The filmmaker Douglas Trumbull, responsible for the special effects of several science fiction film classics, such as
Blade Runner
,
2001: A Space Odyssey
,
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
, among others, died yesterday Tuesday at the age of 79 in Albany (New York), her daughter reported on her Facebook account.
“My father Doug Trumbull passed away last night after a great two year battle with cancer, a brain tumor and a stroke,” Amy Trumbull wrote.
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Born in Los Angeles in 1942, Trumbull was one of the pioneers of special effects in film, as well as a director, producer and screenwriter.
In the same Facebook post, her daughter claimed the figure of his father, whom she described as "an absolute genius and a magician" for his contributions to the film industry, which "will last for decades." she added.
“In my work I am interested in the way in which the spectators perceive moving images, and more specifically in the immersion of the public”, declared Trumbull in 2018 on the occasion of a documentary about his career.
Trumbull said that in his films he tried to give those who went to a theater an immersive experience when watching the film.
However, Trumbull had come to the cinema almost by chance, even though his father, an engineer, was one of those responsible for the effects of
The Wizard of Oz
(1939).
His illustrations for a NASA film shown on a 360-degree screen at the 1964 New York International's Fair caught the attention of Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, who were preparing what they called "the first good science film." fiction” of history, which would be
2001.
An image from Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, with special effects by Douglas Trumbull.
Amy Trumbull has precisely remembered that her father was the creator of the special effects of films that have gone down in cinema history such as
2001: A Space Odyssey
(1968), by Kubrick;
Meetings in the third phase
(1977), by Steven Spielberg;
Blade Runner
(1982), starring Harrison Ford and directed by Ridley Scott;
Star Trek
(1979), by Robert Wise, and
The Tree of Life
(2011), by Terrence Malick.
Curiously, she refused to work with George Lucas for
Star Wars
(1977) because he was busy on other films.
Although he was nominated five times for an Oscar, he was only awarded an honorary one for his career.
Trumbull participated in few, but great films, and was unknown to the general public.
He also developed a disappointing career as a film director, also with science fiction films, such as
Silent Running
(Mysterious Ships),
from
1972, which failed at the box office, and
Project
Brainstorm
(1983), a visionary for approaching virtual reality, but which suffered numerous setbacks for its premiere, among others, the death of one of its stars, Natalie Wood.