In George Lucas's fascinating feature debut (based on his short student film), the young director creates a futuristic, underground world in which bald, dronelike workers are... more
This review already contains more than 120 words. As a Ciao member you could earn up to £5 with this review.
Advantages: Good bonus material on the DVD Disadvantages: Storyline of the film needs patience to follow it fully.
...experience you get from the THX 1138 Directors Cut DVD is certainly a good insight to the mind-set and creativity of George Lucas. This futuristic film is one of the "must have" films around - even if you watch it just once.
The film itself is set in a stark, white-washed, micro-managed land - where everything done is watched and scrutinised: what is watched on the entertainment system; what medicine you use and how much; who you make love to - ... ...routines, with the lead character, THX 1138 - yes, they have an insignia as their name - shown as working as a handler of radioactive materials, carefully monitored by Big Brother-esq controllers.
Within the environment these people inhabit, there are numerous "confessional" booths, which are automated - obviously showing that someone has the great idea of caring for people - but not too much.
The "prison" where THX end's up can only really be ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Light years ahead of the usual 1970s rubbish Disadvantages: What was the point - it is 1984
...Lucas University film submission of THX 1138 - al waffling intentionally warped picture of 15 minutes of movie.
3) An hour of documentary on Zoetrope - watch this before you watch the movie - you will at least understand the concepts and the context of the movie.
4) Effects pieces, etc
HMV price £19.99 for 2 discs - probably not really worth it, but it is a bit of cinema history although please someone do a true to the book re-make of 1984 instead. ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Dark, Gripping, Thought-Provoking Disadvantages: Need to sit down and watch it - Only disadvantage I could think of!
...to mediate the film's impact. THX 1138 simply shows us a world. Take from it whatever moral you deem fit. This is a dimension with no unemployment and no pollution, but also no sun, no sky, no grass, no hope, no love. Industrial accidents that shred human bodies flash by in sound-bite form. The carnage is unfortunate, but if it does not affect us directly, who cares? Policemen are courteous robots with the personality of ATM machines. Every individual ... ...The awfulness of THX 1138 is so realistic, and so spared of temporal ideologies, that the movie is beautiful, even inspiring in the sheer purity of its horror. Some say that THX is risibly obscure, but consider that the password THX 1138 is used by millions today for their log-in names. An advanced calculator's brand name is based on it, along with, of course, Lucas' own "THX" sound system in countless movie theatres. One of Lucas' own cars even ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Interesting story line and revolutionary (for the time) Special Effects Disadvantages: Sort of artsy not for everyone
While many others have not seen this film I myself would rank it within some of my top movies. It is not something for everyone with a fairly artistic and sometimes confusing story line.For those trying to compare it to Star Wars I emplore you to simply forget that this is a George Lucas film, you really cannot compare the two or feel like one should be as good as another. I have always enjoyed early Sci fi films and looking at older special effects ... ...and Lucas's views for the future are quite intense and revolutionary. Some of his predictions are quite breathtaking as we have come to own and use some of the items which he describes in his film. The characters Lucas creates are excellent in their development and you can truly see who they are as people. ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average not helpful
Actor(s): Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasence, Don Pedro Colley, Ian Wolfe, Maggie McOmie
Director(s): George Lucas
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy
Classification: 15 years and over
Production Year: 1970
Running Time: 1 hour 22 minutes
Video Category: Feature Film
Plot: A chilling drama set in a computer programmed, drug controlled, society in which one couple reduce their drug intake and set out to break all the rules. Based on a story by George Lucas.
Release details
DVD Region: Region 2 (Europe)
Studio(s): WARNER HOME VIDEO; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Release date: 13/09/2004
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: D 011162
Barcode: 7321900111621
Composer: Lalo Schifrin
Languages
Main Language: English
Technical information
Special Features: Commentary - 1. George Lucas (Co-writer, Director) and Walter Murch (co-writer, sound designer), Featurette - 1. Master Sessions with Walter Murch., 2. 'Bald' - Classic production featurette., 3. 'Electronic Labyrinth THX 11384EB' - Lucas' student film that inspired the movie., Documentary - 1. 'A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope', 2. 'Artifact from the Future: The Making of THX 1138', Original Theatrical Trailer, 'Theatre of Noise' - Isolated sound-effects track.
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround English
DVD Description
In George Lucas's fascinating feature debut (based on his short student film), the young director creates a futuristic, underground world in which bald, dronelike workers are forced to take drugs to regulate their moods and stifle their libidos. THX 1138 (Robert Duvall) and his mate, LUH 3417 (Maggie McOmie), are factory workers, building the robotic police that keep order in their stark world. The soundtrack to their lives is a news service that continually lists information about factory accidents, as well as sex and drug crimes, ala George Orwell's 1984. There are electronic confessionals for workers to admit to mistakes they've made, and THX uses these outlets to express his unhappiness with his life. When LUH decides she and THX should stop taking their medication, their sense of humanity--and their desire and love for each other as a couple--is unleashed. It's not long, however, before they are imprisoned for this crime, and LUH learns then that she is pregnant. Separated, THX embarks on a journey to find her with the help of rebel SEN (Donald Pleasence) and hologram SRT (Don Pedro Colley), eventually attempting escape to the outside world. Combining complex editing and sound techniques with brilliantly subtle performances, THX 1138 is a little-known and vastly underrated sci-fi masterpiece. In an eerily prophetic moment, Lucas also predicts what people will be watching on TV in this future--news, sexually explicit films, and vapid comedy shows.
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since : 22/06/2005
Compare THX 1138 (Director's Cut) to other similar Science Fiction & Fantasy
