Today would have been the 83rd birthday of special effects maestro, Douglas Trumbull.

Today’s scene that I love come from 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.  The famous stargate sequence was designed by Trumbull and it remains one of the most influential science fiction moments of all time.  In one of their greatest oversights, the Academy neglected to include Trumbull when they nominated the film for its special effects.  As a result, the Oscar only went to Stanley Kubrick.  Trumbull was not happy about that and, sadly, Kubrick and Trumbull did not speak to each other for years afterwards.

Despite not being included in the nomination, Douglas Trumbull’s work has stood the test of time.