THX 1138 (1971)

Director:

George Lucas

Writers:

George Lucas (story)
George Lucas (earlier screenplay)

Release Date:

11 March 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Visit the future where love is the ultimate crime.

Plot:

Set in the 25th century, the story centers around a man and a woman who rebel against their rigidly controlled society.

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Drugs | Underground City | Drugged | Hologram

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Robert Duvall	...	THX
Donald Pleasence	...	SEN
Don Pedro Colley	...	SRT
Maggie McOmie	...	LUH
Ian Wolfe	...	PTO
Marshall Efron	...	TWA
Sid Haig	...	NCH
John Pearce	...	DWY
Irene Forrest	...	IMM
Gary Alan Marsh	...	CAM
John Seaton	...	OUE
Eugene I. Stillman	...	JOT
Jack Walsh	...	TRG (as Raymond J. Walsh)
Mark Lawhead	...	Shell Dweller
Robert Feero	...	Chrome Robot #1

Also Known As:

THX-1138 (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexuality/nudity. (2004 director's cut)

Runtime:

86 min | USA:88 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | UK:15 (video rating) (1988-2003) | UK:X (original rating) | Germany:12 | UK:15 (video rating) (director's cut) (2004) | South Korea:15 (director's cut) | Brazil:14 | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-11 (2004 director's cut) | Iceland:Unrated | Italy:VM14 | Singapore:NC-16 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:R (2004 director's cut)

Filming Locations:

Alameda, California, USA

Company:

American Zoetrope

Trivia:

Shortly after THX steals a police car, and shortly before his fellow escapee crashes the one he tries to steal, you can hear someone on the radio say, "I think I ran over a wookie back there on the expressway."

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the car chase, the number 5 on a radio announcer's hat is backwards, revealing the usage of a mirror image.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Male voice (medicine cabinet): What's wrong?
THX 1138: Nothing. Nothing really. I just feel that I need something stronger.
Male voice (medicine cabinet): If you have a problem, don't hesitate to ask for assistance.
THX 1138: Yes, thank you, I'll be alright.
Male voice (medicine cabinet): Call 3485...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Josh Kirby... Time Warrior: Chapter 4, Eggs from 70 Million B.C. (1996) (V)

Soundtrack:

Elevator Music

George Lucas presents a grim Kubrick-style vision of the future - "Star Wars" fans will be surprised!

This is simply a solid, well-made film, produced on a low budget and directed by George Lucas based on his early student film of (roughly) the same title. (Which is included on the Director's Cut edition of the DVD.) Fans of "A Clockwork Orange," "1984," "Brazil," and similar films about oppressive bureaucracies will love this. It's a grim and gritty vision of the future in which people are controlled and monitored (think Big Brother on a large scale). Robert Duvall (THX 1138 being his "assigned name") breaks the laws of the world by falling in love, engaging in sex and therefore rebelling, placing him and his love in danger.

This is a very clear moral story and allusion to politics and so on and so forth. It excels as both story and study. Duvall gives a good performance (his breakthrough role in "The Godfather" would come next year) but the real surprise here is Lucas, who goes for a Kubrick-like edge to his film that really separates it from his later work. You won't believe this is from the guy who created Jar-Jar Binks.

If anyone accuses George Lucas of being the schmaltzy sell-out he has now become, direct them to this film in order to prove that, at one point in his life, he really did have a bleak outlook on life and the future, and it didn't start with the words "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...".