Editing THX 1138

{{short description|1971 film by George Lucas}}
{{other uses| THX (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = THX 1138
| image          = THX1138.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[George Lucas]]
| producer       = Lawrence Sturhahn
| screenplay     = {{Unbulleted list|George Lucas|[[Walter Murch]]}}
| story          = George Lucas
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB]]''|George Lucas}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Robert Duvall]]
* [[Donald Pleasence]]
* [[Don Pedro Colley]]
* [[Maggie McOmie]]
* [[Ian Wolfe]]
}}
| music          = [[Lalo Schifrin]]
| cinematography = {{Unbulleted list|David Myers|Albert Kihn}}
| editing        = George Lucas
| studio         = [[American Zoetrope]]
| distributor    = [[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Bros.]]
| released       = {{Film date|1971|03|11}}
| runtime        = 88 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $777,777<ref name=ArtifactFromTheFuture>{{Cite AV media|date=2004|title=Artifact from the Future: The Making of THX 1138|medium=DVD bonus disk accompanying ''THX 1138: The George Lucas Director's Cut''|location=USA|publisher= Warner Bros.}}</ref><ref name="auto">Pollock 1983, p. 89.</ref>
| gross          = $2.4&nbsp;million
}}
'''''THX 1138''''' is a 1971 American [[social science fiction]] film co-written and directed by [[George Lucas]] in his feature directorial debut. Produced by [[Francis Ford Coppola]] and co-written by [[Walter Murch]], the film stars [[Robert Duvall]] and [[Donald Pleasence]], with [[Don Pedro Colley]], [[Maggie McOmie]], and [[Ian Wolfe]] in supporting roles. The film is set in a [[dystopia]]n future in which the citizens are controlled by [[Android (robot)|android]] police and mandatory use of drugs that suppress emotions.

''THX 1138'' was developed from Lucas's 1967 student film ''[[Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB]]'', which he created while attending the [[USC School of Cinematic Arts]]. The feature film was produced in a joint venture between [[Warner Bros.]] and [[American Zoetrope]]. A novelization by [[Ben Bova]] was published in 1971.

The film received mixed reviews from critics and underperformed at the box office upon its initial release,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gilbey|first=Ryan|title=It Don't Worry Me|publisher=Faber & Faber}}</ref> but it has subsequently received critical acclaim and gained a [[cult following]], particularly in the aftermath of Lucas's success with ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' (1977). A [[director's cut]] prepared by Lucas was released in 2004.

==Plot==
[[File:THX 1138.jpg|thumb|The film's title card|left]]
<!-- Please see WP:FILMPLOT for more information. The plot summary should be 400-700 words. -->
In the [[dystopia]]n future, [[sexual intercourse]] and [[reproduction]] are prohibited, and [[Psychoactive drug|mind-altering drugs]] are mandatory to enforce compliance among the citizens and to ensure their ability to conduct dangerous and demanding tasks. Workers wear identical white uniforms and have shaven heads to emphasize uniformity, likewise with police [[Android (robot)|androids]] who wear black and monks who are robed. Instead of names, people have designations with three arbitrary letters (referred to as the "prefix") and four digits, shown on an identity badge worn at all times.

At their jobs in central video control centers, SEN 5241 (a man) and LUH 3417 (a woman) keep surveillance on the city. LUH has a male roommate named THX 1138, who works in a factory producing android police officers. At the beginning of the story, THX finishes his shift while the loudspeakers urge the workers to "increase safety"—and congratulate them for only losing 195 workers in the last period—to the competing factory's 242.

On the way home, he stops at a confession booth in a row of many, and relates his concerns and mumbles prayers about "party" and "masses", under the [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]]-esque portrait of "OMM 0000". A soothing voice greets THX, and OMM ends the [[confession]] with a parting salutation: "You are a true believer, blessings of the State, blessings of the masses. Work hard, increase production, prevent accidents, and be happy."

