One of the greatest american moives ever made ! I cried like a baby when I first saw this back in '73 moved me to tears, I thnk I saw it 5 times, now I own it on DVD, I hated being a teenager in the 70's always felt I should have been in that era, like my older brothers and sister, that was the last great time to be a teenager in america ! That is just my personal opnion.
I agree with you 100%. I saw this Movie when I was around Ten. I didn't fully understand it, but it's like a Fine Wine, it gets better with time. I remember Steve's Character and part of the reason he stayed wasn't so much because of Laurie but because he was scared. In his Small Town, he was a Big Fish in a Little Pond but at a State University, he would be a Guppy in an Ocean. It kind of reminds me of Ken Barlow on Britain's Longest Running Soap Opera Coronation St., he was always scared to leave the "Street" because he was scared to get out of his comfort zone. I also remember hearing about Vietnam for the first time and in the Book Version, "Toad" thought The Cabins were rest areas, he had no idea they were Prison Camps. I also loved The Car that "Toad" and John were standing next to.
Art Kelly Yes. Did you know that were it not for this Movie and The original Broadway Production of Grease Happy Days never would have gotten a second chance on TV. It was originally a Drama based on Summer of 42.
Absolutely! Great analysis. He's own his own for the first time, he'll have to fend for himself, and be his own man. He's going to have new people in his life, have new ideas and philosophies about life and realize that maybe leaving Home was the best thing for him to do. Keep in mind it was 1962 and it really was the ending of "Innocence" as people knew it. The Civil Rights Movement will make it's presence felt, Kennedy would be killed around 15 Months later and when The Beatles took America by storm in 1964, so many US Acts saw their career go downhill and many never recovered.
Ive never been able to figure it out but I don't agree with your analysis - if he's leaving his adolescence behind the T Bird should be going in the other direction
The T-bird represents everything his life might have been if he stayed. That’s why the blond doesn’t answer any of his questions. If he had stayed, as she suggested, and seen her out again while cruising, he would have discovered more about her/the life he chose to leave behind. From the plane, we see her traveling down a road that is known to him. While his choices have taken him a completely new and different direction. I love it!
I remember crying when I read that John had been killed and toad was MIA. It was the first movie that effected me that way. I was around 10 years old the first time I watched it at the drive in!!!
I completely understand all your posts and know exactly how you all feel, I too felt like I had known both John and Toad. I felt like I had got to know them, made good friends with them and then suddenly lost them. Toad's character was very likeable just like all very likeable chaps, and John's character was so full of humour and laughter you can listen to his dialogue over and over again and not get sick of it. The ending of this classic movie hit me like a ton of bricks too after reading that epilogue, however I thoroughly enjoy this fantastic movie. This is one of this beautiful movies I'll never get tired of watching continuously.😀😁😃😊
Every single one of the comments I've read here are extremely thoughtful, and spot-on in their own way. Only a true classic could evoke that. Certainly, in every way, AMERICAN GRAFFITI qualifies. A masterful movie. A period piece, yet also timeless and unforgettable. They don't make 'em like this anymore, folks...
everytime i see this scene... when he looks out and sees the white t-bird below...i think the car represents the end that era... of the late 50's/early 60's... things would never been the same.. just like in don mclean's american pie.
Yeah I been thinking about that alot two, the end of an era. Late 50s through the early 60s. When I hear the song of beach boys all summer long, it almost feels like a farewell music of the era.
You are correct, Just one year later JFK would be killed and the rest of the destruction just fell in place thru the late 1960's, It was the end of an era, A more innocent and slower time.
This is one of the best films ever made. Why? For a number of reasons. Firstly, every young person growing up in North America in pretty much any era can relate to it. The characters are archetypal: the rebel, the self-assured, the toad, the not-self-assured, the classic woman, and the modern woman. It's the last night of summer, and the liminal time in which the characters are poised to enter the adult world. Secondly, the script: there is not a single word in it that doesn't point to the theme. Thirdly, the cinematography: all the shots contribute to the theme. For example, when Curt is walking along the streets trying to find the blonde in the T-bird, he reaches a crossroads--cleverly created with lighting--should he go to college or stay? Fourthly, the music. As Lucas told people auditioning "It's a musical." To which Ron Howard answered "I can't sing." The whole film is choreographed with the music from the era--every scene is scored like an opera so the music portrays the action. Lastly, as Lucas pointed out in interviews, he wanted to capture a piece of American social history. For a few short years young people cruised around their towns in order to meet each other. Then suddenly they stopped doing it. No one knows why. He wanted to portray this social phenomenon as he experienced it growing up. I first saw this when I was about 11 years old and I was stunned at how it moved me. I was emotional over it for weeks. I "got it"; got the coming of age journey it was pointing to; the inescapable moving of time, growing older, the gut-wrenching feeling that you want to go back but knowing that you can only go forward. The friends, the crazy times, the memories, the parents, the being cool; the ending of a chapter of your life and not feeling ready to start the next one. And knowing this was probably the best time that you will ever have. Once you cross that threshold into adulthood, somehow you are no longer free.
I agree with most of what you say except the last part. If the "best time that you will ever have" was your high school years then you have lived a pretty shitty life. I mean seriously, the teenage years are not the best times. I certainly did not have a bad time as a teenager but I have grown and enjoyed life so much more as I have gotten older. Maybe I am lucky that I have had a good career, great wife/family and am as happy now as I have ever been. I also don't think you are "no longer free" as you get older. I am definitely at a point in my life where I do and say what I want and live my life the way I want. If someone hasn't reached that point as they get older in life then they messed up somewhere along the way.
