Screening as part of The Films of Robert Duvall.
THX 1138: Director's Cut:
***Nominated for the FIPRESCI Prize, 1971 Cannes Film Festival
Long before the cinematic spectacle of Star Wars, nascent director George Lucas’ debut film is a dystopian vision of a totalitarian future where emotions and individuality are suppressed by an oppressive, drug-controlled society. Robert Duvall stars as THX-1138, a compliant worker who begins to question the system after falling in love and confronting the brutal realities of the world around him.
Conceived while Lucas was at USC film school and developed with Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope, the film is notable for its stark visual design, minimalist storytelling, and haunting social commentary. Duvall delivers a restrained yet powerful performance, conveying inner rebellion and humanity with minimal dialogue, forcing the audience to truly focus on Duvall’s commanding presence long after the film ends.
1971, 86 minutes, USA, Directed by George Lucas, Unrated
"It ain’t dying I’m talking about, it’s living. I enjoyed it as much as anyone ever did." – Robert Duvall (Augustus "Gus" McCrae, Lonesome Dove)
Few actors embody American cinema with the quiet authority of Robert Duvall. Born in 1931, he emerged from the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where he studied under Sanford Meisner alongside classmates Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, and James Caan.
Duvall made his film debut as the iconic Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird and rose to prominence with indelible performances in The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. Garnering six Academy Award nominations across four decades (finally winning the Oscar® for Tender Mercies), four Emmy® nominations, and winning four Golden Globe awards, Duvall balanced intimate character studies with epic dramas.
From M*A*S*H and Network to Days of Thunder and Lonesome Dove, Duvall has commanded the screen in Westerns, crime sagas, and fiercely independent films such as THX-1138, Sling Blade, and The Apostle. Enzian honors the legacy of one Hollywood’s most celebrated performers, a man whose career reflects a rare blend of restraint, gravitas, and enduring versatility.
“The futuristic world envisioned by George Lucas in "THX 1138" stuns both the eye and the mind.”
– Susan Stark, Detroit Free Press
“Every shot in THX 1138 is ambitious, especially for a first-time filmmaker in 1971. The production design is stark, the shot composition is artful—the performances are even soulful.”
– Brett White, Decider
“Lucas borrows from George Orwell’s novel '1984' and Fritz Lang’s... 'Metropolis' but it’s the vivid low-budget texture that makes the film so memorable, both visual and aural.”
– Sean Axmaker, Stream on Demand
