THX 1138

[Daniel McIntosh]

I recently saw THX 1138.  Walter Murch's "Sound Montage" was brilliant (he also got a screenwriting credit).  And there's a "Special Thanks" credit to Haskell Wexler. 

I'd be curious to hear the back-story on Sir Wexler's relationship with George Lucas when Lucas was a beginning filmmaker.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066434/

A frightening near future story.

[Jeff Wexler]

The history of my father with George Lucas goes back to the when my father used to race sports cars. Pop owned two of the "Old Yeller" race cars that Max Balchowski built in the mid-60's. Pop used to run into George at the regional races, Riverside, Pomona, Willow Springs, etc., and George was an avid sports car enthusiast. George was a little bit adrift and didn't know what to do with his life and Pop asked him one day if he was interested in making movies --- George said no, but he did say that he loved going to movies; that was enough for Pop to have a chat with Mel Sloane, an old friend and head of the film department at USC, and helped George get into film school. Later on, Pop helped out shooting some of THX-1138 (as did Caleb Deschanel and others) and then also came on to help out on George's first "big" movie: "American Graffiti". They continue to be good friends and George almost always mentions Haskell as one of his first mentors.

Regards,  Jeff Wexler

[miker71]

I really like THX 1138 although I haven't seen it in a while. I think the Special Edition version is an improvement although I kind of like the original version too for its slight rawness.

It was only by seeing the "making of" doccos for the Star Wars films in the eighties (of which I was a huge fan as a child) that making and deconstructing movies began to interest me. By virtue of my Star Wars fandom I'm also reasonably well read on Lucas and his empire. Freaks me out a bit to see this post, six degrees of separation and all that!

[old school]

The version of THX that everyone knows is a full film of Lucas's 480 project at USC. (480 is grad project) The 15 or so minute THX is well above and beyond what most students were pulling off at the time. I have always been a big fan of both films. Dark and very perceptive as too big brother. I met Lucas at OCIR ( Orange County International Raceway) where I worked from 67 till 71. He was filming a funny car race and I was an assistant starter at the track. I saw these young guys (a little older than me) with all this cool gear, an eclair and nagra 3 w the letters USC stenciled on them. I asked them above the noise if it was a good film school. They yelled  " the only one" and were off. I took them for their word on it and set my course to USC film school. They were right. It was a funky place on campus, an old barn and stables converted to a sound stage and editing rooms. Back then it had only a couple hundred people, and a priceless vibe IMO. Mel Sloane was a teacher of mine and many others fine folks taught as well. Funny now thinking about it. After school I meet and work w Jeff, and later with Haskell. Still waiting to see Lucas again and thank him for his recommendation. As for THX, if you like science fiction filmaking, that is one to see.

CrewC @ Franklin Canyon Reservour waiting to get this shot and go home....