At home, THX takes his drugs and watches [[Holography|holobroadcasts]] while engaging with a masturbatory device. LUH secretly substitutes pills in her possession for THX's medications, causing him to develop nausea, anxiety, and sexual desires. LUH and THX become involved romantically and have sex. THX is later confronted by SEN, who attempts to arrange that THX become his new roommate, but THX files a complaint against SEN for the illegal shift pattern change.

Without drugs in his system, THX falters during a critical and hazardous phase of his job, and a control center engages a "mind lock" on THX which raises the level of danger. After the release of the mind lock, THX makes the necessary correction to that work phase. THX and LUH are arrested and THX undergoes drug therapy and medical analysis. He enjoys a brief reunion with LUH, but it is disrupted shortly after she reveals her pregnancy.

At THX's trial, it is stated that THX was clinically born. It is decided that it would be inefficient to terminate THX, so THX is sentenced to prison, alongside SEN. THX and SEN walk to search for an exit. Eventually they are joined by [[Holography|hologram]] actor SRT 5752, who starred in the holobroadcasts. SRT shows them the exit and suggests to them that they may have been going in circles. During the escape, THX and SRT are separated from SEN. Chased by the police androids, THX and SRT are trapped in a control center, from which THX learns that LUH has been "consumed", and her name has been reassigned to her [[fetus]], numbered 66691, in a growth chamber. SEN eventually escapes to an area reserved for the monks of OMM, where a monk notices that SEN has no identification badge. SEN attacks him and later wanders into a child-rearing area, strikes up a conversation with children, and sits aimlessly until police androids apprehend him. THX and SRT steal two cars. SRT struggles to figure out how to drive the car. When SRT finally gets the car to move, he immediately crashes his car into a concrete pillar. After the crash, SRT is not found in the vehicle.

Pursued by two police androids on motorcycles, THX flees to the limits of the city. Android officers continue to pursue him as he briefly struggles with simian-like creatures identified as "shell dwellers" and arrives at a vertical shaft with an escape ladder. The android officers are ordered by Central Command to cease pursuit, on the grounds that the expense of his capture exceeds their allocated budget for THX. In a last-ditch attempt to convince THX to surrender, the officers claim that the area outside the "city shell" is uninhabitable, but he is undeterred and continues up the ladder. The city is then revealed to be entirely underground, while THX has escaped onto the surface, where he witnesses the sun setting.

==Cast==
[[File:Christ Giving His Blessing.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Hans Memling]]'s ''Christ Giving His Blessing'' (1478) is used as the visual representation of the [[State religion|state-sanctioned]] [[deity]] OMM 0000.]]
* [[Robert Duvall]] as THX 1138
* [[Donald Pleasence]] as SEN 5241
* [[Maggie McOmie]] as LUH 3417
* [[Don Pedro Colley]] as the hologram actor SRT 5752
* [[Ian Wolfe]] as the old prisoner PTO
* [[Marshall Efron]] as prisoner TWA
* [[Sid Haig]] as prisoner NCH
* [[John Pearce (actor)|John Pearce]] as prisoner DWY
* [[James Wheaton]] as the voice of OMM 0000

The announcer voices include those of [[Scott Beach]], [[Terry McGovern (actor)|Terence McGovern]], and [[David Ogden Stiers]] (billed as David Ogden Steers), all of whom had ties to the San Francisco Bay area, as did Lucas.

==Production==
''THX 1138'' is the first film of a planned seven-picture slate commissioned by Warner Bros. from the 1969 incarnation of [[American Zoetrope]].<ref>Pollock 1983, p. 88.</ref><ref>Louise Sweeney, "The Movie Business is alive and well and living in San Francisco", ''Show'', April 1970.</ref> Lucas wrote the initial script draft based on his earlier short film, but Coppola and Lucas agreed that it was unsatisfactory. [[Walter Murch]] assisted Lucas in writing an improved final draft.<ref name=ArtifactFromTheFuture /><ref name="auto" /> For some of SEN's dialogue in the film, the script included excerpts from speeches by [[Richard Nixon]].<ref name="Lucas 2004">Lucas 2004.</ref>

