Blows against the empire…? THX 1138 (1971)

It’s hard to view George Lucas other than through the prism of the cinematic universe he created and ruled for forty years, and clearly George thinks the same which is why he recut both the Star Wars trilogy but also this film in 2004. I remember the film as claustrophobic and with an empty feel that the addition of computer generated special effects compromises: the dystopia of 1971 did not include such details.

With or without the superfluous explosions and mechanisms added to this antiseptic world, this film still packs a darker punch even than the Force used by Sith lords. It’s George’s first album and a full-scale remake of his 1967 University of Southern California's film school graduation film, produced by Francis Ford Coppola who clearly knew talent when he saw it.

Late sixties dystopian visions have a nostalgia all their own – the future isn’t what is used to be – but in other ways perhaps fifty years hasn’t changed our prospects that much. THX 1138’s vision of a 25^th Century in which mankind is controlled by a metallic intelligence and medicated into compliance within an ordered society is a chilling one. We never see the actual rulers of this society only the robotic police force that keeps order on a physical level and the priests controlling the spiritual elements – the opiate of the masses is administered in confession booths featuring a projected image of a medieval Jesus and a calming robotic voice that probes the faithful for information as they confess…

But these machines still need people and even reproduction has been taken out of our hands as people are grown in laboratories and traditional methods are not only outlawed but desire is suppressed by prescribed chemicals. Men still make machines though and THX 1138 (Robert Duvall) is one of those working on the dangerous assembly line producing the robo-cops who keep order.

Retro-fitted assembly line?

Every so often accidents happen and his team is congratulated on only losing 195 lives over the last period, far less than a neighbouring group. It’s not so much about safety as productivity.

Others work at the city’s CCTV control centre including THX’s roommate LUH 3417 played by Maggie McOmie who, in a cast of shaven heads, looks especially stark with her red suede head and bright orange eyebrows, her skin conveying the vulnerability of humans in this synthetic, sharp-edged environment.

Donald being pleasant?

SEN 5241 (Donald Pleasence as quietly unsettling as always) also works in surveillance and as with LUH, has a mind that sees through the chemical constraints of their routines. In LUH’s case, she wants to free THX from his drug-induced submission and to make a real connection with a man she actually, despite all conditioning, loves. She substitutes placebos for his daily medication and before too long he is feeling something different for her too… one thing leads to another and in place of holographic porn he is soon far more concerned with his real woman.

SEN meanwhile has been playing the system and hacking into the city computers to get himself assigned as a replacement roommate for THX. Quite what his motivation is we can only guess but it’s not a move THX welcomes and he reports SEN for the breach even as his own transgressions are under investigation: namely illicit reproductive activity with LUH.

Maggie McOmie

THX is tried and sent to a prison resembling an antiseptic Todd Browning’s Freaks; the inmates all being marooned in beds amidst a seeming eternity of disorientating bright lights. SEN is here as well with more grand schemes of escape, when the time is right… THX can’t be doing with strangeness and prevarication and eventually heads off into the light with an increasingly timid SEN in tow. They encounter an escaped holograph named SRT (Don Pedro Colley) and soon find the crowded “real world” of the city; citizens being forced through corridors like blood through clotted veins.

From this point on it’s a race to avoid the robot coppers and to find their way out, if they have the courage and belief…

Robert Duvall

Dusty Verdict: THX 1138 is all a far cry from Star Wars swashbuckling but even this film begins with some footage from Buster Crabbe in Buck Rodgers, an influence on the later film and used here to show how the future of the Thirties has been replaced with darker possibilities. More time has passed between THX and the present day and the film looks far more likely than Flash Gordon and his ilk.

All credit for Lucas in what is essentially a stripped-down prison escape movie with sci-fi trimmings: THX must find himself through the truth of his and humanity’s existence and that’s a pretty timeless fable that’s little in need of CGI upgrading.

Robert Duvall, soon to feature in his producer’s Godfather, gives a superb performance, managing to convey vulnerability at the same time as the natural machismo of a hero. Our Donald Pleasence plays a more straightforward character, a schemer without THX’s ability to ultimately rise to the occasion: not everyone really wants to escape. Maggie McOmie’s LUH is the one who really sees what freedom could entail, almost a lone feminine voice in this film.

THX is, of course, readily available in its 2004 form on BluRay and DVD, it’s worth catching the original version if you can find it for purists and those who liked their vintage seventies future-scapes to be of their time.

 

 

 

 

Election special… The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970)

Ah, the more things change the more they bloody well stay the same… smart guy market researches and manipulates both establishment and general voting public alike in a drive to the top, all in an age before social media optimisation, big data news filtering and the collapse of trust.

Devised and produced by David Frost under the pseudonym "David Paradine", the script was completed by Peter Cook, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, and Kevin Billington, who also directed. It’s very knowing as you’d expect from these denizens of sixties satire who set the controls for the heart of a system that was largely run by people they’d gone to college with.

