SilverWook said:
An interesting historical artifact!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1971-THX-1138-US-Preview-PROGRAM-George-LUCAS-Francis-Ford-COPPOLA-Star-Wars-/161629861887
Note the original running time.
msycamore said:
Well, there's that 88 minute running time again. Been around from the beginning it seems, except for that very early promo ad which displayed 108 minutes.
I've noticed a couple of those (obviously?) faux run-times in the slushy accuracy, typo-ridden World Wide Web, like that "108 minutes" and another "98 minutes" I recently saw. At least, they get the last digit right. :) But the verifiable consensus is "88 minutes" and "86 minutes".
Those last two numbers match well in my theory The World, The Devil, And George Lucas (just kidding on that title, George ... not!**) starting back on page 62:
George ver.1 ver.1.WB ver.1 ver.2 ver.3 ver.4
Lucas 1970 1971 1978 1983 2004 2010
version 1 - 1970 (88m?)
the Lucas original & finished cut of THX 1138
(un-released when it was taken away from him by Warner)
version 1.WB - 1971 (86m?)
the Warner Bros.' re-edit
(released to theaters - a flop)
(cuts; sequence re-ordering?)
version 1 - 1978 (88m?)
back to Lucas' original & finished cut
(released to theaters & TV broadcasts [16mm] under Lucas' terms after Star Wars success - a flop)
version 2 - 1983 (86m)
Lucas' next edit
(re-edited for TV broadcasts & home video [LD, Beta, VHS, CED] - builds to cult status)
(less some SEN shots; sequence re-ordering?)
version 3 - 2004 (88m)
Lucas' next edit
(added Computer Graphics & re-coloring, sequence re-ordering, and out-takes for TV broadcasts & home video [DVD] - cult status)
version 4 - 2010 (88m)
Lucas' next edit
(added tweaks of coloring, etc., for TV broadcasts & home video [Blu-ray] - cult status)
.
I'm in the process of tracking down photos of released media for copyright dates and run-times (again) -- previous research is buried somewhere. :(
.
**
George Lucas said:
“I’m a ’60s, West Coast, liberal, radical, artsy, dyed-in-the-wool 99 percenter before there was such a thing.”
-New York Times Magazine - George Lucas Is Ready to Roll the Credits, by Bryan Curtis [Jan. 17, 2012]"I’m a 60’s radical, government unhappy, Wall Street-hating person from San Francisco"
-The Funny Mon Blog - Exclusive George Lucas Interview For Upcoming Animated Film Strange Magic by Desiree Eaglin [Jan. 20, 2015]