Entertainment
A Year Before ‘The Godfather,’ Robert Duvall Gave an Unforgettable Performance in George Lucas’ First Movie
One of the most admirable qualities about the late, great Robert Duvall was that he was a true “actor’s actor” who would take parts that may have otherwise seemed undesirable. Although Duvall gave an amazing performance in To Kill A Mockingbird as his first screen role, it would be a decade until he received his major breakthrough and first Academy Award nomination for The Godfather. A year before he created an all-time great character in Tom Hagen, Duvall worked with Francis Ford Coppola’s best friend, George Lucas, on an experimental science fiction thriller based on a short film of the same name. Lucas had made a 15-minute student film called Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB when he was studying at the University of Southern California, and it was so popular that he and Coppola decided to expand it into a feature film for their burgeoning company, American Zoetrope.
Although Lucas would later revolutionize science fiction by creating the ultimate space opera with the Star Wars franchise, THX 1138 was a dark, cynical dystopian thriller that epitomized the paranoia of the 1970s about a totalitarian state. Set in a future in which sexual intercourse, emotion, and any forms of art have been outlawed, THX 1138 stars Duvall as the titular factory worker, who begins to dream of a future beyond the mundanity of the present after falling in love with the enigmatic woman LUH 3417 (Maggie McOmie). Lucas has been occasionally criticized for his ability to write dialogue, but THX 1138 succeeded in painting a dismal portrayal of a terrifying alternate reality thanks to the brave, experimental performance by Duvall.
Robert Duvall Humanized an Unusual Hero in ‘THX 1138′
THX 1138 envisioned a future in which all designs of society, both literal and figurative, were reduced to their most stark and primal. The future is all white, making it impossible for anyone unique to escape, and the technological advances have somehow made incredible leaps forward in science that feel dull and taxing. Duvall had the challenge of playing a character who has had no experience with culture because he hasn’t been exposed to anything other than the propaganda that has been fed to him by the government. It’s an incredibly physical performance that required Duvall to show only the most subtle of emotions, as the police state had enforced zero tolerance for anyone who acted out of line. However, portraying a character who hasn’t been encouraged to experience emotion is different than not having feelings altogether; after his romance with LUH leads him to dream about escaping from the urbanized community that he has spent his entire life in, THX unlocks something inside himself that he has been told to repress. It’s a classic hero’s journey arc that would reappear within the leads in all of Lucas’ films, including Curt (Richard Dreyfuss) in American Graffiti and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in Star Wars.
Dexter Jettster, meet Jett Lucas.
Although THX 1138 was a low-budget film that found creative ways to build its universe, Duvall expanded his range as an actor. The romance he shares with LUH is surprisingly potent, as there’s a childlike sense of astonishment that both characters feel from being intimate with one another for the first time. However, Lucas was already proving himself as a great director of action, and Duvall made for a convincing presence during the film’s thrilling chase scenes, in which THX escapes from the police droids. Given that the effects were being developed on set, and could have very easily looked unconvincing, it was impressive that Duvall was able to sell the reality of Lucas’ vision.
‘THX 1138’ Was Ahead of Its Time
There haven’t been many box office disasters that have had as significant an influence asTHX 1138.Despite being so financially ruinous that Lucas was convinced tomake something more commercial for his second film,THX 1138 helped to develop a style of prophetic, dystopian neo-noir thrillers that would grow more popular in the subsequent decade thanks toBlade Runner andEscape from New York. Yet, the visuals for the film wouldn’t be as impactful if Duvall hadn’t brought such surprising depth to the character; despite speaking in overly formal, technical language, THX is a character who represented an entire generation who had felt silenced and forgotten about. The film’s message about individuality and the power of personal choice required an actor who could bring that process of self-actualization to life, and Duvall was able to find qualities in THX that were both entirely imaginative and universally relatable.
THX 1138 is a fascinating film to revisit because it exists as a showcase for two legendary artists who were coming into their own. Lucas would obviously grow more imaginative and ambitious with his subsequent work, but THX 1138 also showed that Duvall was willing to make bold acting choices that may have been divisive at the time; despite how underwhelming it was in its initial window of release, THX 1138 has evolved into a bona fide cult classic that is essential viewing for any serious science fiction buffs. Ironically, Duvall played a purposefully anonymous character who couldn’t have been portrayed by any other actor; THX 1138 was a look into the future that now functions as a time capsule for the New Hollywood era. It won’t be the first film mentioned when discussing the legacy of either Duvall or Lucas, but THX 1138 is a work of artistic genius that has stood the test of time.
THX 1138 is available to rent or buy on VOD services.
- Release Date
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March 11, 1971
- Runtime
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86 Minutes
- Director
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George Lucas