The first feature-length movie directed by George Lucas, 1971's THX-1138 (an expanded version of the award-winning short film he made as a USC film student, included in the extras here) is far removed from the space opera of his Star Wars series, with its dour, futuristic tale about a repressive society in which sex is forbidden, people share the same androgynous look (in addition to having numbers rather than names), and individual freedoms are drastically curtailed by a soulless bureaucracy. Robert Duvall stars as the “malcontent” title character who yearns for something better after being imprisoned following his affair with LUH 3417 (Maggie McOmie). Determined to find out what happened to LUH 3417, Duvall's character tries to escape, becoming a fugitive pursued by implacable robot policemen. While the storyline is somewhat confusing and some of the characters (including the one played by second-billed Donald Pleasence) are not clearly defined, Lucas does grab the viewer's attention with a succession of marvelous images achieved with fluid camerawork, harsh lighting, and minimalist settings (he paints a bleak picture of the future, staging much of the action within a labyrinth of bright white tunnels). Presented here in a beautiful double-disc "collector's edition" sporting a topnotch transfer (in a director's cut enhanced with a number of new digital effects), DVD extras include audio commentary by Lucas and co-writer/sound designer Walter Murch, a new half-hour "making-of" documentary, and the hour-long documentary "A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope" (featuring new interviews with Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and others). Recommended. (E. Hulse)[Blu-ray Review—Sept. 14, 2010—Warner, 88 min., R, $24.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1971's THX 1138 sports a great transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by writer-director George Lucas and co-writer Walter Murch, “A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of Zoetrope” production documentary (64 min.), an “Artifact from the Future” making-of featurette (31 min.), a “Master Sessions” gallery of scene-specific sound design featurettes accessible during the movie (30 min.), Lucas's original 1967 student film “Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB,” the vintage production featurette “Bald” (8 min.), a “Theater of Noise” isolated sound effects track, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine Blu-ray debut for Lucas' first feature film.]
THX-1138
Warner, 2 discs, 88 min., R, DVD: $26.99 Volume 19, Issue 6
THX-1138
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