The script required almost the entire cast to shave their heads, either completely bald or with [[buzz cut]]s. As a publicity stunt, several actors were filmed having their first haircuts and shaves at unusual venues, with the results used in a promotional featurette titled ''[[Bald: The Making of THX 1138]]''. Many of the extras were recruited from the nearby [[Synanon]], an addiction-recovery program that later became a violent cult.<ref>Pollock 1983, p. 92.</ref>

Filming began on September 22, 1969.<ref>Lawrence Sturhahn, "Genesis of THX-1138: Notes on a Production", ''Kansas Quarterly'', Spring 1972.</ref> The schedule was planned for 35–40 days, completing in November 1969. Lucas filmed ''THX 1138'' in [[Techniscope]].<ref name=ArtifactFromTheFuture /><ref>Pollock 1983, pp. 90, 280.</ref>

Most filming locations are in the [[San Francisco]] area,<ref name="Pollock 1983, p. 91">Pollock 1983, p. 91.</ref> including the unfinished tunnels of the [[Bay Area Rapid Transit]] subway system,<ref name=ArtifactFromTheFuture /><ref name="Pollock 1983, p. 91" /><ref name=Chron>Katie Dowd, [https://www.sfgate.com/sfhistory/article/bart-transbay-tube-construction-photos-george-luca-13671480.php#photo-12468805 "Before BART opened the Transbay Tube, they let George Lucas film a movie inside"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190310202127/https://www.sfgate.com/sfhistory/article/bart-transbay-tube-construction-photos-george-luca-13671480.php#photo-12468805 |date=March 10, 2019 }}, ''San Francisco Chronicle'', March 10, 2019.</ref> the [[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory]],<ref name=ArtifactFromTheFuture /> the [[Marin County Civic Center]] in [[San Rafael, California|San Rafael]] designed by [[Frank Lloyd Wright]],<ref name=Chron/> the [[Lawrence Hall of Science]] in [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]],<ref name=Chron/> the [[San Francisco International Airport]]<ref name=Chron/> and at a [[remote manipulator]] for a [[hot cell]]. Several scenes show one of the FAA 9020 [[IBM System/360]] used for air traffic control multi-computer installation (the only version with a "360 Mode" button on the console).<ref>E.g. Director's Cut at 1:11:52. 1:21:55, 1:25:35</ref> Studio sequences were shot at stages in Los Angeles, including a white stage {{convert|100|by|150|ft}} for the "white limbo" sequences.<ref name=ArtifactFromTheFuture /> Lucas used entirely natural light.<ref name=Chron/>

[[File:Lola-Chevrolet T70 MK3 - Flickr - andrewbasterfield.jpg|thumb|Modified [[Lola T70]]s were used in the film]]
The chase scene features two [[Lola T70]] Mk III race cars<ref>{{cite news |last=Breeze |first=Joe |date=5 January 2015 |title=The police drove Lola T70s in George Lucas's directorial debut |url=https://www.classicdriver.com/en/article/cars/police-drove-lola-t70s-george-lucass-directorial-debut |newspaper=Classic Driver |access-date=5 December 2015 |archive-date=December 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208163017/https://www.classicdriver.com/en/article/cars/police-drove-lola-t70s-george-lucass-directorial-debut |url-status=live }}</ref> chased by [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] TA125/250cc two-stroke, race-replica motorcycles through two [[San Francisco Bay Area]] automotive tunnels: the [[Caldecott Tunnel]] between [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] and [[Orinda, California|Orinda]] and the underwater [[Posey and Webster Street Tubes|Posey Tube]] between Oakland and [[Alameda, California|Alameda]].<ref name=ArtifactFromTheFuture /> According to [[Caleb Deschanel]], cars drove at speeds of {{convert|140|mph}} while filming the chase.<ref name=ArtifactFromTheFuture /> Other cars appearing in the film include custom-built Ferrari [[Tom Meade#Thomassima series|Thomassima cars]], one of which is on display in the [[Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari|Ferrari museum]] in [[Modena|Modena, Italy]].<ref name="Thomassima.com">"Thomassima III is on display in the new Ferrari Museum in Modena".{{Cite web|url=http://thomassima.com/|title=Meade of Modena: An American Dreamer In the Land of Artful Science|access-date=1 January 2017|work=Thomassima.com|archive-date=December 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221170849/http://thomassima.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The chase features a motorcycle stunt in which stuntman Ronald "Duffy" Hambleton (credited as Duffy Hamilton) rode his police motorcycle full speed into a fallen scaffold, with a ramp built to his specification. He flew over the handlebars, was hit by the airborne motorcycle, landed in the street on his back, and slammed into the crashed car in which Duvall's character had escaped.<ref name=ArtifactFromTheFuture /> According to Lucas, Hambleton was uninjured but angry at the people who came to his aid, worried that they may have ruined the stunt by walking into frame.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}

