Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3915 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

Amazing for any generation
Im just about 20 now so by no means a contemporary :) I first remember seeing a glimpse of this film on TV when I was about 6. All I remembered was the yellow car and something about a gear knob being given to a girl. Then I saw the very end again on TV the other week! Right! Straight onto teletext to get the name, then straight onto Amazon to order.
This film is brilliant. It would be so good to live the old Americana way and this film encapsulates the whole feeling (well, what I reckon would be the feeling). There is something for everyone, everyone can relate to something. For me, a modified Nova GTE owner I love watching Milner drive around in the '32 Deuce Coupe, having the odd race, the odd smoke and listening to the tunes. The music is just fantastic. I have never bought any non-contemporary music before and probably never will but this is just something else. It all envelops the characters and the film to an incredible level. Brilliant. Interviews with the cast and how they are now is a top feature but also scary as in 30 or 40 years I'm going to be in that position looking back at old pictures of the Nova!

As the guy said above the ending is both liberating and sombre, finding out what happens later to all the people in a film is something youre often left wondering, with this being a true-to-life film true-to-life fates do lay in store :(

Don't consider it, just click the order button right now

Steve

Those Were The Days
This film has a little bit of everything in it. The acting is great - Richard Dreyfus is superb. The cars are fantastic and the soundtrack is practically unbeatable.

The story is about how four school friends spend their last night in town before going off (or not as the case may be) to live the rest of the their lives.

Often funny, sometimes sad, but always very watchable. If you love class acting, the film's a must; if you love classic American cars, the film's a must and if you love rock n'roll why are you still reading this - you should be watching the film!

Any Harrison Ford fans out there should keep an eye out for him as the man in the cowboy hat who's out to beat one of the four guys in a road race.

Well stocked DVD for Lucas' 1962 memoir
Released for the first time in widescreen, which greatly enhances the viewing of the film, this DVD also includes the original trailer and a superb 75 minute documentary with director George Lucas, producer Francis Ford Coppola and the main cast. Proving there was a time when Lucas could direct actors and not just manipulate blue screen, American Graffiti is a striking period piece which tells the intertwining tales of a group of teenagers in Smalltown USA. Packed with an incessant soundtrack of 1950's and 1960's hits, American Graffiti takes on a semi-documentary style. This free-flowing narrative is enhanced by the director's particular choices as to which takes made the finished film (but you'll have to watch the documentary to see what I mean). The film is packed with a veritable who's who of character actors and soon-to-be-stars, including director-in-waiting Ron Howard, the ever watchable Richard Dreyfuss and some ex-carpenter called Harrison Ford who nobody's heard of since. The film also features appearances from Kathleen Quinlan (who went on to appear in The Doors, Breakdown and Apollo 13, the latter directed by Ron Howard himself), and Charles Martin Smith, who later appeared in The Buddy Holly Story, John Carpenter's Starman and The Untouchables, as well as directing the pilot episode for Buffy The Vampire Slayer (eat your heart out, George). Full credit to Universal for this DVD release, which is an essential purchase for any fan of the film who has already worn their videotape thin.