A Few Words About A few words about...™ American Graffiti -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Kevin EK]

Coppola really shined in the battle to get AG released. I would love to have been in the screening room when he exploded at the way the execs were treating the movie and then offered to buy the negative back...

 

[Bryan^H]

Originally Posted by TheHutt

The intro sequence on the BluRay is digitally altered on BR, isn't it? (like, a warm sunset added in the background, which was done for the DVD release)

Yes, and it is(GASP!) a welcome change from the original. It is beautiful. The only change from Lucas I truly like.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I read a couple of reviews on AG and they weren't good. However, it seems most people that have viewed the actual disc feels the BR disc is much better than the reviewers. That's probably due to the differences among us in regard to equipment, knowledge, expectations, eyes and etc. Some of us are more sensitive to EE and DNR too.








Crawdaddy

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Originally Posted by Josh Steinberg




It's funny how ten years can be both a very short period and a long period of infinite change.


Ten years ago from now, the first iPod had yet to be introduced. Now, most of us walk around with an iPod or some similar device, frequently with phone, media and internet content in our back pocket. Not everyone had a computer ten years ago and even fewer had high speed internet; now we've all got Star Trek-level digital devices that are everywhere. Might not be the same as the leap from '63 to '73, but I'm still amazed by that whenever I stop for a moment to think about it.

Robert is right -- there were a LOT of changes in 10 years, back then. There were even major differences between 1963 and 1967. Nothing much changes in these times, and you could make a movie about 1990 or 2000 and I'd hardly notice any visual differences. So if we made a "retro" movie about 2000, what would we do, just have fewer people walking around without cell phones? Hardly a big difference.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Originally Posted by Marty M



The movie was set in the late summer of 1963 because that really ended the feel of the 1950s. The US completely changed after the assassination of President Kennedy through Watergate and the end of the US involvement in the Viet Nam War, which coincides with that 10 year period you refer to. IIRC, American Graffiti was actually filmed in 1971, but it took two years and the backing of Francis Ford Coppalla to get the film released.

I always thought the movie was set in 1962. Even the original tag for the film was "Where were you in '62?" The movie was definitely NOT filmed in 1971... it was filmed in 1972. Even the pre-production screen tests on the DVD show the date as 1972 on the clap boards.

 

[ahollis]

Originally Posted by Joe Karlis




I always thought the movie was set in 1962. Even the original tag for the film was "Where were you in '62?" The movie was definitely NOT filmed in 1971... it was filmed in 1972. Even the Prue-production screen tests on the DVD show the date as 1972 on the clap boards.

Your right it was filmed in 1972 with principle photography ending in August of that year. I think Marty may have been referring to the fact that Lucas spent a couple of years before, with the first treatment being written in 1971, trying to get it filmed and had to have Francis Ford step in to give Universal some belief in the film. The first test screenings were around January 1973 and were positive, yet Universal still did not have faith. With The Godfather winning Best Picture that year, they decided to test it in NYC and LA.and due to the success of those runs a national release was set for August 1, 1973. Since this was before the JAWS national saturation, AG played the nation in territories by moving the prints from area to area. I believe I saw the film in Jackson MS at The Jackson Square Theatre in October of 1973 first run.


Of course Joe this post not for you, but just my ramblings for you already know the history very well.

 

[Nelson Au]

I have yet to get the BD version of this film, sounds great from your reactions. Should be a nice upgrade from the Universal DVD I got probably a decade ago! or was it 13 years...


What I always find kind of an odd coincidence is the casting of Howard. Over the years as he went onto Happy Days, it felt like an odd era in the 70's as he was Richie Cunningham. If the wiki entry is right, he filmed the Happy Days pilot in 1971, it got passed on and became a Love American Style episode. Lucas saw the pilot before it airs on Love American Style and cast him in his film. The film became a hit and Howard goes onto Happy Days. So it seems to me, these two entities are forever tied together by some of the cast and the similar era.

 

Nelson, I feel the same way about it. Also, Cindy Williams guest starred on Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley is then spun off and becomes an even bigger hit.

 

[Gary Miller]

Originally Posted by Marty M
"The movie was set in the late summer of 1963 because that really ended the feel of the 1950s. The US completely changed after the assassination of President Kennedy through Watergate and the end of the US involvement in the Viet Nam War...".


Marty is absolutely right, and the effect of the Kennedy assassination on the nation's psyche can not be overemphasized. Our entire culture changed, and changed in a hurry.

