L'uomo che fuggì dal futuro

Nameless man lives in an oppressive future society where behavior is controlled by mandatory drugs. Minimal budget, acting, dialog and special effects more than compensated by astute direction and soundtrack integration. Superior to "ZPG" (1972) and "Logan's Run" (1976). Viewers may also enjoy "Gattaca" (1997). (Rating: A-minus)

Set in the futuristic 25th century in the ¨1984¨ moody vein , it describes the automatism and slavery of a robotic future whose terrifying vision comes to life . Mankind lives under the surface of Earth where lifelike androids carry out survey and control of slaved people with drugs used to limit their will and they confess at confessional booths . The story centers around a man and a woman who rebel against their rigidly controlled society under command of robotlike where sex is prohibited and love is the ultimate crime . There in a totalitarian future society in which everything looks the same , a man whose daily work is a mechanical routine attempts to rebel by falling in love . As a valiant who handles radioactive materials in a factory begins to have thoughts of rebellion and love for a fellow member . Who controls the present controls the past .

Dystopian as well as imaginative story which a futuristic , state-run society controlled by a superior robotized intelligence and it packs a polemic denounce to totalitarianism . "THX 1138" is a workmanlike rendition based on an interesting screenplay from George Lucas and Walter Murch that captures the desolation and misery within a terrible future world . This thought-provoking as well as visually breathtaking film boasts vicious robots , intelligent but submitted humans who attempt to flee and a trick ending that is intriguing and unique . George Lucas has worked the title of this film , or parts of it, in some of his other film ; in American Graffiti (1973), the license plate of one car is "THX 138". In Star Wars (1977), a reference is made to "prison cell 1138" ; the cinema sound certification his company developed is called "THX". Impressive as well as evocatively atmospheric production design has been rendered with meticulous attention to period detail , the underground chase near the end was shot in a not-yet-completed segment of the subway system in San Francisco ; in addition , numerous scenes were inspired by Japanese theater, design and graphics . Very good acting by Robert Duvall as a human slave who finds himself stuck in a rebellion of the Earth of the future , he is a tragic figure who dares to fall in love within a totalitarian society where emotions are outlawed . Supported by Donald Pleasence who is perfect , as usual . Furthermore , brief appearances from Sid Haig , Ian Wolfe , Don Pedro Colley , Johnny Wissmuller Jr and David Ogden Stiers's film debut . The picture is rated : ¨PG¨, Parents Guide , for violence , nudism and some strong scenes .

George Lucas's original plan was to shoot the film in Japan , but Francis Ford Coppola did not give Lucas enough money in the film's budget to take the entire production to Japan , the feature was shot in San Francisco and Los Angeles . Adequate as well as strange musical score by Lalo Schifrin , usual composer of the seventies , and the music playing during the end credits is the first movement from Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244 . And many of the electronic sound effects heard throughout the film are derived from telephone dial tones, pitch-shifted and electronically modified . The motion picture was well produced by Francis Ford Coppola , his first film for American Zoetrope , and compellingly directed by George Lucas , pre-Star Wars , and he considers to be one of the greatest achievements of his career . This film was made as a result of George Lucas's student film short project at USC, being an expanded of a prize-winning featurette . George Lucas , subsequently , would go on with big successes such as American Graffiti and many others . This is a superior science-fiction movie that will appeal to cinema buffs and interested in to watch an example of the kind of work filmmaker Lucas was doing at the beginning .

The first big screen commercial film of George Lucas 'THX 1138' is now back in a re-made production. I did not yet form a clear opinion about directors re-visiting their films decades after the original production. It's certainly their right to do it, but I cannot refrain from suspecting that this shows some sort of dilution of their creative force. In other words, I would rather prefer George Lucas doing something completely new, rather then re-doing old films of his.

However, 'THX 1138' is a visionary movie, almost a masterpiece. I liked it. It is one of the first Orwellian films in describing a world of the future controlled by an omni-present mind-control machine. These theme means a lot of me, and for many people who have spent part of their lives in a system that tried to create 'a new man' by using a system of control and repression that was targeting towards suppression of individual freedom and personality. What is however very strong in 'THX 1138' is the visual quality of the world created by Lucas. This is what cinema is for, this is what real art is about - creating a new world from existing materials, transporting the viewers in an alternate world of the future using the cinema art means. Although realized about 20 years before computer graphics in films, the vision is fresh and impressing.

An ageless Robert Duvall does here one of the best roles of his career. Donald Pleasance is a very good counter-part. I liked very much Maggie McOmie, how does it come that this film did not launch her in a star career? It actually looks like this is the only film she did, according to IMDb.

The extra features on the DVD are interesting and bring a lot of new information for fans of science fiction, of the 70s films and of Lucas. The film itself gets 9 out of 10 on my personal scale.

After all these years this movie never gets old! They did add some extra CGI stuff in the later releases but it really was not necessary.

George Lucas has a fairly small body of work, as a director; and most of it is fairly simplistic, except this film. Lucas' first feature is steeped in the French New Wave mode of philosophical musings and strange visuals. Unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily make for an exciting film. However, there are enough intriguing ideas to sustain some interest, although you do have to fight off the boredom factor.

Lucas is, and has always been, a visual filmmaker. He is not great with actors and his films aren't noted for their performances, except American Graffiti. That was a more personal film, and Lucas probably had a clearer idea of the characters thoughts and emotions. Here, emotions are stifled by drugs and the wooden performances reinforce this.

According to Lucas, the film is the story of escape, told in three different forms: an escape from the drugs that keep people in check, an escape from a prison with no visible barriers, and an escape from the city itself. The final sequence contains most of the action, but is marred by the budget constraints.

Robert Duvall commands attention when he is on screen, but you never really feel like you get to know THX. Donald Pleasance, as SEN, provides a nice turn as the antagonist, of sorts. The rest of the cast is fairly forgettable, with only minor moments. The philosophical underpinnings of the film are often lost in pretension, the same flaw which hit the Matrix in its sequels. Lucas could have delivered his message in a far simpler fashion, probably with greater result. Still, the film does have its interesting moments and memorable ideas and images. The robot police are quite chilling, although they are used sparingly. The white prison is quite unsettling as well. The final escape is the most riveting sequence of the film.

The new DVD has Lucas' trademark tinkering. Only this time, the alterations help to add scope to the film. The city scenes are expanded to add complexity to the environment that was missing in the original. There are no fundamental story changes, as in the Star Wars Special Edition (Greedo shoots first). The commentary and featurettes help the viewer to understand the intent of the story and help to establish the context in which it was made. Lucas makes a statement that he would like to return to this kind of film. Given the disappointing nature of the Star Wars prequels, I wouldn't mind seeing Lucas take another crack at a more cerebral sci-fi story. My only request is that he works with a great scriptwriter.