Clad in institutional white and with depersonalizing ciphers for names, a sedated populace made pliable by a government-mandated drug regimen puts in shifts at the robot factory, spends its free time shopping, confesses to an automated messiah in a phone booth, and entertains itself with porn and violence. Anything out of the ordinary is immediately reported to a faceless bureaucracy that responds swiftly and without mercy.
This is the world of George Lucas' first feature film, "THX 1138," named for the protagonist played by a bald-headed Robert Duvall. Produced by Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope in 1971, the film is based on Lucas' own film school short. Restored and padded with a few new digital shots, it is now back in theaters.
As terrific as the film looks, it tells a familiar story. Suffused with a hardcore minimalist aesthetic, "THX 1138" takes place in barren interior spaces devoid of color. In one particularly striking sequence, the cast finds itself in an all-white environment. Obviously, Lucas borrowed liberally from the rich tradition of dystopian literature, including "1984" and "Brave New World." In the bizarre and repressive world, humanity stirs: when his computer-appointed roommate LUH 3417 (Maggie McOmie) falls in love with THX 1138, she secretly exchanges his sedatives. Newly alert, THX tries to find a way out with the help of SEN 5241 (Donald Pleasence.) Does his fledgling love stand a chance against the impersonal system of the future?
It's always been fun to spot "THX" references in Lucas' later films, and it's amusing to see the germs for his most successful creation in this one: while the tone is much more serious, there are lots of pointers to "Star Wars"--the sounds, the masked enforcers, the fascination with control boards and transmissions, and the final chase.
The Collector's Edition 2-Disc DVD set of THX 1138 will be released on September 14, 2003.
