Sterling David Sterling Dr.

Devin Orgeron English 492 18 November 2010 Exploring Changes in Science Fiction Film through Lucas THX 1138 Cinema in the seventies was significantly influenced by the exploration of genre as

filmmakers sought to reinvent the Hollywood of the sixties. The film industry poured money into production as filmmakers brought new ideas to the screen, and previously B genres such as horror and science fiction where raised to A-film status (Cook 4). Science fiction brought films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars to mainstream cinema and in turn generated a lot of interest in the genre. Not all films would enjoy the same critical or financial success as the aforementioned films, but this didn't stop filmmakers from contributing to the widespread use of science fiction genre (Cook 238, 245). In Joan F. Dean's (1978) critical examination of the genre she argued several causes for the unpopularity of certain science fiction films during the decade. The first possible cause is the reflection of social and political conflicts within the theme of a dystopian future. The second cause suggests the filmmakers' departure from the extraterrestrial. As Geraghty argues the latter is not as significant as the cultural and social climate that arose from "America's economic recession, impending defeat in Vietnam, the Watergate scandal and increasing social division and unrest" (51). Furthermore Geraghty concludes, "The overarching theme of this period in science fiction on screen was dystopia."

Sterling Within these dystopian films there is a recurring motif that focuses on undoing of humanity. There are three distinct aspects of this collapse of humanity explored within these films. The first considers the present societal conflict of racism as a means of dehumanizing.

Filmmakers were looking for ways to incorporate and acknowledge racial inequality. The second concerns the desensitization of violence. America was at war and a lot of effort was put into downplaying the casualties of war, particularly the loss of human lives. It was important for filmmakers to highlight the forfeiture of humanity through violence. The third aspect involves the defeat of human spirituality. Considering religion within the Marxist ideal, an opiate of the masses, many filmmakers expressed concern that organized religion was a method of detaching people from their ability to acknowledge the loss of their humanity. Focusing on these characterizations of the dystopia, George Lucass 1971 film THX 1138 tries to exemplify the vices, and in contrast the virtues, of our society as an emerging technologically based culture. The changes reflected during the seventies are reflected in the film as a result of our societies advancement. Much can be said about this period with respect to the development of technology as we see the first microprocessor chip, first home computers, the first super cars, microwave ovens, and VHS home videos. There was a rapid development in all things technology and Lucas saw this an opportunity to bring into question ideas posed by previous generations of science fiction writers, the likes of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. The cultural implications of Lucas film echo a concern expressed by the emergence and rapid development of a technological based society. Lucas clearly takes note of the possible detrimental affects of technologies like television on society as a means of conditioning. He also acknowledges the replacement of human interactions with inhuman interactions. The film further

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expands on the affects of drugs as a means of removing our humanity by suggesting the extent to which drugs can be used to manipulate our perception of reality. THX 1138 presents a vision of a future society controlled and maintained by technology. Much like Huxleys Brave New World the world in THX 1138 is a structured social machine, where each individual fulfills their set purpose according to their level of capability and genetic dominance. And like the Orwells 1984 constant surveillance helps maintain and enforce the strict guidelines of the police state. The main character, for which the movie gets its title, THX 1138 (Robert Duvall) works in an assembly line factory where they produce the robot police force. He is paired with a female roommate LUH 3417 (Maggie McOmie) who works in surveillance of the citizens. Near the beginning of the film we discover the immediate and apparent intimation of racial conflict as an underlying theme concerned with the dehumanization of all things non-white. Lucas leads the audience to discover a monochromatic world where the existence of those depicted outside of this color spectrum is fictional and whose primary function seems to be entertaining or serving a dominant white society (Telotte, Problem of the Real 48). The scene opens with a projection of a bald, nude, black woman dancing. The projection is accompanied by tribal African instrumental music that sounds like a series of cowbells played in tune. The music continues but the scene then cuts briefly to LUH who is obviously trying to make sure THX makes no notice of what she is doing. As the camera cuts back to the holographic projection we are aware that THX is watching what appears to be the future of television entertainment. The viewer is sat behind THX as if to suggest we are also experiencing this erotic theater. When the camera cuts back to LUH we

