs (Art Director), 1906-1990
- Robert Abel (Systems Supervisor), 1937-2001
- Elois Jensson (Costume Designer), 1922-2004
- Robert J. Schiffer (Make-up Supervisor), 1916-2005
- Richard ‘Dr.’ Baily (Systems Programmer), 1953-2006
- Bill Kovacs (Systems Programmer), 1948-2006
- Barnard Hughes (“Dr. Walter Gibbs”/“Dumont”), 1915-2006
- Bob Minkler (Re-recording Mixer), 1937-2015
- John B. Mansbridge (Art Director), 1917-2016
-Michael Coate
Michael Coate can be reached via e-mail through this link. (You can also follow Michael on social media at these links: Twitter and Facebook)
