Episode 29 - THX 1138 (1971)

THX 1138 is a 1971 American social science fiction film directed
by George Lucas in his feature film directorial debut. It is set
in a dystopian future in which the populace is controlled through
android police and mandatory use of drugs that suppress emotions.
Produced by Francis Ford Coppola and written by Lucas and Walter
Murch, it stars Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasence.


THX 1138 was developed from Lucas's student film Electronic
Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB, which he made in 1967 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 on initial release; however, the film has
subsequently received critical acclaim and gained a cult
following, particularly in the aftermath of Lucas' success with
Star Wars in 1977.