Sterling notice she seems anxious about the situation, her facial expression also suggests uncertainty in

her actions. The shot jumps to a close-up of a food tray, and what is obviously LUH's hand, with a box of pills sat beside the tray. She quickly opens a compartment on the tray containing an assortment of pills and proceeds to swap a pill from the tray to the pillbox. LUH returns the tray to cabinet and the tribal music continues to play, as we are aware that THX is still watching the projection. The camera switches back to the projection briefly, it then focuses on THX; a reddish tint lights his face, as he appears to be experiencing a level of pleasure. This seems to make sense, as previous encounters between LUH and THX didn't appear to contain any emotional aspect present between two people sexually involved, and as such this human desire is fulfilled by the stimulation of a holographic projection. Although we are lead to believe THX and LUH are mates, this term, as we discover, refers only to the shared space between two individuals and doesn't pertain to the more intimate interpretation of the word. Focusing back on the projection, the channel is changed and two black men appear to be sitting down having a discussion. The music stops and one of the men says, "Never before have we been so contented." The underlying premise and philosophy of this civilization is contained within this brief glimpse, whereby the film expresses the knowledge that to be content is the ultimate goal of humanity. The channel is quickly changed again and the music returns, but the projection shows a black, male dancer this time. THX proceeds to flick through the channels with the remote, and as the camera is focused on him we hear the channels changing. He settles on a channel and all we are left to hear is a continuous thud followed by what appears to be moaning, his face doesn't change expression as

Sterling he seems unaffected emotionally by what he is watching. The camera cuts to the projection to reveal a police officer beating a black man with his baton. LUH enters the room and sits next to THX, "you ought to eat, she says. The channel is changed several times as THX grabs the food tray from the cabinet, LUH settles on a comedy routine where two black men are making disturbing and violent jokes

followed by a laugh track. Neither LUH nor THX seem emotionally affected by this routine, and maintain their composure as with viewing previous channels. The extent to which the characters lack the ability to physically express their feelings leads the viewer to understand that they are unable to interpret their emotional status. The characters also exhibit a level of desensitization with regard to violence. The constant regiment of pharmacological conditioning helps enforce their numbness to what they are observing. As the scene closes THX remarks in a very monotone response, "that was very funny," almost as if to suggest a forced, programmed response to stimuli with a disregard to genuine insight and reflection. These very inhuman responses further suggest a loss of humanity within this dystopia, as the characters represent the gears in a large machine, functioning within the limitations of their purpose, and unable to distinguish human qualities amongst themselves. With respect to the social division within a post civil-rights movement era, there is a definite attempt to address the lingering aftermath of the social unrest created by the still apparent inequalities found in America during the seventies. Telotte further suggests, on one level THX 1138 functions in precisely the interrogative way we expect of our utopian/dystopian narratives, for its futuristic vision

Sterling consistently lays bare a series of representations or ruling ideas that inform the contemporary American culture (Science Fiction Film 129). From the outset of the film we recognize uneasiness in LUH, and she seems more preoccupied with her affectedness as situations unfold in front of her. We learn that she is suspect for a possible drug violation as she experiments with different quantitates of drugs. Following the projection scene, we catch a glimpse of her acting abnormally. In the background a voice warns her about the possible adverse effects of changing drug dosages. LUH becomes more and more aware of the faade that is the world around her and

begins to yearn for something human; like some latter-day typological Eve, first she, LUH, then he, THX, passes up the daily required drug sedation. They begin to feel the stirrings of sexual desire and start to care for each other--to feel, to want, to think on their own (Cormier 195). The eventual result is a normal human pregnancy, which is outlawed in the city. THX and LUH are separated, detained, and sentenced to be reconditioned. The character SEN 5241 (Donald Pleasence) is introduced early on, he works in surveillance also, and begins to notice the transformation of LUH and THX. He is obsessed with discovering their new found humanity, and involves himself in their scandal. He is subsequently sentenced to imprisonment and reconditioning. The prison depicted in THX 1138 is an infinite room of empty whiteness. SEN and THX find themselves amongst others in this prison. They have the idea to escape from their confinement, but they only wander into more and more white empty space. Separated from the group, it there is no way out, but they eventually make out a figure of a man in the distance. SEN is extremely excited by the prospect of meeting another person along the way who might be able

