{"id":1433,"date":"2010-11-15T14:10:40","date_gmt":"2010-11-15T19:10:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=1433"},"modified":"2010-12-20T21:44:52","modified_gmt":"2010-12-21T02:44:52","slug":"br-thx-1138-1971","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=1433","title":{"rendered":"BR: THX 1138 (1971)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Return to<\/strong>:\u00a0Home <\/a>\/ Blu-ray, DVD, Film Reviews<\/a> \/ <\/em><\/em><\/em>T to U<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Film: Very Good \/ DVD Transfer: Excellent \/ DVD Extras: Excellent<\/p>\n

Label\/Studio: Warner Home Video\u00a0\/ Catalogue:\u00a030000-33751\/ Region: All \/\u00a0Released:\u00a0September 7, 2010<\/p>\n

Synopsis: A man seeks to escape his undergorund dystopian world after his mate is taken away and he’s arrested for civil disobediance.<\/p>\n

Special Features:\u00a0Audio commentary by director\/co-writer George Lucas and sound designer\/co-writer Walter Murch \/ Theatre of Noise Experience: isolated sound effects track \/ 13 \u201cMaster Sessions\u201d – Docupod [branching or Play All] gallery showcasing Murch’s pioneering work (29:41) \/ 2 documentaries: \u201cA Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope\u201d (63:36) + \u201cArtifact from the Future: The Making of THX-1138\u201d (X) \/ Vintage making-of featurette: \u201cBald: The Making of THX 1138\u201d (8:03) \/ 1967 USC short: \u201cElectronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB\u201d (15:10) \/ Theatrical trailers \/<\/p>\n

Easter Egg: cursoring along Special Features panel will yield a Jesus picture. Hit ENTER, and Matthew Robbins\u2019 2-page treatment appears.<\/p>\n

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Review:<\/p>\n

In retrospect, there\u2019s really nothing extraordinary about a USC student being given a chance to direct a feature film after making a series of well-received shorts while in school, culminating with the award-winning\u00a0Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB<\/strong> in 1967.<\/p>\n

George Lucas\u2019 early work showed an interest in experimental film, and when Francis Ford Coppola took the young film graduate under his wing, the elder had already gone through the Roger Corman school of filmmaking (Battle Beyond the Sun<\/strong>,\u00a0Dementia 13<\/strong>) before lucking into his own studio projects as director: the ill-fated musical\u00a0Finian\u2019s Rainbow<\/strong> (1968), and as a writer for hire,Is Paris Burning?<\/strong> (1966) and\u00a0Patton<\/strong> (1970), the latter winning Coppola an Oscar Award.<\/p>\n

THX 1138<\/strong> (the feature film) is maybe 70% representative of George Lucas\u2019 move into feature filmmaking, and 30% of Coppola\u2019s decision to buckle the waning studio system and show the establishment what the New Wave of American talent could accomplish if given the opportunity. This he figured he could fulfill with the clout of his own relationships with the studios, as well as an unbridled idealism: artists making personal films via the newly founded American Zoetrope.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s first venture was\u00a0The Rain People<\/strong> (1969), on which Lucas trucked along and directed a making-of documentary. He also became friends with the film\u2019s co-star Robert Duvall, and wrote the\u00a0THX<\/strong> script during the on-the-road production, expanding the original short film concept into a broader tale of a world where a consumer culture has devolved into an underground society that keeps itself anesthetized, living to earn credits and buy useless goods in place of experiencing basic emotional human interaction.<\/p>\n

THX<\/strong> was budgeted for around $700,000, and with co-writer Walter Murch, Lucas crafted a striking dystopian vision meant as a cautionary tale \u2018from the future.\u2019 Most of the cast and crew were new to studio filmmaking, and the roots of cinematographers David Myers (Woodstock<\/strong>,\u00a0Save the Children<\/strong>) and Albert Kihn lay in documentaries.<\/p>\n

Lucas\u2019 original plans to film in Japan were financially and logistically impossible, but the concept of letting striking visuals tell the story without Hollywood-style exposition and explanations reflected Lucas\u2019 own interest in Japan\u2019s New Wave cinema.<\/p>\n

END SPOILER<\/p>\n

The story in\u00a0THX<\/strong> is very simple: a man named THX (Duvall) makes the mistake of falling in love with his computer-selected mate LUH (Maggie McOmie) and engages in the forbidden act of intercourse, as well as dumping the need to take anymore drugs. When the overlords discover his civil violations, he\u2019s arrested, convicted, tortured, and jailed in a weird white room for an indefinite period of time. His love disappears and is presumed dead, and a man named SEN (Donald Pleasence) who jealously attempted to break their union for his own latent sexual needs is thrown in jail with THX. With the aid of a delusional convict, SRT (Don Pedro Colley), the three mount an escape, although only THX manages to reach the upper surface, where he\u2019s finally free to evolve as a thinking, feeling human.<\/p>\n