[[File:Toward the Transbay Tube.jpg|thumb|The under-construction [[Transbay Tube]] served as the tunnel through which THX escapes]]

THX's final climb out to the daylight was filmed (with the camera rotated 90°) in the incomplete (and decidedly horizontal) Bay Area Rapid Transit [[Transbay Tube]] before installation of the track supports, with the actors using exposed reinforcing bars on the floor of the tunnel as a ladder.<ref name=ArtifactFromTheFuture /> The end scene in which THX stands before the sunset was shot at [[Port Hueneme, California]] by a second unit of photographer Caleb Deschanel and [[Matthew Robbins (screenwriter)|Matthew Robbins]], who played THX in this long shot.<ref name=ArtifactFromTheFuture />

After completion of photography, Coppola scheduled one year for Lucas to complete postproduction.<ref name="Pollock 1983, p. 96">Pollock 1983, p. 96.</ref> Lucas edited the film on a German-made K-E-M [[flatbed editor]] in his Mill Valley house by day and [[Walter Murch]] edited sound at night, comparing notes as each session ended.<ref name=ArtifactFromTheFuture /><ref name="Pollock 1983, p. 96" /> Murch compiled and synchronized the sound montage, which includes elements such as the "overhead" voices, radio chatter and announcements. The bulk of the editing was finished by mid-1970.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}

On completion of editing, Coppola took it to Warner Bros., the financiers. Studio executives disliked the film and insisted that Coppola provide the negative to an in-house editor, who cut about four minutes of the film prior to release.<ref name="Pollock 1983, p. 97">Pollock 1983, p. 97.</ref>

==Soundtrack==
{{Infobox album
| name         = THX 1138
| type         = soundtrack
| artist       = [[Lalo Schifrin]]
| cover        = 
| alt          = 
| released     = {{Start date|1970}}
| recorded     = October 15–16, 1970
| venue        = 
| studio       = [[The Burbank Studios]], [[Burbank, California|Burbank]], California, U.S.
| genre        = [[Experimental music|Experimental]]
| length       = {{Duration|m=55|s=36}}
| label        = 
| producer     = 
| prev_title   = 
| prev_year    = 
| next_title   = 
| next_year    = 
}}

The soundtrack to ''THX 1138'', conducted by [[Lalo Schifrin]], was released in 1970. Recording took place on October 15 and 16, 1970 at [[the Burbank Studios]] in [[Burbank, California|Burbank]], California.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/thx-1138-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-mw0000551994 |title=AllMusic |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=December 2, 2019 |archive-date=August 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809194644/https://www.allmusic.com/album/thx-1138-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-mw0000551994 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Track listing===
# Logo – 00:08
# Main Title / What's Wrong? – 03:14
# Room Tone / Primitive Dance – 01:46
# Be Happy / LUH / Society Montage – 05:06
# Be Happy Again (Jingle of the Future) – 00:56
# Source #1 – 05:18
# Loneliness Sequence – 01:28
# SEN / Monks / LUH Reprise – 02:44
# You Have Nowhere to Go – 01:12
# Torture Sequence / Prison Talk Sequence – 03:42
# Love Dream / The Awakening – 01:47
# First Escape – 03:01
# Source #3 – 03:34
# Second Escape – 01:16
# Source #4 / Third Escape / Morgue Sequence / The Temple / Disruption / LUH's Death – 08:31
# Source #2 – 03:17
# The Hologram – 00:56
# First Chase / Foot Chase / St. Matthew's Passion (Bach) (End Credits) – 07:40