Might not be the best time in ones life, might be. But for many, for better or worse, it's a peak of sorts…athletes, musicians, actors sometimes have their best "roles" in high school…more edifying than selling insurance...@@Bigalrev
Its the loss of youth...........and everything anyone yearns or wishes they had back from it...........adulthood and growth can be wonderful.........but the magic and wonder of life perceived first as a child then as a teenager will never be the same ............to be grown, independent and mature is to stare reality in the face and coming to grips with it............those in this movie were just at the crossroads of making that leap from youth to adulthood and Lucas does a masterful job of showing that last night of summer and the crossovers that were or must soon be made. Its a haunting movie on human terms all must face......but only tickles those images slightly throughout the joy ride in the film until Lucas slams it in you face at the end.............very moving .........a peak in the art of film making.......
Man, I remember seing this movie in my town in 1973 (in a movie theater that's now a bank parking lot.) It was the heavy metal days, but I left the theater almost in tears at how incredible it was--you knew those people like your own friends, which they were! I felt like I'd lived that entire night with them, and was overwhelmed with the nostalgia for a time and place I'd only heard about but never knew first hand, if such a thing was/is possible. Thank you, George Lucas, for a true classic.
The Beach Boys' All Summer Long as a closing theme is another Francis Ford Coppola brilliance. You can almost hear the summer and the myth of America fading away in the wistful, almost mournful tones and lyrics. It always hits me like that.
I saw this on TV last night for the second time in my life. Now I appreciate it for the masterpice it is. It's one of those rare films that renver misses from start to stop.
One of the best movies made! This was my senior year in high school. There was a little bit of every character in you, and in your town was every character.
You know what else is kind of sad. It was the last time that the "Gang" would all be together. I wonder if Toad was found, and if he was did he have a hard time readjusting.
Yes. When they did Cooley High Critics called it The Black American Graffiti. Steve Krantz The Husband Of Judith Krantz The Chick Lit Novelist (I'll take Manhattan, Scruples) had a chance to do Grease he changed his mind and lost a chance to Bank $350 Million. Also because of Grease & American Graffitti, The ABC Network gave Happy Days a second chance and the rest is history.
In the very early 1980's I drove a 1931 Ford Coupe to high school. My dad built it in 1956-57. The frame was Z' ed, body channeled 8 inches and the 265 V-8 had the factory twin WCFB 4 barrel carbs from a wrecked 56 Vette. It sat for 14 years and I worked odd jobs to buy the parts needed to get it running again. I showed up with that car my junior year and some of my friends called me "Milner" from then on. We still have that car. It's too much a part of our lives to ever sell it. Watching "Graffiti" again after so many years brings back great memories
When I saw this in the theater, the whole theater laughed at the sight of the T-Bird following Curt’s plane. When the text began to appear on the screen, the laughing turned into stunned silence.
A true cinematic masterpiece! I was born in the 1970s and grew up in the 80s but the 1950s/early 60s (before the JFK assassination and before Vietnam) seemed like such a wonderful, carefree time to be alive and enjoy being an American -- driving classic American automobiles, listening to great early rock and roll music and being with great friends. It makes me envious to all who lived in this era. If I could go back in time I would go back to the summer of '62.
"Carol", or Mackenzie Phillips, said she lived at 132 Ramona, which is right around the corner from my house in Modesto.....except that the numbers on Ramona are all in the 400-500 range, there is no 132 on Ramona between Morris and Lucern Aves. I have the feeling that this is George Lucas' old neighborhood. I recently saw a Modesto Bee Newspaper article, with photo, from the early 60's where a teenage George Lucas had totaled a car up against a tree, and walked away from the accident.
I was a bored out of mind teenager in the late 80s. One day, by chance (this was before the internet of course) while driving around, a few friends and I found this quiant little town that had a big cruising scene in their downtown. It was all the kids, our age, the pretty girls, the bullies, etc. It was magical. We started going there every weekend. A few old people complained and the Cops started pulling over everyone and harrasing every kid they saw. It soon all stopped. What a shame, those older people destroyed a great little piece of Americana from us.
Unforgettable ending and film. Made for around $750,000 and the studio didn't like the finished product. Legend is that Francis Ford Coppola, who was the producer, offered to buy the print for a million dollars after executives complained and wanted to release it as a made for TV movie. It turned out to be the number three box office hit of 1973, behind The Sting and The Exorcist.
i’m of the opinion that the final, say, 5 shots of a movie and the credits are the most important moments in any film. they’re the things that make us laugh, cry, and simply think. american graffiti has one of best ending sequences with Curt of any film i’ve ever seen. More American Graffiti also is great in this aspect, despite the overall quality of that film.
KEVIN SHEA There is a bit of connection. The announcer for the pie eating contest when Wil Wheaton is telling his story is the same man playing the arcade manager in this.
I love this movie. This was one of my uncle Tracy's favorite movies, but I never saw it until after he died in 2005. I wish we could have watched it together at least once.
This definitely marked the ending of the "Age Of Innocence" (family structures, sock hops, etc.) and the arrival of the divisive and tumultuous 1960s. (I felt this way in terms of saying good bye to the feel good and fun filled 1970s and the arrival of the plastic and stark 1980s). In this movie, one clearly sees the foundation coming apart. Young people becoming more delinquent, families losing their cohesiveness, and so on.
