What Happened to George Lucas?

I picked up the director’s cut of George Lucas’s THX 1138 over the weekend.

THX 1138

I hadn’t seen the film in a number of years and I was blown away.

It’s actually quite remarkable how well the movie has aged. While other “dystopian-vision” sci-fi films from the 1970s look dated to the point of being almost laughable now (Logan’s Run, A Clockwork Orange, Soylent Green), THX 1138 looks as if it could have been made yesterday.

Robert Duvall’s performance was understated and brilliant. Walter Murch’s sound design was hypnotic and unyielding. The screenplay didn’t get in the way by awkwardly offering too much exposition (as is often the case in sci-fi films). And every shot was framed with obvious deliberation.

I’m going to make a few enemies here, but the experience left me wondering how such a talented filmmaker managed to produce Star Wars, an abomination of poor-acting and screenwriting rescued only through its sheer campiness.

Posted by PJ on Nov 22, 2004 | Comments |

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