Before "Star Wars," before Indiana Jones and before "American Graffiti," George Lucas was just another film school kid trying to eke out a career. But it wouldn’t take him long, with his student film kicking open the door that would lead to becoming one of the most influential blockbuster storytellers of all time. And now you can see where it all began.
Though you might have seen it before, Open Culture freshly points us in the direction of "Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB," the short film Lucas made as a student, which showed his affinity for sci-fi tales centering on underdogs taking on oppressive authority. Lucas would expand the story to make "THX 1138," his first feature film, but you can see the intriguing roots of his cinematic feature in this fifteen-minute take. And hey, with the director now planning to open the Lucas Museum Of Narrative Arts in Chicago in 2018, we’d wager there will be more chances to see the first version of ‘Electronic Labyrinth’ in what we’re sure will be a state-of-the-art facility. Until then, watch below.