Coppala told Lucas to leave the epilogue out. Lucas insisted. Good instincts because it works. Great ending. The brief silence and epilogue followed by the upbeat Beach boy song. Beautiful editing. Leaves the viewer satisfied.
I guess Coppola didn't realize that the epilogue was the whole point of the film! The movie is about change, from the end of one era (1950s Americana era and the country's innocence-- "it's almost like a fantasy world") to the beginning of another era (Vietnam, JFK assassination when everything in the country went to shit-- "when shit got real"). And the events involving these characters in this story reflect this theme of change all the way through. The last night of summer/high school is just nonstop, nostalgic fun-- almost like a fantasy world. And now the innocence is over, they become adults and some of the guys die-- when shit got real.
Came back here after reading Ron (and Clint) Howard's book The Boys. Apparently, there was a real context to this ending to Ron, since he was eligible for the draft at the time, and he had a very bad draft number that could have sent him off to Vietnam. In fact, how many people know that Curt's fate (a writer living in Canada) is supposed to infer he left the U.S to avoid the draft.
'All Summer Long' the classic Beach Boys song that I always 'cant name' but is forever etched as the final song of this classic film, was played by Brian wilson & Al jardine to start their 5 song Encore at the Greek Theatre this past Saturday June 20th ,,"Classic!!!!".
What hits me as being so profound about this movie is that it takes you for a ride with all the fun and adventure a person has in their youth with lots of time and little responsibilities but has dialog throughout that grabs your attention to the realities of becoming an adult are beginning to stare you in the face .........it rides that theme and as it gets closer to the end becomes more profound in the latter........and then hits you with an emotional sledgehammer at the end..............youth is fleeting...........and what replaces it may create a yearning for that time past.
I think the perfect song for this ending - even though it didn't come out until 6 years after this movie was released - would have been "Goodbye Stranger" by Supertramp.
Boy, when you think of all the big stars this film helped to establish. Ron Howard (by his own admkission, wearing a partial piece, even then) was already established from TV and the movies, and Wolfman Jack was a top DJ finally gaining national recognition via "The Midnight Special." but consider the others: Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Mackenzie Phillips, Cindy Williams, Suzanne Somers, Charles Martin Smith ("Never Cry Wolf," excellent, versatile actor), Paul Le Mat ("Melvin and Howard").
Love this as much as when it first came out - better still on a real big screen - big screen TVs don't cut it! Goodnight sweetheart, well it's time to go...
This time seemed very nostalgic to us even though the movie only took place 11 years before it was made. I have to think back to at least the 80s now to feel even a hint of that type of nostalgia.
Why doesn't Lucas make films like this anymore I mean, I know we know him as the Star Wars guy, but if he made more slice of life films like this, he'd probably regain the respect he once had.
Also they did the similar thing in Cooley High where we saw how they fared. So much sadness. Stone & Robert get killed while trying to hold up a Grocery Store, Damon gets killed at the Chicago Democratic Convention that also took the life of Robert Kennedy, Pooter moved to Muncie Indiana, while Brenda became a Librarian in Atlanta, GA., and Preach became a successful Hollywood Writer.
@@Veegs. not quite. Suzanne Somers was about 26 when this was filmed. And a 12 year old driving around in a T-bird back then? Not likely! Maybe running around past curfew at worst.
moonstar16651 I’m sure in this movie it was meant to communicate that he was killed. When they made the sequel they decided that it would be too much for audience to see two of the main characters die, so they changed it to AWOL. Just speculating.
After the "Pharaohs'' decided to make Dreyfuss's character an "honorary member" by intimidating him into sabotaging the police car (the real highlight of the whole movie) he escapes by catching the next flight out of town.
For me, the ending represents the end of childhood more than the end of an era (which it certainly is, too). When Curt sees the T-bird from the airplane, he imagines on what life could have been if he didn’t leave. He’s beginning his new life in college, while his friends all face mundane or tragic futures. It’s an ending any of us who left our hometowns to go off to an uncertain college life can relate to. I’m not saying the decision is for the better, but college is a world of difference.
You know what's also kind of sad. John Milner, Steve Bolander and Laurie Henderson showed that they couldn't get out of their "Comfort Zone", it reminds me of Ken Barlow of Coronation Street A UK Soap Opera, everytime he had a chance to leave The Street he never did because he was too scared to do so. Also, when Curt left it also reminded me of a Young Lady named Kimberly Walsh who in 2002 auditioned and got a chance to be part of an Up and Coming UK Girl Group called Girls Aloud. It would go on to be the most successful Group in Reality TV an although they broke up in 2013 all five of them still are doing well and Kimberley recently returned to The West End (UK's equivalent of Broadway in Big) based on the Tom Hanks Movie.
"His greatest ambition is to shake hands with president Kennedy" That line right there? Thats sums the tragedy of Lucas` generation : The fu&%ed up Boomers
I'm really supprised about some of the statements made here. For those who think America went downhill because of the 'blacks' and the 'Jews' you really need to get out more and get a job. You'll find the problems with America have more to do with outselves than a particular race of people. Fantastic movie, by the way. Still stands strong today.
What doesn’t make sense is that at the ending they said Terry Milner died in a car crash in 1964 but if you watch the sequel, more American graffiti he’s still doing hot rod Racing as depicted in 1968. So I guess they missed out on that continuity.
