Back in his USC film school days, George Lucas prided himself as a young and punk rock filmmaker. He sought to break the rules. The big brain behind Star Wars dreamed of making cinéma vérité and was more influenced by Jean Luc-Godard than the likes of John Ford. If anyone wants to see who Lucas was as an artsy film school kid, then look now further than his college short film, THX 1138 4EB.
Lucas went on to adapt the short into a feature length film, THX 1138, with the help of his mentor, Francis Ford Coppola. The short undoubtably shows early signs of the depth of Lucas’ imagination. THX 1138 4EB was the talk of the town when it premiered. Film school kids – including Steven Spielberg – and professors went nuts for the short. Revisiting the short today, it’s easy to see why.
