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Abbotsford Film Society presents George Lucas' THX 1138

Screening on May 16 at Abbotsford Arts Centre
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Director George Lucas (right) and actor Robert Duvall on the set of THX 1138. The 1971 movie is being screened in Abbotsford on Friday, May 16.

The Abbotsford Film Society (AFS) ends its third season with a screening of George Lucas’ first feature film THX 1138 on Friday, May 16.

AFS president Aaron Dawson has been waiting for the right time and place to screen the film, which is a personal favourite. Dawson says THX 1138 was ahead of its time, containing themes that will resonate more with audiences today.

“In many ways, THX 1138 is Orwellian, with themes of authoritarianism and a government that controls every aspect of the lives of the characters in the story,” he says.

“I think audiences in the 1970s weren’t ready for the future it represents but audiences today will understand what Lucas was trying to portray.”

THX 1138 is set in a dystopian future where people have designations instead of names and are controlled by android police. Mandatory drugs are used to suppress emotions.

The film was an expanded version of Lucas’ 1967 student film, which he created while attending USC School of Cinematic Arts. Lucas worked with filmmaker Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now, Godfather I,II,III) to develop the script. It was produced by Francis Ford Coppola and stars Robert Duvall.

The film received mixed reviews but those who praised it lauded the films visual components. 

Roger Ebert gave it three out of four stars, saying it was “a work of visual imagination that is special, as haunting as part of 2001:A Space Odyssey ...” 

The film received a nomination from the International Federation of Film Critics at Cannes in 1971. THX 1138 has since received critical acclaim and gained a cult following.

Because the film is hard to find on both home media and streaming services, it is one that not many people will have seen. Dawson is excited that AFS will be screening the THX 1138 at the Abbotsford Arts Centre.

“Big films deserve to be seen on a big screen with big sound,” Dawson says. “THX 1138 is a film that deserves that level of exhibition, and the Abbotsford Arts Centre is the perfect venue for this type of film.”

Doors for the screening open at 7:30 p.m. and the film starts at 8 p.m. Admission is $7 at the door or in advance at abbotsfordfilmsociety.com.



Abbotsford News Staff

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