I watched American Grafitti last night and I'm confused...

I have to admit that I've watched American Grafitti many times before, but this time I watched the DVD documentary that accompanies the movie.
I can't understand why Lucas could make a film that's so personal, so intimate, so idiosyncratic, so character-driven, so simple, so beautiful. And then make Attack of the Clones. I don't get it. Does this mean that a lot of the things I perceived as AOTC's 'flaws' are intentional? Or what? I just don't get it...

 

I still think AOTC is a personal and character driven film. The love story and Obi-Wan and Anakin's reletionship were very well done.Just as good as anything in Graffit.

One of my favorite scenes in AOTC was the Dex's Dinner scene. A wonderful scene where two characters enjoy being in ones company. It's just as warm as anything from American Graffiti.

Another great scene is the Yoda teaching the children. It's very warm and touching to see Yoda as a kindly uncle to the children.

I also like American Graffiti but I think AOTC is just as good as it.

 

Is American Graffite any good?

 

It's very good. It's like Happy Days. As a matter of fact Happy Days is kind of based on American Graffiti. Ron Howard is in both of them. It's also neat to see how young Richard Dryfuss and Harrison Ford and the other actors are.

 

Are a lot of the "flaws" in AOTC deliberate? Well, Lucas consistently states that the people are acting how he wants them to act, and that the dialogue is to be very formal and traditional, so I guess, that a lot of of the problems people have with it are less the "Lucas can't do it!?" but more "What is Lucas doing?!" I always find the best way to develop a dislike for the Prequels is to post in the Prequels forum. If you go back and watch the movies, then, yes, they have flaws, yes they are not as good as the OT, but they are not "bad" I feel.

AG avoids all this by not having any weight of hype, or indeed expectations. It can work on it's own without preconceptions and as a naturalistic piece of cinema.

And of course, AG and AOTC are like chalk and cheese to each other in terms of style and content.

Imagine what people said when GL did Star Wars itself.. that WAS a leap from American Graffiti!

UKS

 

Let's keep this focussed on Grafitti. If it degrades into a general pro/anti AOTC discussion I'll be forced to close it up.

 

A man can chamge alot in 25-30 years.

 

Yes, American Grafitti is brilliant - I don't know if anyone's ever seen Dazed & Confused by Richard Linklater but that's almost like an homage to AG.

Check it out - it's great!

 

I watched American Graffiti for the first time today, and I loved it. It's truly a brilliant film, and really goes to show what a great storyteller Lucas is.

 

is or was?

 

Check out American Graffiti 2 for a contrast from brilliant to rubbish.

 

Maybe the reason that American Graffiti seemed so personal to you is because it very much was. Lucas has admitted many times that it is an autobiographical retelling fo many elements of his life. More then that it is a very real story with very real characters which is why it is timeless and kids of today can relate to a generation now into their fifties.

AOTC on the other hand is a different style. It is based more on a fictional realm that can't really be. Its a place we all want to vissit and some wish to live there...alas we can't. Perhaps it seems less personal because we are so far removed from it. I am inclined to agree with the above statements that it is very personal in many moments, there is just so much going on we have little time to dwell on the personal relationship.

I find that a lot of directors get forced into categories or genres. Hitchcock may have been the master of Suspense and Thillers but he was by no means limited to that style. He often explored comedy and action and many other styles. Lucas also likes to explore changing from an oblique film like THX 1138, to a sweeter yet more realistic American Graffiti to the polished Star Wars. Personally i get a sour taste in my mouth when directors are forced into neat little cetegories. Sam Rami has more talent then to direct horror films...thus Spiderman was arguably one of the better films of the year...in my opinion one of the better films in recent memory.

However, I think the real reason there is such a change is the time difference mentioned above. It has been thiry years remember. Alot can change in that time.

 

If you watch the special features on 'The Phantom Menace' DVD, there's a part in one of the featurettes where Lucas is talking to Frank OZ about his fears that he may be screwing up Star Wars by doing another one. He then goes on to say how he did 'More American Graffiti' (not sure on the title) and "It only made like, ten cents". To which Oz replys, "really"? Frank OZ didn't even know there was a sequel to a movie by a director he's been working with for 25 years!

 

Frank OZ didn't even know there was a sequel to a movie by a director he's been working with for 25 years!

Lucas did not direct More American Graffitti.

 

American Grafitti was GREAT!!! wooohoooo

 

American Graffiti is (IMHO) the best teen comedy of all time. It is a little dated but that's how things work. Great stuff.

I refuse to see More American Graffiti. The studio forced that movie into existence when it should not have happened.




Rick McCallum s you! (Happy Valentine's Day!)

 

AG is an excellent movie! I saw it just recently and my girlfriend and I were surprised at how many laughs were to be had.