The Movie
Sandwiched between THX-1138 and Star Wars was director George Lucas' very real, very personal slice of nostalgia, American Graffiti. It's an ode to the quaint, uniquely American mating ritual of cruising the strip, driving around all night, listening to music on the radio, looking for a date and maybe getting into some trouble.
But tonight is special: It's the last night of summer vacation, 1962 in a Northern California town, and two friends are heading off to college together in the morning... or are they? High school is over and The Great Beyond beckons, but romance and wild ideas and a bit of fear complicate their decision. Others in the group are content to race cars and chase girls, but how long can it all last?
Told in four almost isolated but parallel narratives, the movie is full of memorable characters brought to life by one of those eclectic ensemble casts that would later find Oscars and superstardom. It's the filmmaker's own heartfelt story, true, but it had a universal impact upon its 1973 release, and it still resonates touchingly today.
The Picture
Lucas is known as one of the most frugal men in Hollywood and he kept costs down on American Graffiti by shooting in Techniscope, a 16mm process that uses less film stock and standard, non-anamorphic lenses while still delivering a quality widescreen image. He personally supervised this new remaster, which looks surprisngly good. Grain appears to have been reduced and while there is some noise in the shadows, the 2.35:1 image is generally clean, with colors--particularly John Milner's yellow deuce coupe (license plate THX-138)--that are quite strong.
Slight edge enhancement is noticeable, forgivably so as this one probably required a lot of tricks to make it HD-ready. The movie was shot almost entirely on location, at night, often using only available light, and while the ubiquitous blacks look natural, they are seldom especially nuanced. Long shots too tend to look somewhat mushy, with vague shapes rather than sharp figures in the distance. But again, considering the source element, no question, this is a winner.
The Sound
American Graffiti has long been well-known for its extensive use of vintage music, as well as the creative ways it was blended into the soundtrack. Innovative, often low-tech approaches helped to "world-ize" the sound--presented here as DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 with no attempt to remix for discrete surround--by playing it through gym speakers at the sock hop or any number of car radios, moving around the soundfield organically with the action. There are a couple of sorta-standout moments like the cherry bomb in the boys' room and the rumble of a marauding hot rod in the distance, but anyone searching for "Wow" material should continue the hunt.
The Extras
Two of the disc's most exciting new features arrive via Universal's U-Control flavor of Bonus View technology. There's intermittent video commentary by The Man himself, George Lucas, in addition to the sophisticated "Music of American Graffiti." This second pop-up displays information about the song currently playing in the scene, with the option to add our favorites to a running playlist. We can then enter our email and we will be sent a custom iTunes link that will enable us to purchase these tracks.
The music trick also works with pocket BLU, one of several value-added control/content tweaks designed for select portable devices. Ported from DVD is the seven-part 1998 documentary "The Making of American Graffiti" (78 minutes, standard definition but with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 sound), full of terrific talent interviews and more. The four complete original screen tests are presented in HD, shot on film and looking way better than the subsequent Star Wars tests you might have seen. The disc also supports BD-Live with Universal's news Ticker.
Final Thoughts
This enduring, endearing coming-of-age comedy is a must-see for anyone who fancies classic cars, rock 'n' roll and teen drama, and of course for aficionados of Mr. Lucas' canon. The lovingly remastered video and preserved audio, combined with new Blu-exclusive extras, make this one a recommended keeper.
Product Details
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