I keep forgetting how melancholy AG ends up.

I watched "Graffiti" tonight for the first time in over a year.

Damndest thing. It's not even the news of what happened to Milner and Toad (sort of...) that bums me out, I think even if Lucas had just held on the plane a bit it would have had the same effect.

It being a film overflowing with pop music, Lucas was smart enough that he didn't have to do a big major down ending to bring the audience's mood down at the end; he just does away with all the music and keeps the sound design of the final scenes fairly diegetic. The very naturalistic feel of the goodbye at the airport works so well; you don't get the sense the actors were told what to yell at Curt as he walks away, that he didn't ask them to pick anything significant or in order for their final lines, just say what they felt like saying for a goodbye or a see-ya-later.

Then note how quiet things get. Richard Dreyfuss in the airplane by himself, just sitting and thinking. The car below. The plane far away in the air, with the drone of the engines. No sweeping 'goodbye' music. Just letting us sit there for a while with the rrrrrrrrrr of the plane.

And then "All Summer Long"... was anything from the peppier half of the Beach Boys' catalog ever so depressing? Completely contextualized by the film. When I hear that song on the album or on the radio I'm jazzed. In the film it sounds so sad!

I know AG's ending is mostly noted for the cards at the end, but there's an awful lot in it. Sometimes I forget.



This summer I released a film of my own, as I tend to do. It's about growing up (among other things). At the end, I start the cast credits the same way AG does, with one name blinking on at a time real quick. I'm beginning to see why I did that.




Rick McCallum loves you!

 

That Beach Boy's song has never sounded more depressing. The entire film ends on such a sad note - much like More American Graffiti. While Graffiti was has always been one of my favorite movies, I remember being surprised at how sad the film ended my first time through (a long, long time ago), because the rest of the story doesn't seem to be going in that direction at all. I think that's why Lucas did what he did. It's a shocking ending - very matter-of-fact and to the point. The film doesn't linger on what happens to the characters, but it does tie the loose ends together. I think that is why it works a lot better without the sequel. I never cared for More Graffiti anyway (though I do like the John Milner scenes).

 

i agree with all of the above, i thought more american graffiti ended almost sadder. john had finnally found sombody he could settle down with and then he drives over the hill and is never seen again. more american graffiti could never hold a candle to the first, my brother and i never really viewed it as a movie but more as an update to see how things played out. i agree john's story was the best.