As I've commented before in Ted's MOVIE OF THE WEEK, seeing renowned filmmakers' early works is invariably alluring. Before Star Wars and American Graffiti, George Lucas made a movie released by Warner Bros. Pictures in 1971. THX 1138 was initially based on a student film written and directed by George Lucas when he attended the illustrious University of Southern California's film school.
In 1969, Francis Ford Coppola of The Godfather films and George Lucas founded American Zoetrope, based in San Francisco, and starring Robert Duvall, THX 1138 was the film production company's second movie. The science fiction film about social control and conformity takes place in a dystopian future, where sex is outlawed, and citizens take daily medications to suppress their emotions.
A long time ago in a city far, far away, I first caught THX 1138 on TV one night, showing in the widescreen format. This was way back when CRT televisions were still the dominant display technology before flat-panel HDTVs came along. Mesmerized by the cinematography, I could have turned off the sound and still be captivated, which is kind of ironic because Lucas has famously said "sound is half the experience" for watching movies. Lalo Schifrin, who composed the original Mission: Impossible theme song, created the haunting score that complements the film's dark themes.
Like the original Star Wars trilogy, THX 1138 got a "Director's Cut Special Edition" treatment with reworked scenes, although it didn't get as much publicity in 2004. Incidentally, there have been numerous Easter eggs and references to THX 1138 in other George Lucas films, including Indiana Jones. THX was named for a division of Lucasfilm that standardized audio playback systems to ensure consistent performance quality, first in dubbing theaters, then cinemas. The title character, THX 1138, was derived from Lucas' telephone number 849-1138 (on a numeric keypad, "T" is 8, "H" is 4, and "X" is 9).
THX 1138 is not one of George Lucas' much-talked-about movies, and some may find it a little bit on the weird side. In fact, Warner Bros. executives didn't understand it, and, consequently, a few minutes of the original film was re-edited by the studio, which infuriated George Lucas. Still, THX 1138 has become a cult film, and it's always interesting to see famous filmmakers' first movies, especially from the creator of Star Wars.
Comments
Post a Comment