==Reception==
[[File:Roger Ebert (extract) by Roger Ebert (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Critic [[Roger Ebert]] praised the film's visuals.]]
''THX 1138'' was released to theaters on March 11, 1971, and was a commercial flop, earning $945,000 in rentals for Warner Bros. and an overall loss for the studio.<ref name="Pollock 1983, p. 97" /> A contemporary survey found seven favorable, three mixed and five negative reviews.<ref>"THX 1138", ''FilmFacts'', Vol XIV, No.7, 1971.</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' awarded the film three stars out of four and wrote, "''THX 1138'' suffers somewhat from its simple storyline, but as a work of visual imagination it's special, and as haunting as parts of ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]'', ''[[Silent Running]]'', and ''[[The Andromeda Strain (film)|The Andromeda Strain]]''."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/thx-1138-2004 |title=THX 1138 |last=Ebert |first=Roger |website=[[RogerEbert.com]] |access-date=May 8, 2019 |archive-date=May 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511170306/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/thx-1138-2004 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Gene Siskel]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' awarded two stars out of four and stated, "The principal problem with this film is that it lacks imagination, the essential component of a science fiction film. Some persons might claim that the world of ''THX 1138'' is here right now. A more reasonable opinion would hold that we are facing the problems of that world right now. Time has passed the film by."<ref>Siskel, Gene (May 18, 1971). "THX 1138". ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. Section 2, p. 4.</ref>

[[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote, "It is not, however, as either chase drama, or social drama, that ''THX 1138'' is most interesting. Rather it's as a stunning montage of light, color and sound effects that create their own emotional impact&nbsp;... Lucas's achievement in his first feature is all the more extraordinary when you realize that he is 25 years old, and that he shot most of the film in San Francisco, on a budget that probably would not cover the cost of half of one of the space ships in Stanley Kubrick's ''2001.''"<ref>Canby, Vincent (March 21, 1971). [https://www.nytimes.com/1971/03/21/archives/wandas-a-wow-sos-thx-wandas-a-wow-sos-thx.html "Wanda's a Wow, So's THX".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514021818/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/03/21/archives/wandas-a-wow-sos-thx-wandas-a-wow-sos-thx.html |date=May 14, 2019 }} ''[[The New York Times]]''. Section 2, p. 11.</ref>

Arthur D. Murphy of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' observed, "Likely not to be an artistic or commercial success in its own time, the American Zoetrope (Francis Ford Coppola group) production just might in time become a classic of stylistic, abstract cinema."<ref>Murphy, Arthur D. (March 17, 1971). "Film Reviews: THX 1138". ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. 18.</ref> [[Charles Champlin]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' praised the film as "a stunning deployment of the aural and visual resources of the screen to suggest a fearful new world of tyranny by technology", adding that "Lucas is obviously a master of cinematic effects with a special remarkable gift for discovering the look of the future in mundane places like parking structures and office corridors." Champlin stressed that the "real excitement of ''THX 1138'' is not really the message but the medium&nbsp;— the use of film not to tell a story so much as to convey an experience, a credible impression of a fantastic and scary dictatorship of tomorrow."<ref>Champlin, Charles (March 11, 1971). "New World of Tyranny in 'THX'". ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Part IV, p. 1.</ref>

