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American Graffiti (1973)

Director:
George Lucas
COUNTRY
USA
GENRE
Drama/Comedy
NORWEGIAN TITLE
Siste natt med gjengen
RUNNING TIME
112 minutes
Producer:
Francis Ford Coppola
Gary Kurtz
Screenwriter:
George Lucas
Gloria Katz
Willard Huyck


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Curt Henderson Richard Dreyfuss ½
Steve Bolander Ron Howard ½
John Milner Paul Le Mat
Terry "The Toad" Fields Charles Martin Smith
Debbie Dunham Candy Clark
Carol Morrison Mackenzie Phillips
Laurie Henderson Cindy Williams ½
Bob Falfa Harrison Ford
Joe Young Bo Hopkins ½
Himself Wolfman Jack
Peg Kathleen Quinlan
The Blonde in T-Bird Suzanne Somers

 

Review

George Lucas' unlikely critics' and audience favourite American Graffiti was and remains a detailed, nuanced and significant portrait of a brief but decisive cultural era (the early 1960s) when the burgeoning, small-town American youth culture, centered around cruising and rock 'n' roll, had hit its peak. The film is simply structured and seemingly limited in scope, but raises plenty of questions and highlights several interesting contrasts that give it weight to go with the great fun offered by the film's captivating time-travel and Lucas' commanding storytelling, centered around how a bunch of high-school kids spend the last night of their final summer vacation. A number of coming stars (and obscurities) gave intelligent performances, helped by Lucas' fitting perspective gained by first-hand observations and ten years of retrospect.

Copyright © 30.12.2013 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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