THX 1138 (1971) is the full expression of George Lucas as a creative artist, it of course trickles into his other work like Star Wars! It is of course based on his student film, Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB, made in 1967 for USC’s film school. The 15 minute short was expanded to 1 hour, 28 minutes. It is a science fiction film that is a dystopia like George Orwell’s 1984. We can see that Star Wars is the opposite, a hopeful, imaginative escape. Lucas’ next film, American Graffiti (1973) is more personal, reflecting his life in Modesto and it is a snapshot of teenage life moving into adulthood. It set the standard for teen films and even though personal, it is relatable to all audiences. So taken as a whole, the Lucas Trilogy of films; THX 1138 is Lucas’ fears, American Graffiti is his life, and Star Wars is his dreams. It is important to watch all three to understand George Lucas as a filmmaker.
The screenplay is by Lucas and Walter Murch, who also developed the Sound Montages. Murch also worked on the sound in Apocalypse Now (1979) and directed and wrote the screenplay for the film, Return to Oz (1985). The film opens with the beginning of a black and white Buck Rogers serial. It’s peek into a sci fi future is still hopeful. The film credits in green which might reflect the computer screens of the time scroll downwards. It is possibly a descent into the dystopia of THX’s world. The moody music is by Lalo Schifrin. We get a beeping noise as we see an extreme close-up of numbers from what looks like a clock. The movie is filled with chaotic mechanical images. Surreal in part. We see the face of THX 1138 (Robert Duvall) on black and white security footage. This is a bold part, the man caught in a system, Duvall was known for playing Tom Hagen in The Godfather (1972) and also Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse Now. THX like other people has a shaved head and wears white shirt and trousers with an i.d. badge. He wears a white skull cap and a headset which looks like a work uniform.
Next, we see a woman, LUH 3417 (Maggie McOmie) who is THX’s roommate. McOmie was later in the thriller Reflections of Passion (1975) and played Carol in Grand Junction (2006). Her words are analyzed. Control buttons are pushed. Then, we see one of the Chrome Robots, escorting what looks like a prisoner to his room. The guards in the film are dressed all in black, but have white helmets and unemotional, silver faces. This is a contrast to the bone-white Imperial stormtroopers. Johnny Weissmuller Jr. plays one of the Chrome Robots. His father played Tarzan and Weissmuller himself was also in American Graffiti and the tv movie, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985). THX is controlling robot arms to assemble what will be the Chrome Robot guard. We of course have a more friendly robot in C-3PO, but it is interesting to see a robot being put together. THX is working to build one of the guards that control the population. There is a number of voices informing THX and also we hear random conversations rattling off numbers and procedures.
LUH is one of the monitors watching over people and watching her and THX is SEN 5241 (Donald Pleasence). The actor played Blofeld in You Only Live Twice (1967) and later Loomis in the horror classic, Halloween (1978). LUH is troubled by her monitor duty and almost misses a radiation overload on one of her screens. The explosion rips apart doors and people, 63 we are informed. THX hears the alarm, but reassured by the voices that there is no danger. A body is dragged out of one of the rooms. The violence and sexuality in the movie give it an R rating, so Lucas is not crowd pleasing here, this is a harsh look at the future like Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. THX has finished his shift and walks back to his home. We see the police cars zipped by, identified as Samos-3 vehicles, these are Lola T70 MkIII race cars that figure in a later chase scene. THX goes into a store where he picks up a red hexagon, consumerism is still in the future, it looks like a shopping center. THX then goes into a private booth, he sees the face of OOM, voiced by James Wheaton.
He admits his work error, this is a confessional, but OOM seems to give pre-generated, rote responses. THX also worries about his mate, LUH. He goes on to say that the sedatives called Enerval he is taking are not working. Drugs are used to control the population. THX leaves the booth uninterested in OOM’s words. He returns home to find a troubled LUH. They are separate. THX watches a nude woman dancing as a hologram. Strange to see this reflected in Star Wars with Oola in Return of the Jedi (1983) and the holographic Diahann Carroll in the Star Wars Holiday Special (1978). LUH switches pills while he is watching the hologram. THX is shifting through programs and watches a Chrome Robot beating on a prisoner. LUH joins him and we find that THX slowly breaking free of the conditioning. SEN meets with THX and wants to be his roommate and THX sends a complaint against him.
Later, THX 1138 is confined into a white room and struck by black poles by the Chrome Robots that shock him. The sound effect almost has hints of a lightsaber. It is basically an insane asylum where we also find SEN sent there, he tries to be a leader figure, but instead ends up following THX. We also find Sid Haig as prisoner NCH. THX decides to leave the asylum, it is an area of endless white, SEN follows him and they see SRT 5752 (Don Pedro Colley) who is an actor in the holoprograms. He was in the sci fi sequel Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) and was Sheriff Little in The Dukes of Hazzard tv series. THX 1138 finds a police vehicle, the acceleration has echoes of a landspeeder. It’s a futuristic race car out of Lucas youth breaking him free from this dystopia, this part is an empty tunnel. He is pursued by two guards riding white motorcycles. THX 1138 has to go on foot and encounters Shell Dwellers which look like strange primates. THX 1138 is a challenging movie, full of surreal images, and a sci fi world that is in our real world, but lost in a dystopia!
Four Enervals out of Five!
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