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THX
1138
In George Lucas'
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--sensationalistic news,
sexually explicit films, and vapid
comedy shows.
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