American Graffiti (1973)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

George Lucas

Writers:

George Lucas (written by) and
Gloria Katz (written by) ...

Release Date:

11 elokuu 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Where were you in '62?

Plot:

A couple of high school grads spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.

Plot Keywords:

Night | College | Cruising | Car | Drag Racing

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Richard Dreyfuss	...	Curt Henderson
Ron Howard	...	Steve Bolander (as Ronny Howard)
Paul Le Mat	...	John Milner
Charles Martin Smith	...	Terry 'The Toad' Fields (as Charlie Martin Smith)
Cindy Williams	...	Laurie Henderson
Candy Clark	...	Debbie Dunham
Mackenzie Phillips	...	Carol
Wolfman Jack	...	XERB Disc Jockey
Bo Hopkins	...	Joe Young
Manuel Padilla Jr.	...	Carlos
Beau Gentry	...	Ants
Harrison Ford	...	Bob Falfa
Jim Bohan	...	Officer Holstein
Jana Bellan	...	Budda
Deby Celiz	...	Wendy

Also Known As:

Svengijengi -62 (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

110 min | 112 min (re-release) (1978)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (original relase) | Dolby (re-release) (1975)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | South Korea:15 | USA:PG (certificate #23582) | Brazil:14 | Australia:M | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Denmark:15 (video rating) | Finland:K-12 | Iceland:L | Norway:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:AA (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Lucasfilm

Trivia:

The owner of the Thunderbird was never more than a few feet away from his prized possession during filming, and was always wiping here and shining there. He also drove Suzanne Somers crazy telling her what to do and what not to do.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Falfa's '55 Chevy rolls over and reveals the inside of the trunk, it can be seen that the car used in the movie was originally white, and not black.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Terry Fields: Hey, what do you say, Curt? Last night in town - you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave?
Steve Bolander: The Moose have been looking for you all day.
[hands check to Curt]
Steve Bolander: They got worried - thought you were trying to avoid them or something.
Terry Fields: What is it? What do ya got?
Curt Henderson: Oh, great.
Terry Fields: That's $2000 man! $2000!
Steve Bolander: Mr. Jennings gave it to me to give to you. He says he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. And he, uh, says they're all very proud of you back at the lodge.
Curt Henderson: Cute. Why don't you hold it for me for awhile?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hungarian Graffiti (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Do You Wanna Dance

"Where were you in '62?" (Original ad)

Nostalgic look at one night/morning of a small California town and some of its teenagers. Story-wise this is nothing new--all the stereotypes are in place--the loving/bickering couple (Ron Howard and Cindy Williams); the rebel (Paul Le Mal) stuck with a 13 year old (Mackenzie Phuillips); the nerd (Charles Martin Smith) having a disastrous date with a blonde (Candy Clark); the hood (Bo Hopkins) showing the good boy (Richard Dreyfuss) a night out and Harrison Ford and Suzanne Somers in small parts.

What makes this movie better than average is the great direction by George Lucas--he fills the Cinemascope screen masterfully; the non-stop soundtrack of 50s/60s hits; a great script and the cast of then-unknowns. It's incredible to see some of these actors so young (especially Ford and Dreyfuss) and full of life. Without this cast, this movie would probably have long-since been forgotten.

So, no great shakes, but very sweet and nostalgic with some good acting. Worth catching. Try to see it letter-boxed or on a big screen.