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to help them find a way out, his voice quivers as he exclaims, "it's a man, it's a man, he's waving to us." The camera looks to an empty background with a small figure in the distance waving, and SEN begins to wave back and laugh with excitement. The unknown man continues to walk closer toward them. When the man approaches a visible distance the camera cuts back to SEN and THX and then something strange seems to happen. SEN's laughter fades and his excitement suddenly turns into an almost choking fear of what is approaching him, not who, but distinctly what, as up to this point the identity of the person was inconsequential to SEN and THX. The unknown man walks into focus and then we understand, unlike everyone else thus far, this man is black. This clearly leaves both SEN and THX speechless as before their only contact with people outside of their race was via holographic projection, and therefore believed these people to be fictional, fabrications of entertainment, it was as if a cartoon character had come to life. Eventually SEN and THX come to the realization that this man is tangible as he proceeds to eat some of their food. They ask if he is lost, and he offers that he was, but not anymore. The unknown man then indicates he can show them the way out and points toward the camera. The camera switches angles to reveal a black dot pulsing the in distance, and the men walk toward this. There is a noise that continues to pulse with the dot as they advance closer; the noise gets louder until suddenly it stops. To SEN's surprise they are not met by anything restricting their exit from this monochromatic realm. This seems to signify that there is no restriction from embracing social change, especially with regard to racial equality; there is however a perceived notion that this is not possible, or it doesn't exist. The realization of the limits within the perceived infinite room symbolizes the realization that this uniform mindset doesn't encompass all that is in the world, and as Telotte points out, the ease with which this group then escapes

Sterling through an unlocked door suggests our ability to deal with this situation and echoes Lucas' personal view of our contemporary situation (Problem of the Real 55). The men continue without restriction toward a doorway. The black man opens the doorway and all three are immediately engulfed by a sea of people who appear to all be walking

one way. The men try to fight the current but make no progress as people mindless walk across a giant hallway. The black man makes it back to the door and pulls THX in from the crowd, but SEN is lost, the other two escape through a doorway. This reiterates the struggle present in breaking from norm and trying to maintain a position outside of the status quo. The scene cuts briefly to a control room where a monitor indicates SEN and THX are reported missing. The camera, then blurred, focuses on blue jars that appear to be fetuses, and in the background we hear the voice of the black man, "How shall the new environment be programmed? It all happened so slowly, that most men failed to realize that anything had happened at all." It sounds almost as if he is reciting from a book the history of how this city came to be. THX turns toward the black man, "Who are you?" he asks. The camera cuts to black man, "I'm a hologram. I'm not real, you know the fantasy bureau, electrically generated realities, and all that." As the hologram stands positioned between the jars of fetuses, examining their contents, he continues, "I always wanted to be part of the real world, so I left." The apparent irony in this situation indicates the relative nature of what is real. The fetuses like the hologram are part of the same manufactured world. The second undoing of humanity explored within the dystopian film is the desensitization to violence. The war in Vietnam occurred as a social, cultural, and political conflict within this time period, and as result significantly impacted the subject matter of filmmakers and

Sterling screenwriters. As the war was fought overseas, America was at odds with the level of violence experienced and the atrocities committed by our government. Lucas doesnt ignore this disconnect as violence, and how it is perceived, is central to understanding humanity. The opening scene of the film shows massive destruction and loss of life as a result of a

factory accident. The news is broadcast across the public announcement system, There has been an accident in Red Sector L14, do not abandon your post, there is no danger of radiation leakage. As we watch through a control room television monitor we can see the explosion annihilate an entire workforce, the voice on the PA system is very matter-of-fact, as if the loss of human life is as routine as a flat tire on a car. LUH expresses some emotion when she observes what is happening, but everyone else continues about his or her business. One of the more disturbing representations of violence within the film arises when THX is being reconditioned prior to imprisonment. The scene opens with THX on a video screen and two voices discussing how to operate a machine that controls the body movements of THX. One voice appears to be giving a lesson as the other tries to operate the machine. As the operator tests the controls we notice THX is affected by the adjustments, convulsing with every variation of the settings. The discussion between the two voices continues as the one tries to figure out why one of the buttons is stuck, disregarding THX who is clearly in pain, the controller turns the settings up past the safety point. On the screen we can see THX is knelt with his hands on his ears and screams, but no audio is transmitted to the controllers, and they take no notice of how their experiment affects him. The tone of their conversation suggests they could be talking about how to change the channel on the television. There is a clear disconnect with what is seen on the screen and what is experienced by THX, and those operating the control mechanism are not affected by what they see on the screen. This is further evidence of their desensitization to

