Warner Bros first released THX 1138 in the United States on 11 March 1971.
The film is well-known. It was George Lucas’ first feature-length film. But American Zoetrope produced it with backing from Warner Bros. So it has a notably larger budget than you would think. The film cost about three-quarters of a million dollars. That’s roughly $6 million today.
THX 1138 is probably my favorite of Lucas’ films. Of course, I’m not a huge fan of his. He’s a good producer and director but I find his ideas pretty limited. That has worked out really well for his career. He never gets too far ahead of his audience.
But in this film, he shows off his excellent visual sense. Even if you aren’t that into the story, this film is enjoyable to look at.
The film tells a very typical dystopian story for its time. It reminds me of John Christopher’s young adult books The Tripods.
THX lives in an emotionless world. The society drugs everyone to keep them working. His roommate changes his medications so that his sex drive comes back. She gets pregnant and they go to prison. She is killed. And he escapes.
All psychotronic fans should see this film. It isn’t as good as Phase IV. But George Lucas could have been killed on his way to the premiere. And this film would still be a little gem that genre fans love.
THX 1138 (1971) poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.
