Amazon.com Essentials:
Here's how critic Roger Ebert described the unique and lasting
value of George Lucas's 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
semiautobiographical 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 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 realized 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, the film
ranks No. 77 on the American Film Institute's list of all-time greatest
American movies. --Jeff Shannon
Amazon.com video review:
Here's how critic Roger Ebert described the unique and lasting
value of George Lucas's 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
semiautobiographical 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 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 realized 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, the film
ranks No. 77 on the American Film Institute's list of all-time greatest
American movies. Befitting that reputation, the collector's edition DVD
includes a full-length commentary by Lucas, a behind-the-scenes
featurette about the film's production, a photo gallery, and extensive
production notes. --Jeff Shannon
