![Cover for Sanford And Son [TV Show]](/images/displaymedia.php?id=25035&cat=3&sizew=70){kind=small}
The problem with Lucas's story, though, is that after the first thirty minutes or so he rather runs out of story.
Maybe if Lucas had lightened up just a bit, the narrative would have unfolded more naturally and with more clarity and insight. As it is, "THX 1138" is a still a good attempt at something bolder than it really is and shows what can be done on a limited budget. Of course, having Francis Ford Coppola, sound editor Walter Murch, composer Lalo Schifrin, and the Warner Bros. studio behind you helps, too.
Video:
Both the video and the audio of the film have been digitally restored and remastered, not unexpectedly to THX specifications, with several new, digitally added shots to bring it up to speed. There is no indication on the packaging about what exactly is new to the Director's Cut, but the timing remains the same as ever, eighty-eight minutes. I assume a few of the backgrounds have been altered and improved; and the fact that the film's rating has been changed from its previous GP to R because of sexuality and nudity tells us something.
The widescreen dimensions measure an enhanced, anamorphic ratio approximately 2.09:1 across a normal television, and its high bit rate provides plenty of rich, solid colors when they are needed. Most of the time, however, the picture is content to display large areas of pure white, which sometimes reveal a small amount of grain, most of it undoubtedly inherent to the original print. The overall image quality is slightly soft, with only average object delineation, but it's quite good, nevertheless, and a vast improvement over what I had remembered.
Audio:
The audio is a bit more problematic. A Dolby Digital 5.1 remix certainly helps, but I can't say the sound was state-of-the-art back in 1970. The new sonics provide a good, believable front-channel stereo spread, some strong dynamics when they are needed, and the occasional noise thrown into the surround speakers. Composer Schifrin's atmospheric score and Murch's sound montages come off well, but there is also a degree of harshness to the affair, a metallic quality to voices, especially, which I suppose actually suits the climate of the picture when you think about it.
Extras:
There is really quite a lot in the way of extras on the discs. The first disc includes the widescreen presentation of the movie with its Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack; English, French, and Spanish spoken languages and subtitles; and twenty-four scene selections. Then there's an audio commentary by co-writer/director George Lucas and co-writer/sound designer Walter Murch, which should be heard by anyone interested in film or filmmaking. "Theatre Of Noise" is an isolated music and sound-effects only track. And, lastly, there is a feature called "Master Sessions with Walter Murch," which is comprised of brief, scene-specific video clips wherein Murch tells us about the sound design at particular points in the film. These clips, thirteen in number, can be viewed during the film by clicking on little icons that appear on screen, or they can be viewed individually from an index menu.
The second disc includes two excellent documentaries, plus various other goodies. The main documentary is newly made and lasts over an hour. It's called "A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope," and as the name implies it tells us about the filmmakers who gathered around Francis Ford Coppola during the early Zoetrope era. Next is another newly made documentary, "Artifact from the Future: The Making of THX 1138," more specific to the "THX" film and lasting over half an hour. After that is Lucas's original fifteen-minute student film, "Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB," which Lucas made at USC and which inspired the later movie. No, it's not as good a film as the later, more-polished product, but in some ways it works better at a quarter of an hour than the later one at nearly an hour and a half. After that, there is an eight-minute vintage promotional, "Bald Classic Production: The Making of THX 1138," where we see a young Coppola interviewing an even younger Lucas, with shots from the movie to illustrate their points. Finally, there are five original and rerelease theatrical trailers to bring things to a close.
The two discs are housed in a three-paneled cardboard-and-plastic foldout container, which also contains a short essay by George Lucas and a list of the two discs' contents. A cardboard slipcase with a remarkably striking lobby-card picture on the cover completes the package.
Parting Shots:
I like what Lucas tried to do in "THX 1138," even if the movie is overly long for its subject matter and rather hammers home its points too obviously. On an unassuming budget, Lucas created a cold, weird, frightening world that is all too reminiscent of the way many people still carry on today. I believe if the director had turned his criticisms of society into more pointed black humor, as Kubrick did in "Dr. Strangelove," Lucas's movie might have attained even greater success. But who can argue with a guy who's gone on to become a legend and whose first feature film is a bone fide cult classic? Not I. At least, not much.