Sterling 10 violence and disconnect from humanity. Telotte concludes a similar notion when he describes the scene as a, key scene in developing this seeming fate of humanity (Problem of the Real 53). The recurrence of brutality and the desensitization of violence is carried throughout the film as Cormier points out, This sadistic scene echoes an earlier sequence filled with brutal violence: THX sits calmly in his home watching two robot cops beating a man on the huge TV screen. Later, another visual echo follows when, during his imprisonment, THX himself is beaten bloody by auxiliaries--police with polished steel masks and heavy black sticks (196). Understanding the collapse of humanity as a result of the defeat of human spirituality is the third theme explored in the context of the dystopia. Sobchack makes the point that, "Magic, science, and religion interact in the SF film as they do in society, fulfilling our need for comprehensible answers to cosmic questions" (58). If our perception of any of these three things is controlled, then our ability to comprehend these answers, or even the questions themselves, becomes limited. As with Huxleys Brave New World there is emphasis placed on the control of the spiritual as a means of controlling the ambitions and curiosities present in human nature. In Huxleys text god is Ford, in THX 1138 god is known as OMM. The seamlessly fabricated reality is not complete without its creator. THX regularly meets with OMM to discuss what is troubling him. The first scene we get with OMM is when THX enters what appears to be a phone booth for confessions. He is seated in front of a large projected image of the face of Jesus, and begins to recite a prayer. An omnipresent voice comes from within the box; it's the voice of OMM, "Proceed." THX begins to divulge what is troubling him, but his confessions consist of events

Sterling 11 relating to human error, rather than error in judgment, he continues to express concern for his mistakes as they aren't consistent with his normal behavior. OMM acknowledges THX periodically, but the viewer becomes aware that this voice is in fact a recording that repeats reassurances. Some of the responses are clearly out of place, but THX isnt conscience of the fabricated nature of the situation. The Marxist ideal that "religion is the opiate of the masses," is echoed through the utterances of OMM, much like the drugs serve to subdue the emotional and physical, religion is used as tool to control and ease the minds of the people. The time in the booth nears an end and OMM interrupts THX, "You are a true believer. Blessings of the state, blessings of the masses. Thou art a subject of the divine. Created in the image of man, by the masses, for the masses." This exemplifies the critical view of organized religion as an extension of the societal machine. The camera cuts to a close-up of a reel-to-reel audio recording being played and then back to THX and OMM continues, "Let us be thankful we have an occupation to fill. Work hard; increase production, prevent accidents, and be happy." The scene changes and a police officer is surrounded by children, he hands his baton to a child as they wish to inspect it, and says, "If it will make you happy, just this once. Now be careful it's heavy." The cut to the officer seems slightly out of place, but following OMM's closing words of "be happy" we hear the same voice used by the officer. The implication here is that religion within this context is a component of a larger police state and the greater social control mechanism. A later scene involving SEN and a monk reveals a studio with recording and production equipment, and in the center of the room a giant image of OMM. Despite SENs ability to spot

Sterling 12 inconsistencies, as he mentions, he cant shake the shackles of religion and attempts to confess to the giant portrait of god. This scene recapitulates the integral function of spirituality in humanity, and emphasizes the extent to which people can be blind to, seemingly obvious, misrepresentations of the truth. Through these various aspects that result in the undoing of humanity in dystopias, the science fiction genre takes notice of the considerable cultural, social, and political change present during the seventies. Filmmakers sought to reflect these changes within their films expressed in a variety of genre as means to communicate with their audience. Although many films did not share the financial success of the blockbusters, they were able to facilitate the advancement of new cinematic technologies and techniques. Film genres formerly deemed amateur and low budget were given the opportunity to become some of the greatest movies of all time.

Sterling 13 Works Cited Cook, David A. Lost Illusions: American Cinema in the Shadow of Watergate and Vietnam, 1970-1979. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2000. Print. Cormier, Raymond. "The Closed Society and Its Friends: Plato's Republic and Lucas's THX1138." Literature Film Quarterly 18.3 (1990): 193-197. Print. Geraghty, Lincoln. American Science Fiction Film and Television. Oxford: Berg, 2009. Print. Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper & Row, 1932. Print. Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1949. Print. Sobchack, Vivian. Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film. New York: Ungar, 1987. Print. Telotte, J. P. "The Problem of the Real and THX 1138." Film Criticism 24.3 (2000): 45-60. Print. Telotte, J. P. Science Fiction Film. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2001. Print. THX 1138. Dir. George Lucas. Perf. Robert Duvall, Maggie McOmie, and Donald Pleasence. Warner Home Video, 2004. DVD.