[[Kenneth Turan]] wrote in ''[[The Washington Post]]'', "Fortunately, the film comes over not at all trite but rather as enormously affecting. Lucas obviously believed strongly in this futuristic vision, and the film draws its vitality and unity from his belief, and from the fact that it was not bottled up to meet arbitrary conditions but allowed the free rein necessary to reach completeness."<ref>Arnold, Gary (April 17, 1971). "THX 1138". ''[[The Washington Post]]''. C6.</ref> Penelope Houston of ''[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]]'' commented, "Details of the future society&nbsp;— control panels, monitor screens, soothing TV commercial voices, unshakeably calm robot policemen, the human animal turned automaton in appearance and function, but breaking out into a doomed love affair&nbsp;— are all tolerably persuasive, but in sum total rather a pile-up of predictability. On the Orwellian level of ideas, Lucas' passive new world is too indeterminate to carry enough conviction and, consequently, enough of a menacing charge."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Houston |first=Penelope |date=July 1971 |title=THX 1138 |journal=[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]] |volume=38 |issue=450 |page=148 }}</ref>

The film has continued to earn critical acclaim and holds an approval rating of 85% on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 67 reviews, with an average score of 6.8/10. The consensus reads: "George Lucas's feature debut presents a spare, bleak, dystopian future, and features evocatively minimal set design and creepy sound effects."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/thx_1138 |title=THX 1138 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=2025-01-06 |archive-date=May 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504122244/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/thx_1138/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]] it has a [[weighted average]] score of 75 out of 100 based on 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web|title=THX 1138 Reviews|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/thx-1138|website=[[Metacritic]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=12 September 2015|archive-date=December 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225014055/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/thx-1138|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Awards===
The film received a nomination at the 1971 [[Cannes Film Festival]] from the [[International Federation of Film Critics]] in the [[Directors' Fortnight]] section.<ref>{{cite news|last=Higgins|first=Bill|date=May 9, 2018|title=Hollywood Flashback: From 'THX 1138' to 'Sith,' George Lucas Is No Cannes Stranger|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywood-flashback-thx-1138-sith-george-lucas-is-no-cannes-stranger-1110052|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=September 27, 2020|archive-date=October 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029142724/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywood-flashback-thx-1138-sith-george-lucas-is-no-cannes-stranger-1110052|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Versions==
===1967 student film===
{{Main|Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB}}
The first version was a 15-minute student film for the [[USC School of Cinematic Arts]] titled ''[[Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB]]''. It was released as a bonus feature along with the 2004 director's cut release.

===1971 studio version===
The 1971 studio version, distributed to theaters, had five minutes removed (against Lucas' wishes) by Warner Bros. This 81-minute version has never been released in any home-media format.

===1977 restored version===
In 1977, after the success of ''Star Wars'', ''THX 1138'' was rereleased with the footage restored that had been deleted by Warner Bros., but it still failed to achieve popularity.<ref>Pollock 1983, p. 98.</ref> This version was later released in [[VHS]] (88 minutes) and [[LaserDisc]] (86 minutes) formats.

===2004 director's cut===
[[File:THX 1138 DC.png|upright=1.6|thumbnail|right|''The George Lucas Director's Cut'' includes completely new footage, such as this shot of the factory where THX works.]]
In 2004, ''The George Lucas Director's Cut'' of the film was released. Under Lucas' supervision, the film underwent an [[film restoration|extensive restoration]] and [[digital intermediate]] process by [[Lowry Digital]] and [[Industrial Light & Magic]] (ILM), where the film's [[negative (photography)|original negative]] was scanned, digital [[color correction]] was applied and a new [[digital master]] was created.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lucasfilm.com/thx-1138|title=THX 1138 by Lucasfilm|work=lucasfilm.com|access-date=December 27, 2016|archive-date=December 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161210065550/http://www.lucasfilm.com/thx-1138|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Computer-generated imagery]] and audio/video restoration techniques were also applied to the film.<ref>{{cite interview |interviewer=Bill Desowitz |subject1=Paul Hill |subject2=Henry Preston |date=October 11, 2004 |url=https://www.awn.com/vfxworld/back-future-thx-1138 |title=Back to the Future with 'THX 1138' |work=AWN.com |access-date=December 27, 2016 |archive-date=January 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115151748/http://www.awn.com/vfxworld/back-future-thx-1138 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.maverick-media.co.uk/movies/thx_1138_1971/changes_001.html |title=THX 1138 (1971)—Changes |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502060328/http://www.maverick-media.co.uk/movies/thx_1138_1971/changes_001.html |archive-date=May 2, 2009 |publisher=Maverick Media |access-date=2012-09-24}}</ref>

