User reviews

This is found on the 2-Disc George Lucas Director's Cut release of THX 1138 that came out in 2004. His student film. You're probably more familiar with the remake that he made(and everyone who's watched any of his work may have seen the four numbers appear somewhere, and he used the prefix as the title of his sound-system). This and especially the theatrical version of '71 had an ambivalent effect on his career in the field; the studio had no idea how to sell the latter, and it led to the downfall of the original dream of what American Zoetrope was. It also proved that he could make something otherworldly and unique, and he might not have made Star Wars(or it could have been less than it was) if not. This is very experimental, and its visual side is compelling and interesting. The sound is creative(given the constraints), and editing is skillful. In 15 short minutes, this manages to convey many of the themes he would explore to a greater extent in the feature-length quite subtly and without anything feeling staged. The acting is satisfactory. There is a bit of disturbing content in this. I recommend it to any fan of cinema that takes chances. 7/10

Having seen the feature length version first, it's hard not to see this short in light of it. The connection between the two is strong and obvious. Both have style over story, and the style is intentionally confusing/busy, dystopian and impressive. In my review of the feature length movie, I especially focused on how well picked the locations were, and the same has to be said (though in an understandably lesser degree) for the short.

I'm more forgiving for a weak story in a short movie like this, as it is in no way in focus. You're only meant to put together what few details you are given, and not expected to become (that) emotionally involved in the world it is set in.

Consdering it is a (cheaply made) student film, Lucas does a remarkable job showing of his visual chops, and using the sci-fi genre to point out negative aspects of his own time.

George Lucas developed this film during his days in film school. It impressed his teachers and eventually gave him the courage to make "THX 1138," a full-length spin-off which was his theatrical debut and featured the talents of Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasence.

This was the basis for that spin-off, which is much shorter and doesn't feature any of the complicated themes of the semi-remake. Personally I feel the remake is far superior because of its advanced storytelling, visuals, acting, and love story, but that's just me (and I have a feeling most people probably like the remake better, too, but...).

The point remains that without this, George Lucas might never have impressed anyone. He might never have made "THX 1138." He might never have made "American Graffiti," and there would be no "Star Wars" because he wouldn't have convinced anyone to lend him the money.

There would be no THX sound on DVDs. There would be no ILM. There would be no Indiana Jones, no Luke Skywalker, nothing.

Hard to imagine, isn't it? All because of one small 15-minute, cheaply-produced short film...

While monitored and pursued, a man races to escape through a futuristic labyrinth.

Lucas had had an idea for a long time "based on the concept that we live in the future and that you could make a futuristic film using existing stuff". Fellow USC students Matthew Robbins and Walter Murch had a similar idea which Robbins developed into a short treatment, but Robbins and Murch lost interest in the idea, whereas Lucas was keen to persist.

Because of the USC's Navy connection, Lucas was able to access filming locations which would not otherwise have been available to him: the USC computer center, a parking lot at UCLA, the Los Angeles International Airport, and the Van Nuys Airport. Much of the filming was done at night, with some at weekends.

This film's value is in the fact it is a root. By itself, it is a very good student film, but still just that: a short student film. But we know what came of this. It turned into a feature-length film, it caught the attention of Steven Spielberg, and soon we had "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones". Without this, we would have none of that, and Harrison Ford would be unemployed.

Sure it may be no-budget, sure it may be using film equipment and film stock that's not to the 'studio' standard. But, as someone who has come out of being a film student, I look at George Lucas's award-winning student short film with a good deal of awe. And Lucas, who has described himself as being a filmmaker who is split between the avant-garde and the more 'mainstream' films (the latter personified film-wise in Star Wars and Indiana Jones), goes to the extreme of his powers with his visual prowess. It is surreal in that it tries to express an idea through an unconventional means, with a story but without being stuck to it by any means. And because it's so short there's only so much time to get the message across with such little film.

Electronic Labyrinth takes just a slice- the more action packed and suspenseful slice- from what would become the feature film of THX 1138, using absolutely no dialog. That to me is a phenomenal, but very dangerous, step to take. There's always the chance, especially with young, experimental filmmakers, to go into the over-indulgent, or rather just to go in over your head with abstract concepts that just don't connect out of likely just not being well made. Here the quasi-beating over-the-head of image and sound works, because it's a film about technology, about the control of it over people, and it makes a very basic kind of statement of going against the overwhelming power of it. The hero of the film for almost all of the film does a lot of running, down corridors, down spacious, domineering spaces, leading up to a sort of bleak ending.

It may not get enough thematic ground like the feature-version does, and the lack of dialog sets a kind of gap between a viewer not ready for the combination of twistingly sci-fi visuals of the screens and numbers and videos and such. But it's got guts, and that's what I like to see in student films; the cliché that this is a "sign of things to come" is not far from the truth (ironically, after the feature-film of this, it would go more towards the mainstream for Lucas, but you never know).

