15th Hall of Fame

I originally watched American Graffiti purely to see what George Lucas was doing before Star Wars, and not because I had any interest in the subject matter. As one would expect, the film struggled to keep my attention, and didn't exactly make an impression. Years later, I still don't particularly care for coming of age stories or car culture, but I can at least appreciate the technical aspects of the film.

The film certainly gains more meaning when you think about the circumstances in which it was made, and the decade in which it is set. However, as an outsider who doesn't know enough about American history or culture to see the parallels between the characters and the situation the United Sates would soon find itself in, I didn't make those connections on my own while viewing the film either time. I could only see the film without the subtext, and unfortunately I still wasn't really invested in anything that was happening the second time around.

That's completely on me though, and not any fault of the cast, who were all great. I particularly liked Paul Le Mat's performance, and his character really grew on me over the course of the film. Naturally I became a lot more interested whenever Harrison Ford made an appearance, but his screen time is limited. I do think that many of the characters and their experiences are rather universal and able to transcend any generational gaps for the viewer, however I personally didn't relate to any of it. I can certainly see why a lot of people really love the film, and I can imagine how nostalgic it must be to some people, but it just really is not my kind of story. I did enjoy the music though.

That was my favorite scene from the movie. I loved the location and staging of the attack on Fort Wagner. There's something about the tranquility of the ocean and the softness of the sand, that contrasted so poignantly with the men dying in such a lovely spot.

My other favorite scene was the military training camp where the soldiers were drilled in the disciplines of soldiering. That set looked real to me. I haven't read anything about the movie, but I bet that was an actual set, maybe even from the Civil War era. The bricks were weathered and in places the walls had crumbled away. It looked old, very old. Very cool.

I was OK with the music score as it made the story, and the movie feel grand. I believe the director chose that score and made the film the way he did so as to impart a larger than life, momentous feeling to his story of the soldiers' struggle to gain respect by gaining the right to die in battle.