The film\u2019s first third is engaging in the way this miserable, clinical future is established through fragmented scenes, montages of images captured from TV monitors, security cameras, and \u2018scope lenses conveying the simple elegance of the clean lines and muted colours of a cramped, underground world.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s when THX is arrested that Lucas shifts away from a straight chronological structure, and the film seems to settle into a rut. THX\u2019s torture and detention are directed like an abstract play distilled from the theatre of the absurd, with lunatics, grand thinkers, babbling fools, and polite robotic security guards.<\/p>\n

Once the trio manage their escape \u2013 ridiculously simply, really \u2013 the film becomes a slow-building chase movie, as THX is the lone convict who runs, drives, and climbs his way to freedom.<\/p>\n

END OF SPOILER<\/p>\n

Lucas\u2019 editing is top-notch, playing with pacing and geometrically composed images, movements and linear objects that often poke, jab and inject people like lab rodents.<\/p>\n

Myers\u2019 cinematography shows the beauty of late sixties\/early seventies\u00a0Brutalism<\/a>, and there are some lovely touches during the final chase scene in which THX evades a pair of robotic cops racing through tunnels on their high-roaring jet cycles: the visual emphasis is on movement through and around sharp turns, and up heavy inclines, giving co-writer\/sound designer Murch a key sequence to compose signature sounds for every vehicle and dramatic segment of the chase.<\/p>\n

Murch, who went through USC with Lucas, invested a striking amount of care into creating a rich soundscape that deliberated avoided the \u2018electronic blips and bleeps\u2019 of sci-fi films, but he didn\u2019t emulate Stanley Kubrick\u2019s\u00a02001: A Space Odyssey<\/strong> (1968) by sticking to music for montages, and sterile sounds for space; Murch built every sound (except two \u2013 a fist hit, and thunder rumble) from scratch, and created the position of a sound designer.<\/p>\n

Warner Home Video\u2019s striking Blu-ray replicates the contents of the 2-disc special edition DVD from 2004, and includes the branching option, \u201cMaster Session with Walter Murch,\u201d where he singles out key sound effects, and their construction. On the BR, the feature can be activated to load during playing of the film, or as separate Play All option from the main menu. (An alternate music-and-effects track also highlights the amazing soundtrack mix.)<\/p>\n

Murch also describes his use of classical music for a temp track that was screened for composer Lalo Schifrin, but unlike\u00a02001<\/strong> which had Kubrick stick with his temp music and reject Alex North\u2019s score midway through production, Schifrin was inspired because Murch had warped and processed the stock music cues into an impressionistic collage of sound with blended transitions.<\/p>\n

According to Murch, Schifrin remarked that he was currently writing modernist music, and the temp track gave him a clear idea of what extremes were welcomed by the filmmakers. To Murch\u2019s surprise, Schifrin\u2019s music captured the sonic flow of the temp score mix, yet it gave needed humanity to the two lovers through a brief, tender theme that broke through the film\u2019s chilly design.<\/p>\n

A making-of doc covers the film\u2019s genesis, and features interviews with stars Duvall and McOmie (who apparently went back to theatre and made a mere handful of films), the film\u2019s cinematographers, and Murch, who adds further detail on the short script idea he had written with USC-mate Matthew Robbins (Dragonslayer<\/strong>) and passed on to Lucas, which was developed into the\u00a0Electric Labyrinth<\/strong> short. (Their original script is also archived on the BR as a bonus feature.)<\/p>\n

Towards the end of the doc, the film and Lucas\u2019 impact gets a bit gushy, but perhaps one has to understand the film\u2019s reception: it\u00a0flopped<\/em>, but there\u2019s something rather noble in the way Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption<\/strong>, TV\u2019s\u00a0The Walking Dead<\/strong>) describes seeing THX as the second feature on a double-bill with the genuinely flawed (and incoherent)\u00a0The Brotherhood of Satan<\/strong>:\u00a0THX<\/strong> inspired Darabont to make movies, and the film seemed to earn Lucas respect from colleagues admiring his balls in making an abstract social commentary that put content on par with film technique; even if one hates the film for being a na\u00efve, poorly written film that hints but never makes any direct statements using emotionally neutered characters, it\u2019s a great filmmaking exercise in light, movement, and sound.<\/p>\n

Also on the BR is \u201cBald,\u201d a vintage making-of doc which, as the title suggests, deals with the cast losing their hair for the film. It\u2019s hard to tell if it\u2019s all tongue-in-cheek, because McOmie provides a weird narrative track regarding her feelings about losing her lovely red mane, and the barber pulling himself up from a dock to starting cutting and shaving the head of another actor.<\/p>\n

