THX 1138

"Work hard, increase production, prevent accidents, and be happy." THX 1138, George Lucas' directorial debut, presents a cold, dystopian future in which individual thought and love are forbidden. But two citizens dare to rebel.

LUH 3417, a disenchanted surveillance worker, consciously stops taking her mandatory drugs — medication that suppresses emotions — and gives placebos to her roommate, THX 1138. Now free to feel, the two fall in love, but find themselves on the run for breaking laws of conformity.

Released March 11, 1971

Most of the film was shot in the then under-construction bart tunnels of the Bay Area — early evidence of Lucasfilm’s longstanding connection to San Francisco.

Casting supervisor Ron Colby needed extras who would be willing to shave their heads; he visited a San Francisco drug-rehab clinic and paid patients $15 a head — literally — to be in the film.

For THX 1138 's ambient music, Lucas wanted something akin to the Muzak of the future; sounds that would seemingly keep the characters in a lull.

As part of the background chatter heard throughout the film, one of the voice actors improvised "I think I ran over a Wookiee," coining a creature name Lucas would use in Star Wars.

In an extensive restoration, THX 1138 was put through ILM's "digital intermediate" process. The film's original negative was scanned, digital color correction was applied, and a new digital master was created.

"Work hard, increase production, prevent accidents, and be happy." THX 1138, George Lucas' directorial debut, presents a cold, dystopian future in which individual thought and love are forbidden. But two citizens dare to rebel.

LUH 3417, a disenchanted surveillance worker, consciously stops taking her mandatory drugs — medication that suppresses emotions — and gives placebos to her roommate, THX 1138. Now free to feel, the two fall in love, but find themselves on the run for breaking laws of conformity.

Released March 11, 1971

Most of the film was shot in the then under-construction bart tunnels of the Bay Area — early evidence of Lucasfilm’s longstanding connection to San Francisco.

Casting supervisor Ron Colby needed extras who would be willing to shave their heads; he visited a San Francisco drug-rehab clinic and paid patients $15 a head — literally — to be in the film.

For THX 1138 's ambient music, Lucas wanted something akin to the Muzak of the future; sounds that would seemingly keep the characters in a lull.

As part of the background chatter heard throughout the film, one of the voice actors improvised "I think I ran over a Wookiee," coining a creature name Lucas would use in Star Wars.

In an extensive restoration, THX 1138 was put through ILM's "digital intermediate" process. The film's original negative was scanned, digital color correction was applied, and a new digital master was created.