Mr. Holland's Opus:
An Interview with Carl Kirchner

By Heather Young

An interview with Carl J. Kirchner, executive director of TRIPOD, an innovative public school program for the deaf and hard of hearing in Southern California . Carl was the consultant on deafness for the movie, "Mr. Holland's Opus".

Interviewer: The parade scene was powerful to me. It really brought back the feelings I had when I suspected a hearing loss in my children. Tell me about it.

Carl: The parade scene was accurate. Brandi, the baby used, was profound, the fire engine noise was real, not dubbed in. Right before the shoot, everyone around was saying, "Shh....don't wake the baby!" I was laughing my head off, saying, "The fire engine isn't going to wake her, just be sure not to bump the stroller!"

I: Why was the oral method the only option presented at the child's diagnosis?

C: In the 1960's, oralism (no gestures or signs) was in vogue. Sign language was considered a bastard language. It wasn't until the 1970's that sign language was recognized as a language with its own linguistics, etc.

I: Is the portrayal of the main character, Mr. Holland, as not being involved in his son's life, a common role for fathers of hearing impaired children?

C: Well, his reaction was obviously what the movie was about. But is was interesting to see how the actors, Richard Dreyfuss and Glenn Headly, approached their roles. Richard chose to only learn enough sign to do his job. Glenn, on the other hand, came to the shoot saying, "I want to learn this language. Please teach me." And she spent hours practicing and refining her skill.

I: Why did you choose to have the boy be 7 or 8 yrs. old before the parents finally considered sign language? All of the families I know make those kinds of changes within the first four years.

C: Well, back then, because oralism had such strong ties, it took many years before parents would break from the specialist. That portrayal was accurate for the time.

I: Why didn't Cole wear hearing aids at first?

C: Well, the young boy ( at 8 yr.. old) doesn't wear aids in real life, so we weren't about to put them on him for the film. Also, in the 1960s, most children didn't have hearing aids. They used earphones in the class that plugged into a console. So technology wasn't there for personal hearing aids.

I: The flashing lights for the music in the scene where Mr. Holland sings "Beautiful Boy" to Cole - is that a new thing or an old thing?

C: Originally, the (movie) producers wanted each child to sit on a big speaker, I guess so they could feel the music through their bottoms. I said, "No, no, if you are going to do it right, you need to make a flashing light board." Then I was on the phone long-distance for 2 1/2 hours with the guy in charge of making the boards, telling him how it should be. The boards used to be a visual way to see the different notes and beat. It was an old, cumbersome thing.

Author's note: You can get a peek at Carl Kirchner in the "Beautiful Boy" scene. He played the interpreter who gives Richard help in the beginning of his performance.

I: When the mom and dad were at the kitchen table, reading the letter from Cole, why didn't you have them say "Gallaudet", instead of "a deaf university in Washington D.C. "

C: It wasn't important to the story and also the producers didn't want to appear to be playing favorites with one school over another.

I: I thought you did a great job on "Mr. Holland's Opus". I laughed, I cried, and boy, could I relate! It is one of the few movies, outside of Disney flicks, I will be buying when it comes out on tape.

C: I imagine this movie will be used quite a bit in workshops and seminars for parents. I think it will be a tool where a scene could be played, then the tape stopped for a discussion. It is a good starting point, at least.

For more info. on the Tripod parent's Organization in Burbank , CA , call 1-800-352-8888.