Podcast - [Special Edition Re-release] A deep dive into George Lucas' 'THX 1138' and it's impact on 'Star Wars' (S1/E8)
The 70s! Cults! Documentary Filmmaking! + More!
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Tim and Jim chat more about The Acolyte before diving into some exiting topics that “yub” their “nubs” and introducing the special edition re-release of their conversation about George Lucas’ first feature film: THX 1138!
Episode Credits:
Hosts: Tim Barnes, Jim Fagan, & Greg Iwinski
Theme Song: Matt Maher
Announcer: Carolina Ravassa
Podcast Art:Joel Jackson
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
Discussion Highlights:
You’ll never see the original version of this film…
Sadly, it seems near-impossible to find the original cut of the THX 1138 feature film. But thanks to Movie-Censorship.com you can see a few still image comparisons
There’s also a hybrid cut somewhere out their on the internet that makes a pretty close approximation of the film as it was originally released:
However, one perk of the “director’s cut” is that there is audio commentary with George Lucas & Walter Murch (who co-wrote the film)!
And if you want to nerd out more about Murch — check out this interview with him about THX!
An expansion of George’s love of documentaries…
As explored in part one and part two of our deep dive into George Lucas’ student films — Lucas has a deep passion for documentary filmmaking.
For THX 1138, his goal was to have the film feel like found footage from the future.
Arguably, Star Wars is an extension of that sentiment. With the blue text reading A long time ago in a galaxy far far away… viewers are given this sense of watching history unfold despite everything feeling highly futuristic.
Well, he also did this to make it feel like a fairy tail. But, it’s an incredibly unique spin to imply that the film is for viewers who live in a time with technology more advanced than hyperdrives.
The birth of George Lucas’ frustration with studios…
Warner Brothers not only cut five minutes out of Lucas’ original cut of the film — they also tanked Francis Ford Cupola’s production company American Zoetrope which championed it.
It’s amazing to see how they both Lucas and Coppola bounced back from this moment and how young filmmakers of that era banded together to make incredible work.
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What’s “Yubbing” Our “Nubs”
SCENE: Palpatine & Anakin Go To The Opera
After some of the big reveals in the The Acolyte season 1 finale — Jim dove back into this classic scene between Anakin & Palpatine.
VIDEO: The Star Wars: Concept Trailer
This video “yubs” Tim’s “nub.” Many of us know about how George Lucas collaborated with Ralph McQuarrie to make concept art for the original trilogy — as evidenced by this awesome The Star Wars: Concept Trailer from filmmakers at The DAVE School painstakingly bringing McQuarrie’s concept paintings to life!
For more on the art that inspired Lucas — check out last week’s episode on the topic with special guest Brandon Bird!
DOCU-SERIES: The Synanon Fix
This series is a challenging watch, but worth it to get a clear concept of where we were at as a culture during the time Lucas created THX 1138 and Star Wars. Beyond the connection of many of its members being used as extras in THX, the story of this hopeful group becoming a dangerous cult parallels many of the themes within Lucas’ work.
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