If I remember, that film cuts between different points in time. John's story still takes place in 1964 in the months leading up to his death, while other stories take place in different years. Ron Howard's story, I believe, takes place at some point in the 1970s.
God, I feel so bad and sad for the character portrayed by Ron Howard. Foregoing college and a promising future for a manipulative and not that loyal girl friend. When Richard Dreyfus' character asks if he will see him at college next year, he does not believe one bit of it when Ron Howard's character responds "Oh, yeah". It was kind of nice to see how close knit the young people were in this town, and there did not seem to be cliques of any sort, but for someone with a bit of intellect and ambition, it was just too stifling.
I may be anti authority, a hell raiser and have my beliefs, but I have respect for those who served. There are many Terry Fields that never made it home from Vietnam. I had an uncle who was over there and he told us there were guys taken prisoner that were never seen or heard from again. Many were hit by bombs that there was nothing left of them too. Those guys should have gotten more respect when they came home as those now. But unfortunately it was a different time and the draft Dodgers who didn't have to go were the ones at the airports running their mouths. If anyone reading this served in Nam...Lots of love and respect to you.
Wasn't it good when we could just walk onto the airplane that would take us "to wherever?" Does anybody know what it was that brought about the changes in air travel?
Ron Howard is called a "newcomer" in the title description. Nothing could be further from the truth. I guess whoever wrote that never saw "The Andy Griffith Show." Also, "Smith" is left off of Charlie Martin Smith's name.
"Now I've justified this to myself in all sorts of ways. It wasn't a big deal, just a minor betrayal. Or we'd outgrown each other, you know, that sort of thing. But let's face it, I ripped them off - my so called mates. But Begbie, I couldn't give a shit about him. And Sick Boy, well he'd done the same to me, if he'd only thought of it first. And Spud, well okay, I felt sorry for Spud - he never hurt anybody. So why did I do it? I could offer a million answers - all false. The truth is that I'm a bad person. But, that's gonna change - I'm going to change. This is the last of that sort of thing. Now I'm cleaning up and I'm moving on, going straight and choosing life. I'm looking forward to it already. I'm gonna be just like you. The job, the family, the fucking big television. The washing machine, the car, the compact disc and electric tin opener, good health, low cholesterol, dental insurance, mortgage, starter home, leisure wear, luggage, three piece suite, DIY, game shows, junk food, children, walks in the park, nine to five, good at golf, washing the car, choice of sweaters, family Christmas, indexed pension, tax exemption, clearing gutters, getting by, looking ahead, the day you die."
I cried at the end. The abrupt credits and that perfect song. Really hit me hard.
Me too.
One of the greatest american moives ever made ! I cried like a baby when I first saw this back in '73 moved me to tears, I thnk I saw it 5 times, now I own it on DVD, I hated being a teenager in the 70's always felt I should have been in that era, like my older brothers and sister, that was the last great time to be a teenager in america ! That is just my personal opnion.
American Graffiti is a GREAT movie! The emotional ending is stunning.
I agree with you 100%. I saw this Movie when I was around Ten. I didn't fully understand it, but it's like a Fine Wine, it gets better with time. I remember Steve's Character and part of the reason he stayed wasn't so much because of Laurie but because he was scared. In his Small Town, he was a Big Fish in a Little Pond but at a State University, he would be a Guppy in an Ocean. It kind of reminds me of Ken Barlow on Britain's Longest Running Soap Opera Coronation St., he was always scared to leave the "Street" because he was scared to get out of his comfort zone. I also remember hearing about Vietnam for the first time and in the Book Version, "Toad" thought The Cabins were rest areas, he had no idea they were Prison Camps. I also loved The Car that "Toad" and John were standing next to.
I Knew Ron Howard would Move on to Happy Days same goes for Cindy Williams Who Moved on to Laverne And Shirley
Art Kelly Yes. Did you know that were it not for this Movie and The original Broadway Production of Grease Happy Days never would have gotten a second chance on TV. It was originally a Drama based on Summer of 42.
One of the most memorable film endings of all time. Makes me tear up.
what a perfect ending. This is Lucas at his best.
63' to 73' amazing what one decade can do
If I had to live one over again it would be that one...............(I was born in 54)
47 years later and this ending still chokes me up.
When Curt looks down and sees the T-Bird, I believe it was him watching as his adolescence goes.
Absolutely! Great analysis. He's own his own for the first time, he'll have to fend for himself, and be his own man. He's going to have new people in his life, have new ideas and philosophies about life and realize that maybe leaving Home was the best thing for him to do. Keep in mind it was 1962 and it really was the ending of "Innocence" as people knew it. The Civil Rights Movement will make it's presence felt, Kennedy would be killed around 15 Months later and when The Beatles took America by storm in 1964, so many US Acts saw their career go downhill and many never recovered.
Ive never been able to figure it out but I don't agree with your analysis - if he's leaving his adolescence behind the T Bird should be going in the other direction
jim partridge But the car is getting smaller and smaller. It is something that he's leaving.
The T-bird represents everything his life might have been if he stayed. That’s why the blond doesn’t answer any of his questions. If he had stayed, as she suggested, and seen her out again while cruising, he would have discovered more about her/the life he chose to leave behind.
From the plane, we see her traveling down a road that is known to him. While his choices have taken him a completely new and different direction. I love it!
