THX 1138 | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | George Lucas |
Produced by | Lawrence Sturhahn |
Screenplay by |
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Story by | George Lucas |
Starring | |
Music by | Lalo Schifrin |
Cinematography |
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Edited by | George Lucas |
Production
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Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $777,777 |
Box office | $2.4 million |
THX 1138 (pronounced "T-H-X one-one-three-eight") is a 1971 American social science fiction film directed by George Lucas in his feature film directorial debut. Produced by Francis Ford Coppola and written by Lucas and Walter Murch, it stars Donald Pleasence and Robert Duvall, and depicts a dystopian future in which the populace is controlled through android police officers and mandatory use of drugs that suppress emotion, including outlawed sexual desire.
THX 1138 was developed from Lucas's student film Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB, which he made in 1967 while attending the University of Southern California's film school. The feature film was produced in a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Francis Ford Coppola's production company, American Zoetrope. A novelization by Ben Bova was published in 1971. The film received mixed reviews from critics and failed to find box office success on initial release; however, the film has subsequently received critical acclaim and gained a cult following, particularly in the aftermath of Lucas's success with Star Wars in 1977.