THX 1138
"Buy more. Buy more now. Buy. And be happy."
Or so Robert Duvall's character is admonished, by the state, in THX 1138. Notable as Lucas' first feature-length film (and the first film produced by Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope studio), the movie demonstrates Orwell's 1984 had some influence on Lucas, as the script appears a loose, modern adaptation of the famed paranoia-is-justified work.
Set in the future, sexual relations are forbidden and humans required to maintain pharmaceutical sedation. The state runs every aspect of citizens' lives, constantly admonishing them to maximize efficiency and production. "Remember, thifty thinkers are always underbudget" and "Let us be thankful we have an occupation to fill. Work hard, increase production, prevent accidents and be happy" stand out as two blatant examples of Lucas' leveraging dialogue to convey the theme. In fact, the very cost of recovering Duvall's character, when he goes astray, plays a critical role in the film's outcome.
Although filmed in 1971, the effects are pretty well done, especially considering the production must have possessed a minimal budget. With ever-timely themes of government control of citizen behavior, mass production for the good of the people and substitution of religious beliefs with patriotism for the state, I'm suprised I hadn't heard more about this film in the past. While no masterpiece, or even a remote visual equal of 2001: A Space Odyssey, the themes explored are intriguingly portrayed if not unique.
Also in my Netlix queue: Wallace and Gromit: Three Amazing Adventures and The Day After Tomorrow. I just returned A Lot Like Love, which I thought was rather well written and produced, and Jackson Pollock: Love and Death on Long Island, which I also found well produced but too brief and a trifle depressing.
Or so Robert Duvall's character is admonished, by the state, in THX 1138. Notable as Lucas' first feature-length film (and the first film produced by Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope studio), the movie demonstrates Orwell's 1984 had some influence on Lucas, as the script appears a loose, modern adaptation of the famed paranoia-is-justified work.
Set in the future, sexual relations are forbidden and humans required to maintain pharmaceutical sedation. The state runs every aspect of citizens' lives, constantly admonishing them to maximize efficiency and production. "Remember, thifty thinkers are always underbudget" and "Let us be thankful we have an occupation to fill. Work hard, increase production, prevent accidents and be happy" stand out as two blatant examples of Lucas' leveraging dialogue to convey the theme. In fact, the very cost of recovering Duvall's character, when he goes astray, plays a critical role in the film's outcome.
Although filmed in 1971, the effects are pretty well done, especially considering the production must have possessed a minimal budget. With ever-timely themes of government control of citizen behavior, mass production for the good of the people and substitution of religious beliefs with patriotism for the state, I'm suprised I hadn't heard more about this film in the past. While no masterpiece, or even a remote visual equal of 2001: A Space Odyssey, the themes explored are intriguingly portrayed if not unique.
Also in my Netlix queue: Wallace and Gromit: Three Amazing Adventures and The Day After Tomorrow. I just returned A Lot Like Love, which I thought was rather well written and produced, and Jackson Pollock: Love and Death on Long Island, which I also found well produced but too brief and a trifle depressing.
posted by Erik Eckel at 2:29 PM
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