At Lucas's request, the previsualization team at Skywalker Ranch worked with ILM throughout mid-2003. The team also executed a single-day shoot to form the basis for new digital visual effects, mostly to expand scenes by extending crowds and adding detail to settings and backgrounds for many scenes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=541751|title=THX 1138 (Comparison: Original Version - Director's Cut)|date=May 28, 2010|access-date=November 12, 2020|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112015807/https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=541751|url-status=live}}</ref>

These changes increased the runtime of the film to 88 minutes. This [[director's cut]] was released to a limited number of digital-projection theaters on September 10, 2004, and then on [[DVD]] on September 14, 2004. The film was released on [[Blu-ray]] on September 7, 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=4591|title=Warner Announces Sci-Fi Blu-ray Wave|last=Calonge|first=Juan|date=May 10, 2010|publisher=Blu-ray.com|access-date=2010-07-26|archive-date=May 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100513062734/http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=4591|url-status=live}}</ref> With the addition of the added content,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wurm |first=Gerald |title=THX 1138 (Comparison: Original Version - Director's Cut) - Movie-Censorship.com |url=https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=541751 |access-date=2023-08-28 |website=www.movie-censorship.com |archive-date=October 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024101749/https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=541751 |url-status=live }}</ref> the film's [[Motion Picture Association of America|MPAA]] rating was changed from GP (now known as PG) to R for "sexuality/nudity". It is the only film directed by Lucas to carry an "R" rating.<ref>{{Cite web |title=George Lucas |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/117164%7C58957/George-Lucas/ |access-date=2023-08-06 |website=Turner Classic Movies |language=en |archive-date=June 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605210119/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/117164%7C58957/George-Lucas |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ravalli|first=Richard|date=2016|title=George Lucas Out of Love: Divorce, Darkness, and Reception in the Origin of PG-13|journal=The Historian|volume=78|issue=4|pages=690–709|doi=10.1111/hisn.12337|s2cid=151821638}}</ref>

===Novelization===
A [[novelization]] based on the film was written by [[Ben Bova]] and published in 1971.<ref>{{cite book|title=THX 1138 |first=Ben |last=Bova |date=April 1971 |publisher=[[Paperback Library]] |oclc=25610012}}</ref> It follows the film's plot closely, with four additions:
* An additional character, Control, is the accountant-like ultimate administrator of the city. Several passages depict the events from his point of view.
* After having sex with LUH 3417, THX 1138 consults a psychologist and admits everything. This psychologist transfers the confession to Control, leading to the overriding mindlock and arrest in the factory.
* LUH 3417's trial and death are depicted first-hand from her point of view and from that of Control.
* Instead of climbing outside to witness a sunset, THX 1138 climbs up and spends the night in the superstructure, and exits in the morning to find other humans living outside.

==Etymology and references==
{{More citations needed|section|date=August 2023}}
The significance of the name THX 1138 has been the subject of much speculation. Lucas chose the letters and numbers for their aesthetic qualities, especially their symmetry.<ref>''Reel Talent: First Films by Legendary Directors'', DVD, 20th Century Fox, 2007</ref> Lucas named the film after his telephone number while in college, 849-1138—the letters THX correspond to the numbers 8, 4, and 9 on the keypad.<ref name=ByTheBay>{{cite book|title=Cinema by the Bay|year=2006|publisher=George Lucas Books|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-1-932183-88-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/cinemabybay0000avni/page/36 36]|author=Sheerly Avni|edition=Hardcover|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/cinemabybay0000avni/page/36}}</ref> However, Walter Murch said that he always believed that Lucas intended THX to be "sex", LUH to be "love", and SEN to be "sin".<ref name="Lucas 2004" /> [[John Lithgow]] described the title ''THX 1138'' as "reading like a license plate number".<ref>{{cite AV media
 | people =Lithgow, John (host)
 | year = 1995
 | title =American Cinema: The Film School Generation
 | medium =Television Production
}}</ref>