Lucas also appears in a ridiculously contrived Q&A with Coppola who posits from a lawn chair, \u2018So, how do you plan to recreate the world of the future?\u2019 The only uncomfortable moment: Lucas B.S.\u2019ing about being inspired by \u201ccomic books,\u201d not Walter Murch and Matthew Robbins USC script.<\/p>\n

Poor guys.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the best bonus is the documentary\u00a0A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope<\/strong>, which covers the brilliant talents that graduated from California film schools and their intentions of shaking up the system. While ostensibly about Coppola\u2019s artist-styled commune (American Zoetrope), it captures the mood of the period, and the aims of various artists who went on to create their own commercial empires, those who flirted with Hollywood before quietly retiring, or remained independents in and around San Francisco. (Those wanting a more detailed coda, not to mention more examinations of lesser-known filmmakers, should see 2007\u2019s\u00a0Fog City Mavericks<\/strong>.)<\/p>\n

Lucas slowly evolved into a billionaire who setup his own empire after following\u00a0THX<\/strong> withAmerican Graffiti<\/strong> (1973) and\u00a0Star Wars<\/strong> (1977), but his BR commentary track with Murch shows a filmmaker who in 1970 had a personal vision and style.<\/p>\n

As veteran critics have lamented, the last time\u00a0THX<\/strong> was available in its original form was the 1992 laserdisc. It was around 1997 when Lucas began digitally enhancing and redesigning scenes in the first 3\u00a0Star Wars<\/strong> films that he felt it was fine to obliterate any older effects with new CGI work. For the 2004 \u2018director\u2019s cut\u2019 of\u00a0THX<\/strong>, a number of scenes were altered, enhanced, or expanded, and the changes do stand out.<\/p>\n

The lab and robot assembly footage is tolerable, but the wide views of highways feel like modern riffs on\u00a0Forbidden Planet<\/strong>\u2019s underground Krel city; and the simian creatures that attack\u00a0THX<\/strong>before his attempts to climb to the surface look ridiculous. Sadly, WHV doesn\u2019t own the film, so it\u2019s Lucas to blame for mucking with his own piece of history. If he\u2019s willing to include the crude 1967 short, why can\u2019t he be satisfied with the creative decisions he made in 1971?<\/p>\n

Like the original Star Wars films, the original theatrical version of\u00a0THX<\/strong> is unavailable on DVD or BR, and most likely if Lucas were queried, he\u2019d probably reply with a similar \u2018the elements just aren\u2019t in good enough shape anymore\u2019 excuse, which is a shame, because a reasonable creative mind would recognize\u00a0both<\/em> versions should co-exist.<\/p>\n

Much in the way Steven Spielberg created a guns-free edition of\u00a0E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial<\/strong>(1983), the tweaked and theatrical versions come together on DVD, giving fans a choice; and as awful as Ridley Scott\u2019s expanded\u00a0Alien<\/strong> (1979) is, the unnecessary re-edit is paired with the superior theatrical cut on BR and DVD.<\/p>\n

Lucas probably doesn\u2019t get the irony in which he\u2019s become a manufacturer who teases consumers with bigger, better goods they should buy more than twice, but unlike the Star Wars films,\u00a0THX<\/strong>isn\u2019t drenched in nostalgia nor an ever-widening mythos re-tailored for younger consumers.<\/p>\n

That may have saved it from reshoots, rescoring, and further re-editing, but the changes applied to THX are significant, as documented in this\u00a0post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Only qualms with the BR: loading time is slow and twitchy (via a LG player), and one playing the film is engaged, one cannot return to the main menu. The only alternative is to skip chapters and shuttle through three sets of lengthy multi-lingual warnings, or stop the disc and reload.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 2010 Mark R. Hasan<\/p>\n

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Related external links (MAIN SITE):<\/em><\/p>\n

DVD \/ Film: \u00a0Dragonslayer<\/a> <\/strong>(1981) — Fog City Mavericks<\/a> <\/strong>(2007) — Forbidden Planet<\/a> <\/strong>(1956)<\/p>\n

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External References<\/em>:<\/p>\n

IMDB<\/a> — Official Site<\/a> — Soundtrack Album<\/a> — Composer Filmography<\/a><\/p>\n

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Return to:<\/strong> Home <\/a>\/\u00a0Blu-ray, DVD, Film Reviews<\/a> \/\u00a0T to U<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Return to:\u00a0Home \/ Blu-ray, DVD, Film Reviews \/ T to U . Film: Very Good \/ DVD Transfer: Excellent \/ DVD Extras: Excellent Label\/Studio: Warner Home Video\u00a0\/ Catalogue:\u00a030000-33751\/ Region: All \/\u00a0Released:\u00a0September 7, 2010 Synopsis: A man seeks to escape his undergorund dystopian world after his mate is taken away and he’s arrested for civil disobediance. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[18],"tags":[141,140],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8nuyW-n7","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1433"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1433"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1433\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1916,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1433\/revisions\/1916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}