George Lucas's precursor to his own feature debut THX1138 is a chaotic jumble of images and sound that does a good job of conveying the psychological stresses of life in a dystopian society without telling much of a tale. The hero spends the entire movie running around empty corridors and deserted underground car parks.

The film departments of UCLA and Southern California University had an annual film competition for students from both schools at a time when they and New York University were about the only schools in the country offering a degree in cinema. In 1967, I attended the showing at UCLA's Royce Hall, and George Lucas's THX-1138 was a standout work among many very good ones. Not only was it the audience's favorite, but the judges awarded it best picture. Lucas was called to the podium to accept his award. He seemed nervous and shy at the microphone, but then startled as he was interrupted at the microphone, apparently a surprise to all on stage, by a lawyer from Warner Brothers who announced that Warners was offering whoever won the competition the opportunity to turn it into a feature. That was of course George. It seemed an eternity while he stood speechless, mouth open. Warners already had the young Francis Ford Coppola under contract, so they assigned him as producer to George. I then saw the resulting feature "THX 1138" in 1971 at a theater in Hollywood. It was not great commercial success, but as we all know, the success of the George Lucas career is legendary.

This was the student film that George Lucas did way before he became successful in cinema.

4 years before he made the THX 1138 film. He created this short film which is very well written.

The whole short has to do with THX, an individual trap in a sick twisted world. Which he tries escape throughout the whole short.

It's very different from the full length film. But those who are curious to know what the earlier version is. This one's definitely an early version.

All great director start somewhere in their careers. And this is a fine example of a student film.

It's available on the THX Director's Cut DVD.

This early student film by George Lucas is an unique one. The visual style and the style itself are what makes this movie very watchable, although not for everyone.

This movie is interesting to say the least. Interesting because it was made by George Lucas, the man behind the Star Wars saga and the Indiana Jones trilogy. But also on its own this movie is a interesting one to watch. The movie is filled with some very typically strange student film camera positions and scene's. No, there is not much story but the directing make this movie a good and watchable movie although some people, if not most, will probably not like it very much, the whole movie might seem just strange to them but for the real movie and science-fiction buffs this is a real must see along with "THX 1138" which is the remake of this movie, made by George Lucas as well.

Dan Natchsheim is acting terribly bad, even though he hasn't got any lines at all. It's really quite laughable at times. Thank God the acting is not the most important thing of the movie. It really is the style that makes the movie, the sets and the sound are also pluses.

Recommendable to all movie and science-fictions buffs, for everyone else, just skip it!

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

After seeing the theatrical THX 1138 and enjoying its feel very much, I was hyped to be able to see this student project. Let me say that, first and foremost, most of the shots in this film are of absolutely nothing happening. Shots of mainframe computers and other such gadgetry probably lent this film quite an alien feel in 1967, but now it merely fills time waiting for the plot to advance. For 15 minutes, you watch as the story of THX slowly unfolds, how he runs to escape his sterile surroundings and finally reaches his goal.

Probably the most remarkable thing I noticed about this movie is how things changed and how they stayed the same for Lucas in his later pictures. He still treats his actors like action figures. However, I noticed the utter lack of 'cute ideas' that spiced up even the theatrical release of this film. Very monochromatic in emotion and execution, but still gripping in a very real way.

This movie can be boring more than exciting!! But it is sci-fi and I love it!! This Short Lead to a Epic Movie and kickstarted George Lucas's Career as a Filmmaker!! He did a wonderful job!!

When this film was realised I was in my seventeenth I have seen a part of it in 1975 on TV, there were some scenes that marked me. & to tell the truth I did not know the title neither who realised it at this time, I have discovered by pure hazard on DVD this year of 2006. Personally, after "Metropolis 1927" from Fritz Lang, this film will be completely a part of all other films in this dimension; the concept of the story is intelligent. There is no pass, no future, no present. Earth born constructing androids, to control human, it is a underground world, it is a dream to be a perfect world, where everything is under control, but sometimes it happens that in this perfect world, there are sometimes failures, as we call "emotions" which is totally forbidden because the human couldn't bring yet to a machine. & if he could like in "Blade Runner" where human creating "replicants" "Hate, Anger, Love, Fear"= Memories. THX 1138 EB4 has shattered the whole system of this old Hollywood machine, & brought us this vision, how far our imaginations can go, but how far can we go in our imaginations?? Stephen King mentioned once, "Imagination is the most powerful thing you can possess"

Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB (1967)

*** (out of 4)

This short film from writer-director George Lucas was certainly the most important one he ever made for a number of reasons. For one, it got some national attention, which also meant critics were aware of his name. For two, it led to him meeting Steven Spielberg and we know what happened from there. And thirdly, the film would eventually be turned into a feature.