Numerous references to "1138" or "THX 1138" appear throughout the ''Star Wars'' franchise,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.starwars.com/news/beyond-a-cell-block-references-to-thx-1138-in-star-wars|title=Beyond a Cell Block: References to THX 1138 in Star Wars|date=September 15, 2015|publisher=StarWars.com|access-date=February 4, 2018|archive-date=January 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121151411/http://www.starwars.com/news/beyond-a-cell-block-references-to-thx-1138-in-star-wars|url-status=live}}</ref> and other of Lucas' films. THX 138 is the license plate number of John Milner's hot rod in ''[[American Graffiti]]''. Lucas founded [[THX|THX Ltd.]], developer of the "THX" audiovisual reproduction standards.

It is also widely believed that [[Misfits (band)|The Misfits]]' song "[[We Are 138]]" is lyrically inspired from the film. Their songwriter [[Glenn Danzig]] has repeatedly denied this, claiming instead that the song is "about violence."

==See also==
* [[List of American films of 1971]]
* [[List of cult films]]
* [[List of films featuring surveillance]]
* [[Calling All Girls#Music video|"Calling All Girls" (Queen song)]]
* [[99 (song)|"99" (song)]], 1979, by Toto
* [[Utopian and dystopian fiction]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Further reading===
* {{cite book|last=Greene, Jr.|first=James|title=This Music Leaves Stains: The Complete Story of the Misfits|year=2013|publisher=[[Scarecrow Press]]|isbn=978-1589798922}}
* {{cite book|last=Pollock|first=Dale|title=Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas|year=1983|publisher=Elm Tree Books|location=London|isbn=0-241-11034-3}}
* {{cite AV media | people=Lucas, George (Director) |date=2004 | title=THX 1138 (The George Lucas Director's Cut Two-Disc Special Edition) | medium=DVD | location=USA | publisher= Warner Bros. |oclc=56520465 | isbn=0-7907-6526-8}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|https://www.lucasfilm.com/productions/thx-1138/}} at lucasfilm.com
* {{Official website|https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/thx-1138/}} at warnerbros.com
* {{IMDb title|66434}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20010815135016/http://www.lucasfan.com/thx1138/interv.html Interview with Don Pedro Colley about his experiences working on ''THX 1138'']}} at LucasFan.com
* [http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2010/11/thx-1138_george.php White on White] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511012350/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2010/11/thx-1138_george.php |date=May 11, 2011 }} [[Village Voice]] review April 8, 1971
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|thx_1138}}
* {{Metacritic film}}

{{George Lucas}}
{{Lucasfilm}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thx 1138}}
[[Category:1971 films]]
[[Category:1970s dystopian films]]
[[Category:American science fiction action films]]
[[Category:American Zoetrope films]]
[[Category:Films about androids]]
[[Category:Cinema of the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:American dystopian films]]
[[Category:1970s English-language films]]
[[Category:Features based on short films]]
[[Category:Films about mind control]]
[[Category:Films about rebellions]]
[[Category:Films about security and surveillance]]
[[Category:Films directed by George Lucas]]
[[Category:Films scored by Lalo Schifrin]]
[[Category:In-jokes]]
[[Category:Religion in science fiction]]
[[Category:American robot films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by George Lucas]]
[[Category:Social science fiction films]]
[[Category:1971 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:Films shot in San Francisco]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Walter Murch]]
[[Category:1970s American films]]
[[Category:1971 science fiction films]]
[[Category:English-language science fiction films]]
[[Category:Existentialist films]]