It represents the unanswered questions of his life, of all of our lives.
That ending hit me like a brick.
Someone Else so sad how John and toad passed
I remember crying when I read that John had been killed and toad was MIA. It was the first movie that effected me that way. I was around 10 years old the first time I watched it at the drive in!!!
I guess this is one of the reasons that made the movie so popular..
I completely understand all your posts and know exactly how you all feel, I too felt like I had known both John and Toad. I felt like I had got to know them, made good friends with them and then suddenly lost them. Toad's character was very likeable just like all very likeable chaps, and John's character was so full of humour and laughter you can listen to his dialogue over and over again and not get sick of it. The ending of this classic movie hit me like a ton of bricks too after reading that epilogue, however I thoroughly enjoy this fantastic movie. This is one of this beautiful movies I'll never get tired of watching continuously.😀😁😃😊
Yea, I think it does everybody. One of the most movie endings I have ever seen.
Every single one of the comments I've read here are extremely thoughtful, and spot-on in their own way. Only a true classic could evoke that. Certainly, in every way, AMERICAN GRAFFITI qualifies. A masterful movie. A period piece, yet also timeless and unforgettable. They don't make 'em like this anymore, folks...
everytime i see this scene... when he looks out and sees the white t-bird below...i think the car represents the end that era... of the late 50's/early 60's... things would never been the same.. just like in don mclean's american pie.
Yeah I been thinking about that alot two, the end of an era. Late 50s through the early 60s. When I hear the song of beach boys all summer long, it almost feels like a farewell music of the era.
It represents unanswered questions in our lives that will stay with us forever.
You are correct, Just one year later JFK would be killed and the rest of the destruction just fell in place thru the late 1960's, It was the end of an era, A more innocent and slower time.
🎯
This is one of the best films ever made. Why? For a number of reasons.
Firstly, every young person growing up in North America in pretty much any era can relate to it. The characters are archetypal: the rebel, the self-assured, the toad, the not-self-assured, the classic woman, and the modern woman. It's the last night of summer, and the liminal time in which the characters are poised to enter the adult world.
Secondly, the script: there is not a single word in it that doesn't point to the theme.
Thirdly, the cinematography: all the shots contribute to the theme. For example, when Curt is walking along the streets trying to find the blonde in the T-bird, he reaches a crossroads--cleverly created with lighting--should he go to college or stay?
Fourthly, the music. As Lucas told people auditioning "It's a musical." To which Ron Howard answered "I can't sing." The whole film is choreographed with the music from the era--every scene is scored like an opera so the music portrays the action.
Lastly, as Lucas pointed out in interviews, he wanted to capture a piece of American social history. For a few short years young people cruised around their towns in order to meet each other. Then suddenly they stopped doing it. No one knows why. He wanted to portray this social phenomenon as he experienced it growing up.
I first saw this when I was about 11 years old and I was stunned at how it moved me. I was emotional over it for weeks. I "got it"; got the coming of age journey it was pointing to; the inescapable moving of time, growing older, the gut-wrenching feeling that you want to go back but knowing that you can only go forward. The friends, the crazy times, the memories, the parents, the being cool; the ending of a chapter of your life and not feeling ready to start the next one. And knowing this was probably the best time that you will ever have. Once you cross that threshold into adulthood, somehow you are no longer free.
I agree with most of what you say except the last part. If the "best time that you will ever have" was your high school years then you have lived a pretty shitty life. I mean seriously, the teenage years are not the best times. I certainly did not have a bad time as a teenager but I have grown and enjoyed life so much more as I have gotten older. Maybe I am lucky that I have had a good career, great wife/family and am as happy now as I have ever been. I also don't think you are "no longer free" as you get older. I am definitely at a point in my life where I do and say what I want and live my life the way I want. If someone hasn't reached that point as they get older in life then they messed up somewhere along the way.
Wulf Nabban Ethell Anglo-Saxon it's pretty good not gonna lie. Lucas best film as far as I know
Might not be the best time in ones life, might be. But for many, for better or worse, it's a peak of sorts…athletes, musicians, actors sometimes have their best "roles" in high school…more edifying than selling insurance...@@Bigalrev
Wulf Nabban Ethell Anglo-Saxon... You hit the nail on the head. I saw this at the Drive-Ins in August or September
1973.
Its the loss of youth...........and everything anyone yearns or wishes they had back from it...........adulthood and growth can be wonderful.........but the magic and wonder of life perceived first as a child then as a teenager will never be the same ............to be grown, independent and mature is to stare reality in the face and coming to grips with it............those in this movie were just at the crossroads of making that leap from youth to adulthood and Lucas does a masterful job of showing that last night of summer and the crossovers that were or must soon be made. Its a haunting movie on human terms all must face......but only tickles those images slightly throughout the joy ride in the film until Lucas slams it in you face at the end.............very moving .........a peak in the art of film making.......
Man, I remember seing this movie in my town in 1973 (in a movie theater that's now a bank parking lot.) It was the heavy metal days, but I left the theater almost in tears at how incredible it was--you knew those people like your own friends, which they were! I felt like I'd lived that entire night with them, and was overwhelmed with the nostalgia for a time and place I'd only heard about but never knew first hand, if such a thing was/is possible. Thank you, George Lucas, for a true classic.
The first time I saw this movie I cried at the end. When I went off to college this song was going through my mind and this scene too.
