Electronic Labyrinth: THX-1138 4EB (1967). Written and directed by
George Lucas. Starring Dan Nachtsheim as THX 1138 and Joy Carmichael as YYO
7117. Edited by Dan Nachtsheim.
Electronic Labyrinth: THX-1138 4EB is a
15-minute science fiction film produced by George Lucas in 1967 while he was
student at the film school of the University of Southern California (USC). It served as the basis for the full-length
1971 feature film, THX 1138, directed
by Lucas and starring Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasence, Maggie McOmie, Don Pedro
Colley, and Ian Wolfe. An important and influential film, THX 1138 is a stunning visual masterpiece whose story is told
through a series of images with little exposition. Like 2001: A Space Odyssey, it challenges the viewers’ preconceptions of
the narrative and can justifiably be regarded as a work of art. All the basic
elements of the 1971 production can be seen in the 1967 student film, provided
above from the Aeolus 13 Umbra YouTube channel.
Lucas wrote and
produced Electronic Labyrinth: THX-1138
4EB based on an idea by his USC classmates Walter Murch and Matthew
Robinson. The resulting film covers what essentially became the final sequence
in THX 1138 — the chase and escape
scene. 1967-1968 were important years in science fiction. In addition to Electronic Labyrinth: THX-1138 4EB, the
novel Logan’s Run was also released
in 1967 followed by the films 2001: A
Space Odyssey and Planet of the Apes
in 1968. These works show a darker, dystopic view of the future more reflective
of the times in which they were produced. As 1967 was considered the “Summer of
Love,” the events of 1968 were described by Time
magazine as “Nightmares in the Year of the Monkey” (referring to the Chinese
Zodiac). The Tet Offensive in Vietnam, the police riot at the Democratic
National Convention, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and
Robert Kennedy in 1968 all signaled a downward turn in U.S. history.
Lucas asserts in
the documentary Artifact of the Future:
The Making of THX 1138, that the film is not about the future, but rather
it is a critique about the modern consumer lifestyle. One of the hallmarks of
the 1960s counterculture was a criticism of the Western consumer culture that grew
after World War II. An increasing uniformity of dress, goods, education, accommodations,
and employment was seen as a growing threat to individuality. As Lucas himself
calls it, the film is a parable, but the story is told in images, not words. As
a result, it lacks the structure of a traditional narrative. This approach provides a platform for
cutting-edge filmmaking.
Trailer for the 1971 feature film.
The abstract
nature of the film can be explained, as Walter Murch puts it, as an “artifact
of the future.” An artifact from the past, for example a mosaic, may be damaged
and have pieces missing. There is nothing to explain what you’re looking at,
who the characters are, and what it means. In a similar way, THX 1138-4 EB, and the later feature
film, are artifacts of the future. They provide us with a glimpse of the
future, but not the complete picture. The viewer becomes an archeologist
discovering a lost world, and to that end the act of viewing is no longer
passive, it becomes an act of conscious engagement. As a consequence, we are
drawn into the film and become more involved in the narrative.
In Electronic Labyrinth: THX-1138 4EB,
Lucas builds a futuristic world by using such locations as the computer center
at USC, and the post-modern architecture at a parking lot at UCLA, the Los
Angeles International Airport, and the Van Nuys Airport. Like an artifact that
only provides a partial image of the past, Lucas only needs to provide a
partial image of the future. He doesn’t need to fully define the politics and
technology of his future world he only needs to suggest them. While effective with the THX 1138 concept, this approach had mixed success in Star Wars where the lack of definition
of those two elements worked both for and against the first film trilogy. While
moving the story along, it also created plot holes and inconsistencies.
 |
| Screen shot from the film. |
THX-1138 4EB is set in a subterranean
post-apocalyptic world where the society is closed and every aspect of life
controlled. Individuality is suppressed through uniformity. Everyone dresses
the same. There are no names, only numerical designations. As the 1971 film later portrayed,
individuality is further repressed with shaven heads, drugs are used to
sublimate sexual desire and improve work performance, and religion is used to
maintain conformity. One key plot point in both the 1967 and 1971 films,
sometimes overlooked due to the unconventional narrative, is that there are two
classes of people: those born in a clinic and those born as the result of a sex
act.
The “EB” in Electronic Labyrinth:
THX-1138 4EB stands for “ErosBod,” which denotes those born of a sex act
(see screen shot, above). EBs are considered inferior to those born in a
clinic, or “ClinicBods.” The existence of EBs suggests that the city isn't
quite as in command of things as it appears to be. The feature film explores
this further by showing malfunctioning robot police, horrific workplace
accidents, and other system glitches. Despite the apparent planning and
sophistication, the city is breaking down, and individuals are a reminder that
the machine is broken.
At the start of Electronic Labyrinth: THX-1138 4EB, we
see THX’s mate, YYO 7117 rejects him due to his origin as an ErosBod (YYO
herself is a ClinicBod). This in turn drives THX to escape to the outside world,
which he’s been taught means certain death. Nevertheless, THX would rather
leave and face the unknown than stay in a society that regards him as a reject.
This ethical dilemma was played out in various scenarios throughout the 1960s,
from dropouts to draft dodgers to those embracing alternate lifestyles.
THX-1138 4EB, Logan’s Run (the novel), 2001:
A Space Odyssey, and Planet of the
Apes heralded in a darker, more dystopic era of science fiction film and reflected
the cynicism of their times. Ironically, it would be George Lucas’ seminal work
Star Wars that put an end to the
pessimism in sci-fi movies that his first film, Electronic Labyrinth: THX-1138 4EB, pioneered.
Related Content from Aeolus 13 Umbra
The Prayers of Shiva — A spoken word
performance I produced layered with audio clips from THX 1138 and The Prisoner:
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