The cynicism, and collective loss of confidence about our way of life only deepened with the Viet Nam fiasco and Watergate. American Graffiti captures a slice of 1962 with wonderful perception.


I can't wait for my disc to arrive, as it's one of my all time favorite movies.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

The movie is set in the Summer of 1962, not 1963. It's rather obvious, as the trailer and ads asked us: "Where were you in '62?"


Also, in the film, the Beach Boys are presented as if they're just up and coming with SURFIN' SAFARI. And the song SURFIN' SAFARI was released in the Summer of 1962.


Can someone correct me? Were there any songs in the film released in 1963?

 

[Videonut]

Originally Posted by Joe Karlosi

/forum/thread/311953/a-few-words-about-american-graffiti-in-blu-ray#post_3820713

 

[TravisR]

Also, in the film, the Beach Boys are presented as if they're just up and coming with SURFIN' SAFARI. And the song SURFIN' SAFARI was released in the Summer of 1962.


Can someone correct me? Were there any songs in the film released in 1963?

Looking at Wikipedia, the only song that is an anachronism is All Summer Long from The Beach Boys (which was released on July 13, 1964). Surfin' Safari was released on June 4, 1962 so that works with the date of a 1962 high school graduation. Here's the Wikipedia page for the soundtrack which lists the year for when each song was released: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/41_Original_Hits_from_the_Soundtrack_of_American_Graffiti

 

[Kevin EK]

I believe All Summer Long was an intentional anachronism. Before the song plays, we see the display of what happened to the primary characters over the shot of the plane in flight with the only sound being the plane's engines. At that point, we're set apart from the timeline of the movie. Once the last frame (of Milner, Toad, Steve,and finally Curt's fates) has been shown, we go to the credits and the music that plays is this last song. It's appropriate in that it's about a summer that's soon to end, and in that it's from a time after the night we've just seen. This will be carried forward in the sequel, where the scenarios will get both more complicated and sadder. But the reality is that with the end of this first film, we know all that we need about who these people were and where they wound up.

 

[TravisR]

I believe All Summer Long was an intentional anachronism. Before the song plays, we see the display of what happened to the primary characters over the shot of the plane in flight with the only sound being the plane's engines.

It's been a couple of years since I've seen AG so I forgot that that's the song that plays over the credits. That explanation makes total sense though.

 

[Robert Crawford]

You guys might be right about 1962 as "Green Onions" by Booker T. & the M.G.'s was released during the summer of 1962.

 

[Douglas Monce]

Well after all the tag line of the movie was, "Where were you in 62?"

 

[Gary Miller]

American Graffiti is not a documentary, but it's authentic in so many ways, that the liberties it takes with historical references do not diminish its impact. (Wolfman Jack was not on XERB until the mid 60's, although he did work at a Tex-Mex flamethower in 1962 with similar call letters, XERF, which according to radio lore, blasted 250,000 watts across the border. No doubt, at 1570 on the AM radio dial, the voice of the Wolfman could be heard across the entire western United States). Technically, the movie takes license with the Wolfmans impact on California crusin' culture, but it captures the gist of the era so well, it doesn't matter much.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Gary Miller

American Graffiti is not a documentary, but it's authentic in so many ways, that the liberties it takes with historical references do not diminish its impact. (Wolfman Jack was not on XERB until the mid 60's, although he did work at a Tex-Mex flamethower in 1962 with similar call letters, XERF, which according to radio lore, blasted 250,000 watts across the border. No doubt, at 1570 on the AM radio dial, the voice of the Wolfman could be heard across the entire western United States). Technically, the movie takes license with the Wolfmans impact on California crusin' culture, but it captures the gist of the era so well, it doesn't matter much.

Wolfman Jack was only 34 years old during the filming of American Graffiti








Crawdaddy

 

[ShowsOn]

Originally Posted by Dave H

I still have never seen this movie (I'm 39). I'll have to check it out.

It's George Lucas' best film.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

Finally watched this BD last night and it really took me back (too bad it couldn't REALLY take us back to such carefree, innocent times where the greatest stresses were acne, date angst and a dirty spark plug). The picture looked good, but to this untrained eye, it could've looked a lot better. The dark scenes were pretty muddy, and it was obvious this was not a fastidious complete restoration. How can films 20 years older than this one look so much better (Ten Commandments, etc.)? I guess the film stock debates are on another link.


But what a great time capsule film that holds up beautifully and does what great cinema always should do - transport us to another time and place with characters we come to love.