American Graffiti on DVD

American Graffiti is a fantastic film and I was wondering if there's any word on a definitive DVD release. I know a Collector's Edition has been released, but it lacks a commentary track and the image has gone through a pretty subpar cleaning (at least in comparison to THX 1138 and his Star Wars pictures). So if anybody gets any word on a new American Graffiti DVD, here's the place to post it, I suppose.

 

You're right about the picture quality; however, it's still excellent. Maybe a new Lucas commentary will be on a 35th anniversary edition in 2008?

I got the DVD 2-pack with it and More American Graffiti. I think I'll watch AG tomorrow night, followed by the sequel, which I haven't seen yet.

 

Hopefully he'll release a digitally remastered version which will up picture quality and I'm hoping that it will have commenteries on it.

 

Juuust for fun.

I always thought that the making of documentary on the current disc was pretty comprehensive as far as making of's go. If they do a commentary I kinda hope it'll be like the one for Aliens (Quad), with a recording of Lucas chatting with Katz and Huyck, edited with a recording of the actors all together.

It'll be on Blu-ray soon though yeah? (Are Universal supporting Blu-ray?)

 

It'd be interesting to hear Lucas' thoughts on More American Graffiti. He didn't write or direct it but wound up acting as an editor and camera operator on the film, and even designed its structure of multiple storylines and multiple aspect ratios.

 

I definitely want to pick up the two pack set. I love the original film but I've never gotten around to buying it.

 

Jon that was a great photoshop.

I would love to see this on DVD with a great commentary on it.

 

What I wish for:

A double-disc special edition with:

- Commentary track by Lucas.
- Commentary track with some of the actors and Lucas.
- The making of feature that is on the current DVD version.
- Original theatrical trailer.
- Fully restored picture.
- Dolby Digital 5.1 EX THX-Mastered.
- Optional 2.0 original sound.
- Any addiotanal featurettes or whatever.


That would be christmas for me!

 

I don't really have any problem with the current flipdisk American Graffiti/More American Graffriti. Quality isn't bad at all and I have all the behind the scenes stuff I want. Not really a point in re-releasing it other than to milk the cash cow.

 

We need a at least one commentary track for American Grafitti! Rerelease it now I say!

 

That cover is amazing!

I keep meaning to see American Graffiti, but somehow, I never get around to it. If it goes to DVD, I'll most likely buy it.

 

It's been on DVD for several years now...

 

I've been thinking about buying Graffiti on dvd for a while now. I'd love to get the two pack with the sequel.

Which version would you recommend buying?

 

If you're a fan of Lucas you should buy the two pack and see More American Grafitti as well. Compared to the masterpiece that is American Grafitti the sequel is not very good, but it's still worth watching IMO if only for the Vietnam segment - mostly directed and shot by Lucas himself - because it gives an indication of what Apocalypse Now! would have been like if Coppola hadn't stolen it from him.

[image=http://images.play.com/covers/145090m.jpg]

 

Coppola didn't "steal" Apocalypse from GL. He wanted Lucas to direct it, but those SW movies got in the way, so Coppola helmed it himself.

 

Actually, that's not entirely true. It was always intended that Lucas would direct, Milius would write and Gary Kurtz produce (with Coppola as Executive producer). What happened was that Warner Bros ended up with the rights at some point after cancelling the deal with Zoetrope. Lucas still intended to direct it after Star Wars, but instead Coppola went ahead with it - a fact that Lucas (known to bear grudges) has never forgiven.
Lucas never approved that Coppola went ahead and directed it and one of the results was that Lucas shot and directed the Vietnam segment of More American Grafitti himself, to show how he would have made Apocalypse Now! He even struggled to get it out before Apocalypse Now! because he was so angry with Coppola.
The book George Lucas A Biography by John Baxter elaborates very much on this subject.

 

That's not exactly my understanding. There were 2 main problems, one was that Zoetrope got into financial trouble around that time, and second that the development of Apocalypse Now was really taking a lot of time. So Coppola told Milius and Lucas to go develop their own projects.