Indeed, Peter Cook later admitted to basing the character of Michael Rimmer on Mr Frost himself. None more self-referential and, indeed, a modern viewing of the film imparts it with all due benefits of doubt accrued by its major players in subsequent years: it’s got That Was The Week That Was pedigree, Beyond the Fringe all the way through to Python and Peter’s post-mortem confirmation as a national treasure.

Fraser, Cook and Elliott on WorthingPier

After the film, he was not convinced by his own performance but it’s his lack of nuanced expression that now seems to work very well as this coldly avuncular murderer and shaker: he takes everything in equal measure and has a plan for every eventuality based on a shrewd appreciation of the amorality all around him: we get the corruption we deserve.

The film is mostly funny around its lead character and not because of him as a host of top-notch character actors make their mark and a “guest appearance” by renowned playwright, Harold Pinter threatens to steal the show.

Valerie Leon and Arthur Leers...

It is however, hard to upstage Arthur Lowe and he’s the one to watch from the get-go as lazily abusive ad agency boss Ferret sitting in his complacent office ogling his secretary Tanya’s knicker line (unsurprisingly it’s Valerie Leon who is, overall, rather splendid). An agitated customer arrives and is followed in by a wide-eyed smart young man with a half-smile. The customer thumps Ferret and leaves as the young man reveals himself to be Michael Rimmer, sent to perform a time and motion study on the bureau.

He follows the nervous staff around, watching the finance director totting up the betting odds, following Pumer (John Cleese) into the gents and then catching him practising his ballroom dancing. There’s lots of time wasted in the company and before long Ferret’s test-match and skirt watching has to stop as he’s demoted to the bottom (not the one he likes) and retained only in order that he may repay the huge sums he’s wasted.

Time and motion...

I think the boys are trying to make a point… and it still resonates.

Rimmer takes over and then, impressed with Peter Niss (Denholm Elliott) a man from the biggest market research competitor, head hunts him to help undermine them. He uses shock tactics to catch attention and at the same time undermine faith in established mores, using research to show that the population is enjoying more sex than it actually is or that Britain is a nation of Buddhists.

Stephen Hench is Talking to You..

Naturally manipulation of public opinion leads him to politics and he cosies up to the leader of the opposition, Tory Tom Hutchinson (Ronald Fraser) at a reception held at London Zoo – how very modern! He can help him win, and in scenes not a million miles away from The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, he coaches Hutchinson on tone, body language and emotional control.

At the same time, he begins to work with the Labour Prime Minister, Blacket (George A. Cooper) – any resemblance to Harold Wilson being purely intentional. Knowing how little the public like seeing Blacket perform he encourages him to make daily TV appearances… it’s the one sure way to ensure Labour’s chances go down the tube (as it were).

Corbett and Cleese out polling

Michael decides he must take a wife and selects the pretty fit, Olympic equestrian Patricia Cartwright (Vanessa Howard, fit and pretty) who is soon won over by his empty charm and the two marry at Budleigh Moor (get it?).

But as Michael makes his way higher and higher, Patricia is left to alone a lot with Peter who attempts to lure her away… there’s one especially excruciating scene in which Patricia exercises her frustrations away as Niss looks on shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

The film was timed for release before the 1970 General election but some nervousness on behalf of the distributors prevented this… job done chaps!!  As it turned out the film was spot on and the Tories beat Wilson (temporarily) with, in this case Hutchinson romping to victory.

Marriage on the Moor

Rimmer instils some radical thinking in the new government with mocked up weaponry a far cheaper alternative to the development of the actual capabilities and a secret invasion of Swiss banks allowing the UK to pretend it has discovered North Sea Gold.

Tragedy soon occurs though when Hutchinson falls to his doom after holding a large chunk of gold over his head on a drilling platform… did he fall or was that a helping hand from Rimmer?

There’s no stopping him now as the party looks for a new leader, Patricia returns to the winning horse and novel ideas are put in to play that seem to promise more democracy whilst at the same time ensuring its doom. Referenda my friends… you can’t ask the public all the time; they’d much rather someone else made the decisions, good or bad…

Patricia exercises and Niss misses out

Dusty verdict: Michael Rimmer is clearly a jolly jape for the ruling satirical classes and it’s not often that political humour stands the test of time. IN this case, some of the jokes have only ripened in the age of social-media enhanced political campaign and big data thought control. Mr Rimmer is all too believable in the age of President Trump and a British government including Boris Johnson.

Peter Cook’s sly style has also stood the test of time and his vacuity only makes the character of Rimmer more believable: a post-Blair/post-Cameron man of PR and spin with little discernible core belief.

Just a stroll on the beach...

There’s superb support especially from Arthur Lowe and some of our finest character actors, Roland Culver, Dennis Price, Ronnie Corbett, Michael Bates and a sexy Diana Coupland! I also love the idea of an Election Grandstand – a TV programme with more airtime than news to break… very prescient!

The film is now available from Warner Archives on DVD and is close to Cook’s better work of the sixties such as the excellent Bedazzled (made with long-time partner, Budleigh Moore).