The Beach Boys' All Summer Long as a closing theme is another Francis Ford Coppola brilliance. You can almost hear the summer and the myth of America fading away in the wistful, almost mournful tones and lyrics. It always hits me like that.
I saw this on TV last night for the second time in my life. Now I appreciate it for the masterpice it is. It's one of those rare films that renver misses from start to stop.
One of the best movies made! This was my senior year in high school. There was a little bit of every character in you, and in your town was every character.
One of the very few "Perfect" Movies from beginning to end.
You know what else is kind of sad. It was the last time that the "Gang" would all be together. I wonder if Toad was found, and if he was did he have a hard time readjusting.
that was sad about john milner getting killed by a drunk driver always my favorite character in the movie!
Yes. When they did Cooley High Critics called it The Black American Graffiti. Steve Krantz The Husband Of Judith Krantz The Chick Lit Novelist (I'll take Manhattan, Scruples) had a chance to do Grease he changed his mind and lost a chance to Bank $350 Million. Also because of Grease & American Graffitti, The ABC Network gave Happy Days a second chance and the rest is history.
norcalguy916 I made a theory. Maybe he’s not dead.
I sold dope around there back in the 90s
In the very early 1980's I drove a 1931 Ford Coupe to high school. My dad built it in 1956-57. The frame was Z' ed, body channeled 8 inches and the 265 V-8 had the factory twin WCFB 4 barrel carbs from a wrecked 56 Vette. It sat for 14 years and I worked odd jobs to buy the parts needed to get it running again. I showed up with that car my junior year and some of my friends called me "Milner" from then on. We still have that car. It's too much a part of our lives to ever sell it. Watching "Graffiti" again after so many years brings back great memories
When I saw this in the theater, the whole theater laughed at the sight of the T-Bird following Curt’s plane. When the text began to appear on the screen, the laughing turned into stunned silence.
such a great pick for a final song of a movie, it wraps up the whole film perfectly.
A true cinematic masterpiece! I was born in the 1970s and grew up in the 80s but the 1950s/early 60s (before the JFK assassination and before Vietnam) seemed like such a wonderful, carefree time to be alive and enjoy being an American -- driving classic American automobiles, listening to great early rock and roll music and being with great friends. It makes me envious to all who lived in this era. If I could go back in time I would go back to the summer of '62.
Yeah, everybody has a backstory. Friends who died too young. Some got married and went on to have children. Some who burnt out and died.
I'll never forget the first time I watched this movie, and seen this ending. One of the best movies ever made.
"Carol", or Mackenzie Phillips, said she lived at 132 Ramona, which is right around the corner from my house in Modesto.....except that the numbers on Ramona are all in the 400-500 range, there is no 132 on Ramona between Morris and Lucern Aves. I have the feeling that this is George Lucas' old neighborhood. I recently saw a Modesto Bee Newspaper article, with photo, from the early 60's where a teenage George Lucas had totaled a car up against a tree, and walked away from the accident.
One of the great American movies! Please Hollywood, don't ever try to remake this film!
I was a bored out of mind teenager in the late 80s. One day, by chance (this was before the internet of course) while driving around, a few friends and I found this quiant little town that had a big cruising scene in their downtown. It was all the kids, our age, the pretty girls, the bullies, etc. It was magical. We started going there every weekend. A few old people complained and the Cops started pulling over everyone and harrasing every kid they saw. It soon all stopped. What a shame, those older people destroyed a great little piece of Americana from us.
3:25 Thinking "this was the greatest night of my life." Classic movie!
Amazing that the same guy who did this is responsible for The Phantom Menace.
That's hilarious.
PREQUELS ARE AMAZING
Racing in both movies though
everyone can have a bad day.
What a beautiful movie.
Unforgettable ending and film. Made for around $750,000 and the studio didn't like the finished product. Legend is that Francis Ford Coppola, who was the producer, offered to buy the print for a million dollars after executives complained and wanted to release it as a made for TV movie. It turned out to be the number three box office hit of 1973, behind The Sting and The Exorcist.
It kinda sucks that he never saw that girl in the t-bird again or even found out who she is!!!
3:09 - My Favorite Scene.. Quiet and Poignant
i’m of the opinion that the final, say, 5 shots of a movie and the credits are the most important moments in any film. they’re the things that make us laugh, cry, and simply think. american graffiti has one of best ending sequences with Curt of any film i’ve ever seen. More American Graffiti also is great in this aspect, despite the overall quality of that film.
It is fun to watch a Stand By Me/American Graffiti double feature. If only Will Wheaton had used the same character name as Richard Dreyfus.
KEVIN SHEA There is a bit of connection. The announcer for the pie eating contest when Wil Wheaton is telling his story is the same man playing the arcade manager in this.
Will Wheaton is an obsequious shill.
I love this movie. This was one of my uncle Tracy's favorite movies, but I never saw it until after he died in 2005. I wish we could have watched it together at least once.
RIP wolfman
I can't believe you still have to buy or rent this movie to watch it in 2021...
My great grandpa is in this scene but he’s uncredited. I think he’s playing the dad.. :)
Rob Fiss this is a one scene extra with one line
so many stars in this film
They shouldn't have made a sequel. This movie was perfect the way it ended.