Video:
Both the video and the audio of the film have been digitally restored and remastered, not unexpectedly to THX specifications, with several new, digitally added shots to bring it up to speed. There is no indication on the packaging about what exactly is new to the Director's Cut, but the timing remains the same as ever, eighty-eight minutes. I assume a few of the backgrounds have been altered and improved; and the fact that the film's rating has been changed from its previous GP to R because of sexuality and nudity tells us something.
The widescreen dimensions measure an enhanced, anamorphic ratio approximately 2.09:1 across a normal television, and its high bit rate provides plenty of rich, solid colors when they are needed. Most of the time, however, the picture is content to display large areas of pure white, which sometimes reveal a small amount of grain, most of it undoubtedly inherent to the original print. The overall image quality is slightly soft, with only average object delineation, but it's quite good, nevertheless, and a vast improvement over what I had remembered.
Audio:
The audio is a bit more problematic. A Dolby Digital 5.1 remix certainly helps, but I can't say the sound was state-of-the-art back in 1970. The new sonics provide a good, believable front-channel stereo spread, some strong dynamics when they are needed, and the occasional noise thrown into the surround speakers. Composer Schifrin's atmospheric score and Murch's sound montages come off well, but there is also a degree of harshness to the affair, a metallic quality to voices, especially, which I suppose actually suits the climate of the picture when you think about it.
Extras:
There is really quite a lot in the way of extras on the discs. The first disc includes the widescreen presentation of the movie with its Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack; English, French, and Spanish spoken languages and subtitles; and twenty-four scene selections. Then there's an audio commentary by co-writer/director George Lucas and co-writer/sound designer Walter Murch, which should be heard by anyone interested in film or filmmaking. "Theatre Of Noise" is an isolated music and sound-effects only track. And, lastly, there is a feature called "Master Sessions with Walter Murch," which is comprised of brief, scene-specific video clips wherein Murch tells us about the sound design at particular points in the film. These clips, thirteen in number, can be viewed during the film by clicking on little icons that appear on screen, or they can be viewed individually from an index menu.
The second disc includes two excellent documentaries, plus various other goodies. The main documentary is newly made and lasts over an hour. It's called "A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope," and as the name implies it tells us about the filmmakers who gathered around Francis Ford Coppola during the early Zoetrope era. Next is another newly made documentary, "Artifact from the Future: The Making of THX 1138," more specific to the "THX" film and lasting over half an hour. After that is Lucas's original fifteen-minute student film, "Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB," which Lucas made at USC and which inspired the later movie. No, it's not as good a film as the later, more-polished product, but in some ways it works better at a quarter of an hour than the later one at nearly an hour and a half. After that, there is an eight-minute vintage promotional, "Bald Classic Production: The Making of THX 1138," where we see a young Coppola interviewing an even younger Lucas, with shots from the movie to illustrate their points. Finally, there are five original and rerelease theatrical trailers to bring things to a close.
The two discs are housed in a three-paneled cardboard-and-plastic foldout container, which also contains a short essay by George Lucas and a list of the two discs' contents. A cardboard slipcase with a remarkably striking lobby-card picture on the cover completes the package.
Parting Shots:
I like what Lucas tried to do in "THX 1138," even if the movie is overly long for its subject matter and rather hammers home its points too obviously. On an unassuming budget, Lucas created a cold, weird, frightening world that is all too reminiscent of the way many people still carry on today. I believe if the director had turned his criticisms of society into more pointed black humor, as Kubrick did in "Dr. Strangelove," Lucas's movie might have attained even greater success. But who can argue with a guy who's gone on to become a legend and whose first feature film is a bone fide cult classic? Not I. At least, not much.
![Happy Days [TV Show]](/images/displaymedia.php?id=25233&sizew=70&cat=3)
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]12293[/release]