"American Graffiti: High School Reunion Collection"--different transfer? (1 Viewer)

[Scott David]

I was curious if there was anything new or different about the upcoming third release of "American Graffiti" coming out next week, the "High School Reunion Collection" edition. I noticed it has the same documentary; is there also a new transfer, sound, etc.?

 

[DaveyM]

I would love to know this too. I have the double feature disc. Personally i hate More American Grafitti but it was a good price.
Having had the laserdisc of American Grafitti years ago i was disappointed to find the Dvd was only 2.0 sound and not a 5.1 mix. This movie really needs a 5.1 track and i will buy the new release if it has one.

 

[GuruAskew]

I don't think the "High School Reunion Collection" is a new release. A couple of years ago a bunch of Universal titles like "American Graffiti", "Mallrats" "Dazed and Confused" and "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" were all re-released with no differences but the addition of a "High School Reunion Collection" banner at the top of the cover art. To give you an idea of how long ago this happened, they were the earlier releases of "Fast Times" and "Dazed and Confused", both of which have subsequently been re-issued. If this "new release" of "American Graffiti" means anything, it's a price drop.

 

[Greg_S_H]

I wonder if they're going to delete the two-pack. I've never seen More, but the two-pack is really cheap at Fry's, so maybe I better act now.

 

[Patrick McCart]

American Graffiti has one of the most perfect video transfers I've seen on DVD. No digital muckery... and it's more or less spotless. I think the only scars are scratches on the opening Universal logo and the very end of the end credits.

Also, while 5.1 is nice, at least the DVD keeps the stereo track from the 1978 re-release. It's one of the best 2.0 surround tracks I've heard.

 

[JayHM]

Well, at least one thing was altered for the DVD release: the opening title shot. There was no sunset behind Mel's Drive-In in the original, and you can see what the unaltered shot looked like at the start of the DVD documentary.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

I also noticed the addition of this title to the "Highschool Reunion Collection" branding along with a few others and was wondering if there was another boxset being planned, or perhaps the original set revisited with the addition of these new titles?

The original set featured The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Weird Science.

Now the titles I see listed under this heading are The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, American Greaffiti and Fast Times At Ridgemont High.

Has anyone seen any listings for a new set?

I haven't ever gotten around to purchasing the original yet, but with the addition of these new titles, I'm contemplating either waiting or buying them all seperately.

I'm also not sure whether or not I should go for the Fast Times / Dazed & Confused 2-disc box pairing, or these seperate editions...

 

[Patrick McCart]

By the way, I think the whole opening credits were re-created for the DVD version:

[url=http://img262.echo.cx/img262/7612/graffitiorig4hk.jpg] [/url]
[url=http://img262.echo.cx/img262/9270/graffitidvd7ch.jpg] [/url]

I'm guessing this was done because the optical looked crappy (judging from the making-of doc clip, it had a lot of dirt printed in). So, they took the original negative and overlaid re-created graphics over it. That would explain why the Techniscope optical looks so crisp.

 

[ScottR]

The end credits were taken from the '78 re-release also, and one of the "bios" at the end was changed to conform to the sequel.

 

[Mick Wright]

Which one Scott?

 

[Joe Karlosi]

It would be nice if Universal would start putting some effort into first-time DVD releases instead of re-hashing the same films.

And if they're going to re-do anything, where's that proper DVD for THE STING they keep dragging their feet on?

 

[Sam Favate]

Actually that was done for the 25th anniversary (1998) which was for DVD and VHS. At the time, I recall a lot of complaints that Lucas was messing with Graffiti the same way he messed with Star Wars in '97. I think the sequence - which is the only tinkering I can find in Graffiti - looks good.

 

[Al (alweho)]

If you look carefully at the original shot you'll see some buildings in the background because Mel's Diner is actually in the city of San Francisco.

If I remember correctly Lucas wanted to eliminate that backdrop to get rid of the city - giving the shot more of a small town look.

 

[ScottR]

I think it is Paul LeMat's bio, but I'm not sure.....go to IMDB, they have the info.

 

[John*P]

I definitely want to eventually own American Graffiti on DVD. I'm wondering if I should buy the current disc in case the new one doesn't have "More" included? (assuming the old one might go OOP)

BTW, Three O'Clock High is also part of the "High School Reunion Collection".

 

[Patrick McCart]

I got the double-feature for $14.99, so it's probably worth it.

 

[Dave Farley]

They also sell "More" separately. The double feature would save you some money though.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

I feel that the original/current DVD is excellent: beautiful anamorphic transfer of a T-scope film; impressive-for-its-age slightly bumped 3.0 stereo; excellent documentary. The film doesn't need a commentary, as the 80-minute documentary covers the film extremely well, with many key participants providing illuminating comments.

The altered opening shot has never bothered me. Judging by Patrick's comparison, it is obvious that the original shot has problems and we know how picky Lucas is about ropey backgrounds and grungy elements.

For me, American Graffiti remains Lucas' best film. Truly 'one from the heart'. A funny, poignant, almost mythical journey through the past, blessed with wonderful performances and perhaps the best 'song-track' 'score' in all of Cinema; Boogie Nights ain't got nuthin' on this, you crazy cats!

 

[Andrew Radke]

I'm more than happy with my "Drive-In Double Feature" set. The films (especially the first) look great. I have no intention to double dip on this one.

 

[Bryan Tuck]

I've been thinking about buying this, too. Just to clarify: is the first film's disc in the "Drive-In Double-Feature" basically the same disc as the '98 Collector's Edition. Same content and everything, I mean?