Episode 33: American Graffiti 50th Anniversary

What are the most influential movies of the 1970s? The standard answer is to say STAR WARS and JAWS, as these two blockbusters reinvented Hollywood and became the lode stars of mainstream filmmaking for the following decades. But the Brothers argue that George Lucas’s AMERICAN GRAFFITI deserves to be in the conversation as one of the most influential Hollywood movies of the decade. In a roundtable discussion to mark its 50th Anniversary, the Brothers examine AMERICAN GRAFFITI and its various thematic and formal approaches, including its nostalgic lens, its performances, its characterizations, its experimental sound recording, and the film’s indebtedness to the French New Wave.

0:00 - Intro
0:26 - Keynote
3:59 - Roundtable: “American Graffiti”
1:00:00 - Outro

Clips:

- American Graffiti (1973) Universal Pictures
- Mad Men (2007) AMC
- Phantom of the Paradise (1974) 20th Century Fox
- Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) 20th Century Fox

Suggested Reading:
- Anton’s review of American Graffiti: https://3brothersfilm.com/blog/2023/8/25/review-american-graffiti-1973

Read more of the 3 Brothers’ reviews, features, and roundtables at https://3brothersfilm.com

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