By Jason Apuzzo. We’ve been speculating for some time here at Libertas that Disney’s Tron: Legacy might go political. The early, key indication of this was an interview with Bruce Boxleitner in which he suggested that the big bad villain of Tron might be a wicked defense contractor.
In a new interview today, Tron‘s Olivia Wilde adds a new dimension to this story and confirms that the film will, indeed, have a strong political subtext to it. Here she is, talking to Collider:
Collider: Watching last night I sort of got some political undertones in the film –
Wilde: Absolutely. There’s a totally anti-fascist message here.
Collider: She really believes she’s doing the right thing, having this war on imperfection. Do you get that now having seen the whole film?
Wilde: Yes, absolutely, and I saw it more than ever in the movie last night. I knew that was there in the script, but I was really excited to see, like, ‘Ooh, good. We have a little bit of a political slant.’ Maybe no one will notice but you and me, but I think the message, again, is that imperfection is beautiful, the idea of accepting flaws. The story is of a dictator who has ethnically cleansed this universe and what’s left is this desperate and miserable world. The message I think of course is that compassion, humanity and humility are important in our own lives as well as in politics. Again, that makes me think about how incredible Jeff’s performance was because to create a character like Clu who was this merciless dictator who really kind of sends chills up your spine as you think of maybe who he resembles in actual history, but I think it does have a message as well, a political message as well as one just about humanity in general.
Wilde also indicates in the interview that she identifies her own character in the film with Joan of Arc. (This may explain why Wilde was also posing recently as Lady Liberty in ads for the A.C.L.U.; she certainly seems to have an expansive view of herself.)
I would love to know exactly who Wilde thinks Tron‘s “merciless dictator” resembles “in actual history,” wouldn’t you? Why do I think I already know? Hint: I doubt she’s talking about insane Islamic theocrats eager to wipe out Jews, or any actual fascists in today’s world; she’s more likely talking about America’s ‘virtual,’ imaginary fascists that haunt the current liberal imagination. And we all know who those guys are …!
In any case, I think perhaps we’re starting to get the vibe of what this film will be saying. As we’ve said here on almost a hundred different occasions recently, sci-fi is the new medium through which the big, ideological statements are being made in the cinema. (Although, truth be told, sci-fi has actually being doing this for decades.) If Avatar didn’t make that point clearly enough, the many new sci-fi films coming in its wake will.
Incidentally, Tron‘s currently tracking poorly. This won’t help.
Posted on December 2nd, 2010 at 11:23am.
Oh dear Lord. In a Disney movie? Really? You really have to wonder if conservatives have a sixth sense about these things. I had the same vibe, that the movie would push toward a totalitarian ego-maniacal fascist dictator who wants to eliminate everyone who doesn’t fit into his worldview. Of course, he won’t be featured on any t-shirts in a beret or be smoking any island cigars. He’ll probably have a cowboy hat though.
I love island cigars.
Don’t we all? Pinko commies can make a mean cigar. LOL
“… war against imperfection” That could so easily be turned around against Progressives. They’re the ones striving for Utopia, it’s Conservative who understand you can’t get there.
They don’t always think this stuff through, do they?