This definitely marked the ending of the "Age Of Innocence" (family structures, sock hops, etc.) and the arrival of the divisive and tumultuous 1960s. (I felt this way in terms of saying good bye to the feel good and fun filled 1970s and the arrival of the plastic and stark 1980s). In this movie, one clearly sees the foundation coming apart. Young people becoming more delinquent, families losing their cohesiveness, and so on.
myra said it best..THAT ENDING HIT ME LIKE A BRICK...
The Douglas DC-7 plane was previously owned by Grand Funk Railroad
Coppala told Lucas to leave the epilogue out. Lucas insisted. Good instincts because it works. Great ending. The brief silence and epilogue followed by the upbeat Beach boy song. Beautiful editing. Leaves the viewer satisfied.
Absolutely correct!
I guess Coppola didn't realize that the epilogue was the whole point of the film! The movie is about change, from the end of one era (1950s Americana era and the country's innocence-- "it's almost like a fantasy world") to the beginning of another era (Vietnam, JFK assassination when everything in the country went to shit-- "when shit got real").
And the events involving these characters in this story reflect this theme of change all the way through. The last night of summer/high school is just nonstop, nostalgic fun-- almost like a fantasy world. And now the innocence is over, they become adults and some of the guys die-- when shit got real.
Came back here after reading Ron (and Clint) Howard's book The Boys. Apparently, there was a real context to this ending to Ron, since he was eligible for the draft at the time, and he had a very bad draft number that could have sent him off to Vietnam.
In fact, how many people know that Curt's fate (a writer living in Canada) is supposed to infer he left the U.S to avoid the draft.
'All Summer Long' the classic Beach Boys song that I always 'cant name' but is forever etched as the final song of this classic film, was played by Brian wilson & Al jardine to start their 5 song Encore at the Greek Theatre this past Saturday June 20th ,,"Classic!!!!".
What hits me as being so profound about this movie is that it takes you for a ride with all the fun and adventure a person has in their youth with lots of time and little responsibilities but has dialog throughout that grabs your attention to the realities of becoming an adult are beginning to stare you in the face .........it rides that theme and as it gets closer to the end becomes more profound in the latter........and then hits you with an emotional sledgehammer at the end..............youth is fleeting...........and what replaces it may create a yearning for that time past.
Imagine getting out of the car and jumping on a plane inside of 5 minutes.
The best George Lucas film of all time
This movie is one of my all time favorites. Makes a person want to pick a year like '62 or '64 and stay there forever 21 years old.
Saw this at the Plaza Theatre, Escondido, Ca next to Sav-On!
I think the perfect song for this ending - even though it didn't come out until 6 years after this movie was released - would have been "Goodbye Stranger" by Supertramp.
Boy, when you think of all the big stars this film helped to establish. Ron Howard (by his own admkission, wearing a partial piece, even then) was already established from TV and the movies, and Wolfman Jack was a top DJ finally gaining national recognition via "The Midnight Special." but consider the others: Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Mackenzie Phillips, Cindy Williams, Suzanne Somers, Charles Martin Smith ("Never Cry Wolf," excellent, versatile actor), Paul Le Mat ("Melvin and Howard").
absolutely 1 of the best movies ever made!
Love this as much as when it first came out - better still on a real big screen - big screen TVs don't cut it!
Goodnight sweetheart, well it's time to go...
This time seemed very nostalgic to us even though the movie only took place 11 years before it was made. I have to think back to at least the 80s now to feel even a hint of that type of nostalgia.
What a great movie!
Brilliant--------heartbreaking--------an alltime classic for my generation. ----------------WolfSky9, 72 y/o
I. FUCKING. ADORE. THIS. UNIVERSAL PICTURE.
Why doesn't Lucas make films like this anymore I mean, I know we know him as the Star Wars guy, but if he made more slice of life films like this, he'd probably regain the respect he once had.
He has tried but many movies have not worked. This one just did.
Saw this movie in a revival theater in 2003. Its a completely different movie in a theater, not to be explained only experienced.
Also they did the similar thing in Cooley High where we saw how they fared. So much sadness. Stone & Robert get killed while trying to hold up a Grocery Store, Damon gets killed at the Chicago Democratic Convention that also took the life of Robert Kennedy, Pooter moved to Muncie Indiana, while Brenda became a Librarian in Atlanta, GA., and Preach became a successful Hollywood Writer.
I saw this movie at the Oxon Hill, Maryland Theatre when it was released in 1973.
Love the ending: Well done see you on the Flip side!
thanks for this movi it good
@jak487 True enough. This was 1973 and Carter didn't issue the general amnesty until 1977, to the relief of some and the chagrin of many.
The ending still gets me.
thank you
It's so sad. Curt tries so hard for this girl and in the end she only gives him a few seconds of her time.
mckaylaquinn She was a bimbo and an airhead; wasn’t worth his time.
I think she was a metaphor
@@jondstewart She was also a minor. In the film and out. Actress was 12 at the time
@@Veegs. not quite. Suzanne Somers was about 26 when this was filmed. And a 12 year old driving around in a T-bird back then? Not likely! Maybe running around past curfew at worst.
@Zaphrod88 Actually, if I remember the sequel correctly (WARNING: SPOILER ALERT), Toad goes AWOL. He doesn't actually die.
moonstar16651 That’s exactly what happened.
moonstar16651 I’m sure in this movie it was meant to communicate that he was killed. When they made the sequel they decided that it would be too much for audience to see two of the main characters die, so they changed it to AWOL. Just speculating.
@TheFabDawg I am sitting here in Modesto, right now. I gre up here and now am visiting family.
Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Bo Hopkins, Harrison Ford, and Richard Dreyfuss are all still alive. The others, I don't know about.
After the "Pharaohs'' decided to make Dreyfuss's character an "honorary member" by intimidating him into sabotaging the police car (the real highlight of the whole movie) he escapes by catching the next flight out of town.
George Lucas - Thank You....
Look/listen at the romance propeller driven airliners give you, instead of modern jet ones.
For me, the ending represents the end of childhood more than the end of an era (which it certainly is, too).
When Curt sees the T-bird from the airplane, he imagines on what life could have been if he didn’t leave. He’s beginning his new life in college, while his friends all face mundane or tragic futures.
It’s an ending any of us who left our hometowns to go off to an uncertain college life can relate to. I’m not saying the decision is for the better, but college is a world of difference.
Yes.
Auto induction to Sight and sound's top 10 poll.
You know what's also kind of sad. John Milner, Steve Bolander and Laurie Henderson showed that they couldn't get out of their "Comfort Zone", it reminds me of Ken Barlow of Coronation Street A UK Soap Opera, everytime he had a chance to leave The Street he never did because he was too scared to do so. Also, when Curt left it also reminded me of a Young Lady named Kimberly Walsh who in 2002 auditioned and got a chance to be part of an Up and Coming UK Girl Group called Girls Aloud. It would go on to be the most successful Group in Reality TV an although they broke up in 2013 all five of them still are doing well and Kimberley recently returned to The West End (UK's equivalent of Broadway in Big) based on the Tom Hanks Movie.
"His greatest ambition is to shake hands with president Kennedy"
That line right there? Thats sums the tragedy of Lucas` generation : The
fu&%ed up Boomers
I'm really supprised about some of the statements made here. For those who think America went downhill because of the 'blacks' and the 'Jews' you really need to get out more and get a job. You'll find the problems with America have more to do with outselves than a particular race of people. Fantastic movie, by the way. Still stands strong today.
What doesn’t make sense is that at the ending they said Terry Milner died in a car crash in 1964 but if you watch the sequel, more American graffiti he’s still doing hot rod Racing as depicted in 1968. So I guess they missed out on that continuity.
If I remember, that film cuts between different points in time. John's story still takes place in 1964 in the months leading up to his death, while other stories take place in different years. Ron Howard's story, I believe, takes place at some point in the 1970s.
God, I feel so bad and sad for the character portrayed by Ron Howard. Foregoing college and a promising future for a manipulative and not that loyal girl friend. When Richard Dreyfus' character asks if he will see him at college next year, he does not believe one bit of it when Ron Howard's character responds "Oh, yeah". It was kind of nice to see how close knit the young people were in this town, and there did not seem to be cliques of any sort, but for someone with a bit of intellect and ambition, it was just too stifling.
I may be anti authority, a hell raiser and have my beliefs, but I have respect for those who served. There are many Terry Fields that never made it home from Vietnam. I had an uncle who was over there and he told us there were guys taken prisoner that were never seen or heard from again. Many were hit by bombs that there was nothing left of them too. Those guys should have gotten more respect when they came home as those now. But unfortunately it was a different time and the draft Dodgers who didn't have to go were the ones at the airports running their mouths. If anyone reading this served in Nam...Lots of love and respect to you.
BTW, that blonde he's talking to/about was a very young Suzanne Somers.
Wasn't it good when we could just walk onto the airplane that would take us "to wherever?" Does anybody know what it was that brought about the changes in air travel?
TheEnestr ..... Ya serious?
The ending is pure Lucas talent. Sadly, the talent diminished with the later Star Wars movies.
All-time classic film, about My generation, The Boomers! ---------WolfSky9, 71 y/o
"Talkin' 'bout my gen-eration!"
A Classic
Good ole DC-7
Hope you noticed that - 4:26 - choreographer - Toni Basil
Goodnight sweetheart.
great movie I just can't figure out the ending or the conversation between the teacher and the student which we don't hear
FINISH IT !!!!! 😠
This, Grease, A Christmas Story are 3 endings you do not pull to a screen corner and ad for other shows etc
Ron Howard is called a "newcomer" in the title description. Nothing could be further from the truth. I guess whoever wrote that never saw "The Andy Griffith Show." Also, "Smith" is left off of Charlie Martin Smith's name.
That song sounds really sad to me
"Now I've justified this to myself in all sorts of ways. It wasn't a big deal, just a minor betrayal. Or we'd outgrown each other, you know, that sort of thing. But let's face it, I ripped them off - my so called mates. But Begbie, I couldn't give a shit about him. And Sick Boy, well he'd done the same to me, if he'd only thought of it first. And Spud, well okay, I felt sorry for Spud - he never hurt anybody. So why did I do it? I could offer a million answers - all false. The truth is that I'm a bad person. But, that's gonna change - I'm going to change. This is the last of that sort of thing. Now I'm cleaning up and I'm moving on, going straight and choosing life. I'm looking forward to it already. I'm gonna be just like you. The job, the family, the fucking big television. The washing machine, the car, the compact disc and electric tin opener, good health, low cholesterol, dental insurance, mortgage, starter home, leisure wear, luggage, three piece suite, DIY, game shows, junk food, children, walks in the park, nine to five, good at golf, washing the car, choice of sweaters, family Christmas, indexed pension, tax exemption, clearing gutters, getting by, looking ahead, the day you die."
good shit for sure