The story is pretty simple as it takes place in a futuristic world where a man (Dan Natchsheim) is trying to escape but no matter where he runs someone is monitoring him.

As of me writing this, I actually haven't seen the feature so I have no idea of knowing what Lucas changed or whatever but for the most part this here was pretty interesting. I thought the highlight was clearly the visuals since Lucas didn't have too much money to work with yet you still got the impression that you were watching something set in the future. The "story" was a bit all over the map but I guess that was to be somewhat expected and I'm sure it was expanded for the feature.

I was fortunate enough to get a copy of this on video. It is very interesting and even more surreal than the feature film. Some things about George's directing never change even after 32 years.

In the late 1960's, Hollywood was starting to go downhill. Movies were being made to please an older audience and not branch out towards a younger audience and just get more people. It was in California that the revolution would take place. This student film was one of the starting points in the right direction.

A young man attending USC by the name of George Lucas made a little film that would change his life and others around him. He called it Elecrtic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB. It is only 15 minutes long but it gets across a message that was just right for the time. That rebel yell that the people were waiting to scream out. To rise up against authority. This film was the launch pad for Lucas and his career as a film maker.

Electric Labyrinth is about one man's escape from the grip of oppression in a futuristic society. He and everyone else it seems is under surveillance and the only way to get out is to run. THX 1138 is the name or title of the man on the run. Although the movie is short, it seems like we connect to the person. We all feel like just running away sometimes. Although we don't know much about the man, we feel for him. All attempts at stopping his man seem futile. They can dish out anything, but little can stop the determination of someone.

This is what would spawn a feature length production of the film starring Robert Duvall as THX 1138 and also would help Lucas on his way to directing bigger things like American Graffiti and what would make him a house hold name...Star Wars. In 15 minutes Lucas was able to shock the cinema world and help change the industry to what we see it as today. This little project would lead to advances in movie making, editing, and overall appeal of a movie. Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorcese, and many more were part of the revolution in cinema that would bring people back to the theaters.

I have watched this film on the DVD Short Cinema Journal - 1:10 - Chaos (Short 10: Chaos). It's nice that this is available, and it is incredible to think this was the director who went on to such bigger and better things. Even THX 1138 is better than THX 1138:4EB! Sound (appropriately enough) is the most interesting thing about it.

The soundtrack seems to feature two works from the "Virgil Fox plays the John Wanamaker Grand Court Organ Philadelphia" LP, released on Command Classics in 1964 (and available today from the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ, the Organ Historical Society and other pipe-organ organizations and various commercial sites). The pieces are "Fanfare from Parsifal" by Wagner and Fox's arrangement of Bach's "Come Sweet Death." The Wanamaker Organ is the largest playing pipe organ in the world and is noted for the incredible richness of its tone. For the short film, Lucas seems to have slowed down the playing of the pieces by about a half or a fourth, giving the eerie effect.

Although very little happens in terms of action in George Lucas's best-remembered student film "Electronic Labyringth THX 1138 4EB", there is already plenty to be admired in the visual look alone, considering the assumed small budget they had to work with at the USC. As in all of Lucas's early shorts, the film is very well-made with lots of good craft on display: the locations and costumes, while not overly elaborate, give enough of an atmosphere to suggest an otherworldly environment. The editing is skillful as well, being an almost abstract mishmash of shots and snippets of audio which add to the intensity of the action a little, although it certainly doesn't possess the type of intensity Hollywood would make use of. That aside, the plot itself is rather skimpy and carries plenty of repetition in the images and soundtrack; to expect a greater narrative would be admittedly absurd for fifteen minutes, yet the fact that Lucas took even that long to convey what plot he had shifts the focus to the atmosphere and setting built into it, rather than specifically the plot.

The context of the story is rather unclear, although it is made more interesting simply because we are left to decipher what is happening. The film seems to be occurring in a Dystopian setting as the likes of George Orwell would come up with - a time when the higher powers have taken over, enslaving and ruling over those below them with an iron fist. In this version, the setting is an Electronic Labyrinth in a presumed future when technology has taken over to control the lives of others. The film follows a man, given the designated number 1138, as he attempts to do the unspeakable - escape the slavery of technology, running through shiny white hallways to make it out before he is destroyed by his oppressors. With consistent intercoms blaring instructions on how to stop him mixed with security cam footage and scenes of men in headsets pulling switches, the film's atmosphere is a unique one, repetitive yet oddly surreal, with enough creativity to the settings and costumes to make give it a futuristic feel. The unanswered questions are many, yet they add to the experience - so much so that I doubt I would benefit much if at all from seeing Lucas's 1971 feature film "THX 1138" which elaborates on things. Little plot definitely, yet enough to play with the viewer's mind while simultaneously giving clues through a well-built environment. Certainly remarkable for a student's work, technically and analytically speaking.