THX-1138
George Lucas' directorial debut, expanded from an award-winning student film, THX-1138 is a grim, cheerless film. That may be part of the reason why it was so commercially unsuccessful, even after a re-release on the heels of the tidal wave of Star Wars. This movie is certainly not what people think of when they think of Lucas. It is a lot of black and white where movies like American Graffiti or Star Wars are steeped in colour. It is sombre and understated, especially in the audio department, where later on John Williams would overwhelm us with symphonic splendour.Yet this movie is undeniably an achievement, and showcases Lucas' trademark ability to convincingly shape a futuristic environment with dazzling visuals. The story itself is fairly basic and other critics have pointed out that is is a mere regurgitation of more infamous sci-fi writers, but it is worth retelling. In a nutshell, humanity has become so consumed with efficiency and productivity that they now inhibit their emotions and sexual desires through the use of a carefully monitored drug intake.
People inhabit a colossal, featureless city known as the superstructure, and are sorted into two-person domiciles with little to differentiate between them. The protagonist that Lucas inserts into this sterile environment is the titular THX-1138 (played by the always superb Robert Duvall). THX-1138's roommate, LUH-3417 (Maggie McComie, who sadly turned away from a life of film), has secretly been refusing her drug intake and has developed feelings for THX. She sabotages his own supply of drugs without his knowledge, and THX also begins to experience emotion.
From here, you might suspect that the film devolves into a cliched series of events whereby the heroic THX, with his true love LUH at his side, overthrows the establishment in the form of the faceless OMM-0910. But no. What follows after is actually quite despairing, with THX thrown in prison with a fellow miscreant, SEN 5241 (Donald Pleasance) and subjected to beatings by the very cyborgs he helped build.
THX doesn't want to be a hero. He only wants to be with LUH, and he barely understands why. That simple goal is enough to sustain the plot in the second half, but what really keeps us glued to the screen are the stark images that Lucas crafts. The prison that THX is taken to has no walls. It is "limbo", a white void where any direction could be right, but equally wrong. The superstructure beyond is not much better; a chaotic mess of pipes, roads, and tunnels, the purpose and aim of which is anybody's guess. It all feels like a society where even though everything is controlled completely, no single entity is actually at the helm, and it is careening onwards in blissful ignorance.
This simplicity of the film's narrative is actually a strength, not a weakness. It allows the imagery to breath, to present us with a corrupted version of our own society gone horribly wrong. THX-1138 might seem extreme in its vision, an Orwellian nightmare that now seems hyberbolic in its message. Therein however lies the allure. This movie is inherently watchable because it reminds us daily of how our lives are worthwhile. Our individuality is crucial. When you look at the other side of the coin, it appears grotesque. That difference is what makes us human. And just as that simple tenet of our existence is worth celebrating, so too is THX-1138.
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