Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2673 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-08-11
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish
• Dubbed in: French, German, Italian, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 107 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Here's how American critic Roger Ebert described the unique and lasting value of George Lucas' 1973 box-office hit, American Graffiti: "[It's] not only a great movie but a brilliant work of historical fiction; no sociological treatise could duplicate the movie's success in remembering exactly how it was to be alive at that cultural instant." The time to which Ebert and the film refers is the summer of 1962, and American Graffiti captures the look, feel, and sound of that era by chronicling one memorable night in the lives of several young Californians on the cusp of adulthood. (In essence, Lucas was making a semi-autobiographical tribute to his own days as a hot-rod cruiser, and the film's phenomenal success paved the way for Star Wars.) The action is propelled by the music of DJ Wolfman Jack's rock & roll radio show--a soundtrack of pop hits that would become as popular as the film itself. As Lucas develops several character subplots, American Graffiti becomes a flawless time capsule of meticulously re-created memory, as authentic as a documentary and vividly realised through innovative use of cinematography and sound. The once-in-a-lifetime ensemble cast members inhabit their roles so fully that they don't seem like actors at all, comprising a who's who of performers--some of whom went on to stellar careers--including Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips, Charles Martin Smith, Candy Clark, and Paul Le Mat. A true American classic. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Special Features
2.35 Anamorphic Wide Screen
DVD 9
French\German\Italian\Spanish
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital Surround English\Dolby Digital Mono French German Italian Spanish
Dolby Digital Surround
Dolby Digital Mono
The Making Of
Weblink
Trailer
Production Notes
Cast And Filmmakers Notes
Bulgarian\Czech\Danish\Dutch\English\Finnish\French\German\Hungarian\Norwegian\Polish\Portuguese\Swedish\Turkish

Synopsis
A series of touching and effective vignettes, AMERICAN GRAFFITI presents a powerful collage of youth on the brink of maturity during the innocence of pre-Kennedy-assassination America. The film, set in 1962, follows one night in the lives of several recently graduated high school students. The genial Steve (Ron Howard) prepares to leave for college the next day, and Laurie (Cindy Williams), his girlfriend, is upset by his departure. Laurie's brother, Curt (Richard Dreyfuss), the class intellectual, is also slated for college, but he has serious doubts about his future. Also featured are the hopeless nerd (Charles Martin Smith) and the eternally cool drag racer, John (Paul LeMat), who feels pressure to live up to his reputation. In one of the many subtle, funny scenes, John, after the school dance, picks up chatty 13-year-old Carol (Mackenzie Phillips), thinking she's older than she is. Cruising in their hot rods, eating at Mel's Diner, and listening to Wolfman Jack spin the latest hits, the teenagers draw the audience into a nostalgic web in which the camera jumps from character to character as they each enjoy--or stress over--their last moments of summer freedom. Based on George Lucas's own teenage hot-rodding days in Modesto, California, this brilliant, bittersweet comedy inspired numerous other productions including the long-running TV series HAPPY DAYS. Lucas's second feature, AMERICAN GRAFFITI features an early screen appearance by Harrison Ford, who would figure heavily into the director's next movie, the sci-fi epic STAR WARS.

Customer Reviews

A long time ago, in a California town far, far away...
Seen today it's hard to believe that the George Lucas who made the sharply observed American Graffiti is the same George Lucas who gave us Jar-Jar Binks. You can certainly see the seeds of that galaxy far, far away in this ensemble piece about a night a long time ago in a small town not so far, far away, but it's still got an original trilogy vibe. It could almost be the Tattoine Years, with Ron Howard an embryonic Luke Skywalker, Paul Le Mat Han Solo, Richard Dreyfuss C3PO, Charles Martin Smith R2D2, Bo Hopkins Chewbacca, Wolfman Jack Obi Wan Kenobi and Harrison Ford Greedo. Thankfully there's no Jar-Jar this time out (well, maybe Mackenzie Phillips), but there's a lot of time spent cruising Mos Eisley in landspeeders. In its day its huge profits certainly led to as many ripoffs as Star Wars, but none managed to tap into it's surprisingly edgy indie, almost nouvelle vague vibe without pushing the darkness or exploitation elements too far. At times it's almost like a Californian version of Fellini's Il Vitelloni.

The key to the film's success is its understanding of what it's like to be stuck in a small town yet also afraid to leave it at that point in life when you're suddenly aware of the real threat of failure in life. So, instead of dealing with any of the big issues on the back of their mind, its various characters distract themselves with trivia, the film to-ing and fro-ing between them as the night gradually turns into day, all linked by the simple but brilliant device of having all the characters have the same radio station on in the background with Wolfman Jack as a half-heard Greek Chorus, binding the stories together like the Force - okay, enough with the Star Wars analogies already. Paul Le Mat, the one who didn't get a sitcom, directorial career or Thighmaster infomercial deal out of it, gets the best of the script as the doomed boy racer facing up to the fact that he's strictly small town, although there's enough left over to give everyone in the cast their moment in the sun.

The DVD features a fine feature length documentary reuniting most of the key players (though it conveniently ignores the film's now-forgotten sequel), production notes and trailer.

A perfect evocation of the moment
The depiction of small town America is so good that it is now how we think we remember it (even if we were not there) and how we want it to be. The introversion of all that is important at High School before the kids go out to face the world and loose that security once and for all is sympathetically described. As Snoopy says "You can never go home again" and even if you never leave, it will still slip through your grasp.

An excellent social study as well; different prospects for the boys and girls etc. which shows us how we have changed and ultimately, as much as we enjoy trying on these old comfortable cloths for an evening, how far we have come.

A brilliant representation of rural life in California in the 1960's
I was born in Modesto, California in 1953. My older sister put me in the floorboard of the car (just as presented in the movie)while cruising 10th & 11th Streets. George Lucas was the same age as my older sister in the same city and time. This is real (some spellings are different and Wolfman Jack radio program was heard from a station in Tijuana, Mexico). This movie transcends nationalities to portray the human "leaving the nest" experience. Plus, see how the actors looked 40 years ago :-)