THX 1138 it’s a science fiction film from 1971, directed by George Lucas and starring Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasence. The film was Lucas’ first feature film, following a few shorts he made during his college years.
The plot is set in a dystopian future where society is controlled by a totalitarian regime which forbids love, art and religion.THX 1138 is a worker who lives in an underground city, where every aspect of life is tightly controlled by a system of surveillance and drugs that suppress all emotions.
THX 1138 he begins to feel a strong desire for freedom and expression, which leads him to rebel against the system and flee the city together with another worker, LUH 3417. The two try to escape to the surface, but are constantly chased by the authorities.
The film was a commercial failure at the time of its release, but has since become a cult science fiction film, appreciated for its visionary style and its critique of mass society and social control. The film has also inspired other works of science fiction such as “1984” by George Orwell and “The Matrix” by the Wachowski brothers.
Plot
The plot of THX 1138 is set in a dystopian future in which society is controlled by a totalitarian regime that forbids love, art and religion.THX 1138 (played by Robert Duvall) is a worker who lives in an underground city, where every aspect of life is tightly controlled by a system of surveillance and drugs that suppress all emotions. The inhabitants of the city are identified only by numbers, without names or personalities.
THX 1138 he works in a factory that produces robots for the city and spends his days in an aseptic and degrading environment, where his fellow workers are devoid of any emotion or personality. The only form of communication permitted is through a verbal communication system, where every sentence is codified and devoid of any form of expression.
One day,THX 1138 he begins to feel a strong desire for freedom and expression, which leads him to rebel against the system. He meets LUH 3417 (played by Maggie McOmie), another factory worker who tells him she has fallen in love with him. The two start meeting secretly, contravening the laws of the city.
LUH 3417 begins to adjust his dose of the drug, which is administered to all the inhabitants of the city to suppress emotions, to makeTHX 1138 break free from addiction. Later, LUH 3417 falsifies the data ofTHX 1138 to ensure that he is transferred to another area of the city, where controls are less stringent.
THX 1138 he discovers that LUH 3417 was arrested and killed by the authorities, who also falsified the data of her death. He then decides to flee the city together with his friend SEN 5241 (played by Donald Pleasence), a factory technician who has started showing signs of rebellion. The two try to escape to the surface, but are constantly pursued by the authorities.
Movie Characters
Here are the main characters of the filmTHX 1138:
- THX 1138, played by Robert Duvall, is the protagonist of the film. He is a worker who lives in an underground city controlled by a totalitarian regime and who begins to rebel against the system.
- LUH 3417, played by Maggie McOmie, is a worker in the same factory asTHX 1138. MeetTHX 1138 and begins to fall in love with him, leading him to discover the desire for freedom and expression.
- SEN 5241, played by Donald Pleasence, is a technician at the factory who helpsTHX 1138 and LUH 3417 in their escape. Show signs of rebellion and impatience with the system.
- OMM 0000, played by Sid Haig, is a security controller who closely monitors the activities ofTHX 1138 and LUH 3417, attempting to prevent their rebellion.
- PTO 2234, played by Marshall Efron, is a prisoner of the underground city he helpsTHX 1138 and SEN 5241 in their escape.
- SRT, played by Irene Forrest, is a security officer she’s trying to catchTHX 1138 and SEN 5241 during their escape from the underground city.
- NCH, played by John Pearce, is a robot priest who appears at certain points in the film, representing religion as a form of social control in the film’s dystopian society.
Production
THX 1138 was directed by George Lucas, who would later become famous for creating the Star Wars saga. The film was produced by American Zoetrope, the production company founded by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas.
The screenplay for the film was written by George Lucas and Walter Murch, based on a short film Lucas had made during his college studies.
The film was shot in San Francisco, using minimalist sets and futuristic costumes. The cinematography of the film was handled by David Myers, while the soundtrack was composed by Lalo Schifrin.
The film’s budget was approximately $777,000, a relatively modest budget at the time. However, the film was not a commercial success upon its release in 1971. Subsequently, the film was rediscovered and re-evaluated by critics, becoming a classic of science fiction cinema.
Distribution and Reception
THX 1138 was released in theaters in 1971, but met with a lukewarm reception from audiences and critics. The film was considered too experimental and difficult for the general public to understand, and did not achieve the hoped-for commercial success.
Despite this, the film has gained a cult following over the years and garnered critical reappraisal. Many critics praised the film for its dystopian vision of the future, its claustrophobic atmosphere and its commentary on the nature of individual freedom.
Additionally, the film has had a lasting impact on popular culture. For example, the scene whereTHX 1138 he is forced to watch a series of psychedelic imagery that has been featured in a number of other films and television shows.
In general,THX 1138 it is considered an important film in the history of science fiction cinema and one of the first examples of an author’s work in this genre. The film influenced many other subsequent works, including the Wachowski brothers’ Matrix saga.
Style
THX 1138 is a film that stands out for its particular visual and narrative style, which make it a kind of hybrid between science fiction and experimental cinema.
Visually, the film features a stark, minimalist aesthetic, with minimal sets and costumes. The photography is cold and aseptic, dominated by gray and metallic tones, which create a claustrophobic and oppressive atmosphere.
George Lucas’s direction focuses mainly on the images and sounds, rather than on the dialogues, which are kept to a minimum. The images are often deformed and altered, with psychedelic and hallucinogenic visual effects that create a sense of disorientation and disorientation.
The narrative of the film is equally experimental, with a non-linear structure that does not follow a precise chronological order. The film focuses not so much on the plot as on the representation of the dystopian society in which the protagonists live and their individual experiences.
In general,THX 1138 is a film that seeks to challenge the conventions of science fiction cinema, offering a very different visual and narrative experience from what audiences were used to. The result is an experimental, audacious and innovative film which influenced the science fiction and art cinema of the following years.
Director
George Lucas is the director ofTHX 1138. Born in 1944 in Modesto, California, Lucas began his career in filmmaking in the 1960s while at university.
After making a few short films and documentaries, Lucas made his feature film debut in 1971 withTHX 1138, an experimental science fiction film that has attracted the attention of critics and audiences.
Lucas later directed some of the most iconic films in cinematic history, including the Star Wars saga, which revolutionized science fiction cinema and created an unprecedented cult phenomenon.
Lucas is known for his innovative visual style and his ability to combine spectacular special effects with emotional and engaging stories. In addition, Lucas contributed to the development of digital technology in cinema, founding Industrial Light & Magic, one of the largest special effects companies in the world.
Throughout his career, Lucas has won numerous awards and accolades, including four Academy Awards and a Golden Globe for his career. Today, Lucas is regarded as one of the most influential and innovative filmmakers in the cinema history.