I think some of this is mentioned in "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse" where both Milius and Lucas were interviewed about their involvement in the project, and neither seemed to hold a grudge about that. Don't know how Lucas could have directed Apocalypse Now in time since he was doing the move to Northern California and developing Empire in 1978. Not sure about that book.

 

Lucas and Coppola are very good friends to this day,
they have even taken family vacations together. I
seriously doubt there is any real enmity between the
two of them over Apocalypse Now.

They've been good buddies since the mid-sixties
and I see no sign of that slowing down.

 

That he did, but it was still an understanding that this was Lucas' movie. Coppola decided to go ahead and direct it regardless which angered Lucas.
Lucas withdrew his name from the movie as a response, but Harrison Ford called his character Colonel G. Lucas so that Lucas part in this should not be ignored.
The info I have on this is from John Baxter' George Lucas A Biography and Harrison Ford - Imperfect Hero by Garry Jenkins.

Lucas never meant to direct it in the late 70s. He originally intended to direct it after American Grafitti. He even intended to shoot some footage in Vietnam, but Lucas dealings with the army didn't go as planned and then the war ended. That's why he went ahead with his Sci-Fi project instead, but I understand that he was thinking of making Apocalypse now! at some later point.

It's also an episode where Lucas needed some more footage of helicopters to his Vietnam segment of More American Grafitti. Coppola was editing Apocalypse and Lucas reluctantly asked if he could borrow some of his footage. Coppla refused because it would hurt his movie. Reportedly Lucas was very upset because Coppola had the nerve to call it his movie when in fact he had "stolen" it from Lucas. So there was definatly and edge there.

While they have been friends since the mid sixties (they were never very good friends, more like collaborators) their friendship has certainly slowed down on several occations. Notably after THX-1138 was recut by Warner Bros (Lucas blamed this on Coppola), when Coppola stole Apocalypse Now! and after Tucker: A Man and his Dream where Coppola critizised Lucas in public for interfering and making it more to his vision than Coppola's.

 

Well, firstly i think Lucas and Coppola's disagreements are slightly exagerrated by the press--yeah, they both got ticked off at each other at multiple points in their career but at the end of the day they still shrug it off and stay friends. So although there is some resentment its not venomous or anything.

Secondly, Apocalypse Now was "stolen" from Lucas because as far as Millius and Coppola were concerned, Lucas had little to do with it. Milius wrote it himself and Lucas would essentially just step in as director. Lucas was going to make it after Graffiti--then Star Wars happened. Then he had to make a sequel right away because his sequel contract was only good for two years, so he began Empire immediately. . And of course after that he would probably have to stick around to be involved with the third film as well, and who knows what would be happening with Indiana Jones. Additionally, no one would fund it--the only way it could be made is if it was self-financed, and in 1976 Lucas was still just barely getting by--Coppola on the other hand was a millionaire, the hottest director around, who was going to self-finance all his films. So as far as Milius was concerned, Lucas never was going to be able to make the film and if anyone would it would be Coppola.

So i suppose Lucas got shafted a bit but realistically speaking i think Milius and Coppola did the smartest thing. They didnt use a whole lot of Milius' original script anyway--Lucas' concept was more of a comic-book Dr. Strangelove satire.

 

and after Tucker: A Man and his Dream where Coppola critizised Lucas in public for interfering and making it more to his vision than Coppola's.

I'd like to see the quote and I'd like to know the source, because I don't believe
that for one second. Interfering? Coppola directed it!

Coppola cordially congratulated Lucas on his AFI Tribute last year
in the warmest possible terms. They're like brothers. I really can't
buy the idea that they're mad at each other. Lucas gave Sofia Coppola
a cameo the Phantom Menace and used a dialogue coach for Revenge of the
Sith who was recommended to him by Francis. These guys hang out together
and help each other all the time. I'm sure it's a much more interesting
story if there's tension between them, but I don't buy it. The THX and
Apocalypse Now events are now more than 35 years old! That's water under
the bridge, a very, very long time ago in a world far, far away.

And by the way, Lucas was NOT just barely getting by in 1976, he had
made American Graffiti in 1973 and his share of the profits had been paid to
him by Universal...about 4 million dollars. He was filming Star Wars in 1976.