American Graffiti's Weird & Wild Sequel

[@TommyRibs]

More American Graffiti is actually a good movie in its own right. The John Milner Storyline is particularly bitter-sweet. You spend the last day of his life with him. It is a great day, he beats the factory and falls in love. He does hours later.

[@carpenterdesign]

I am a big fan of the movie More American Graffiti. The styles of shooting the film perfectly match the time period which was changing year by year.

[@chuckdieselkicksdisks2380]

same here. I discovered "More" on on TV as child in the 80's. Only saw bits and pieces of the 1973 original. I just watched the original & liked it.

[@beavisdoge237]

And it looks and feels like George directed it still. In fact, he shot the Vietnam scenes himself on 16mm

[@kthx1138]

Lucas's technique for the Vietnam scenes was exactly his vision for Apocalypse Now which he was originally going to direct.

[@markbreitenbach5083]

I related more to "More American Graffiti" because I'm a late Boomer. The Vietnam stuff scared hell out of me. I missed the draft by one year. Debbie reminded me of the girl that got away.

[@danmyers9372]

Agree. And as a drag racing fan I loved all the 60’s racing action.

[@NagasakiBladers]

I like how More American Graffiti, stymied by the epilogue of the first film, does its best to throw in some misdirection and to tell its stories in an interesting way - not sure why it's rated so poorly, I enjoyed it.

[@TTM9691]

I always liked it. It's nowhere near the greatness of "American Graffiti", but it's a lot better than, say, "The Godfather Part 3"! Or "The Two Jakes"! :P

[@PrettyPennyTV]

IKR. I saw it when it first came out. And I thought it was better than the first.

[@lordofthemound3890]

I think some people don’t like it because it’s not “American Graffiti.”

[@PrettyPennyTV]

@@RideAcrossTheRiver I never saw either of those. I heard Leonard 6 tanked. Didn't hear of the other one.

[@PrettyPennyTV]

@@RideAcrossTheRiver Ishtar came out in 1987. In 1987 to 1988, I worked at the Cineplex Odeon next to Universal Studios. 👇 So, I went to all the movies for free. I didn't do Ishtar because it flopped before it even came to the Odeon. The most interesting premier I worked during my time at The Odeon was for Colors. There were tons of cops and security all around the area. When we cleaned the Theatre that night, I found two gold chains. One was real, one was fake. I sold the real one for $125 because it was fairly thick.

[@gabrielledebourg2487]

What’s interesting is that it’s so blatantly obvious that the Vietnam parts takes a lot of cues from Lucas’s vision for Apocalypse Now, a project he was originally going to direct. His idea was to shoot it almost like a documentary, in 16mm… in Vietnam during the war! Here, you can easily tell that the style of the Vietnam segments are based around that idea, so no wonder he had so much input on them.

[@johnathanlewis2049]

Yeah Harrison Ford’s character in Apocalypse Now was named Lucas

[@Jared_Wignall]

@@johnathanlewis2049 I remembering reading somewhere years ago that it was Ford’s idea to name his character Colonel G. Lucas. I’ve not read any of the scripts or anything of the sort, so perhaps Coppola and/or John Milius already had that character named after George in the first place, but regardless of whose idea it was I like how they basically give a little nod to the original intended director of the film and with Ford playing that character no less.

[@paulcarney7495]

I saw "More American Graffiti" before I saw "American Graffiti". I was born in 1967, and I was about 13 or 14 years old when I saw MORE on HBO a year or so after it's theatrical release. I loved it! As a kid in the 1970s, I loved watching "Happy Days". I didn't know until I started college in 1985 that the show was based on AG. By this time, everybody had a VCR, so I rented AG and loved it, too. I guess that MORE is like "The Godfather Part III" - if you hadn't seen the first two movies, TG-III would stand up on its own as a decent movie. However, you can't really understand TG-III without seeing the first two movies. Unlike TG-III, you can watch MORE without seeing AG to understand it. Finally, MORE and "Apocalypse Now" exposed me to the music of The Doors. For that, I am eternally grateful!

[@Frank_nwobhm]

Actually, Happy Days was created before American Graffiti. It started as an episode of "Love American Style". An unaired pilot was filmed which George Lucas eventually saw and decided to cast Ron Howard in his movie. Happy Days was long delayed in making it to an actual TV series in 1974 I believe. Oddly, it got the chance because of the massive success of American Graffiti.

[@davidjames579]

I think what's most fascinating about More is that we get to see Lucas's version of Apocalypse Now. Originally set to film it in the late 60's as a 16mm Verite film, he keeps that style here. Something even Coppola didn't do.

[@kthx1138]

While I love Coppola's grand 35mm Panavision Technicolor vision of Apocalypse Now, seeing George Lucas's 16mm 4x3 desaturated documentary vision of what it could've been is interesting!

[@davidjames579]

@@kthx1138 And filmed on location in Vietnam during the war!

[@tmrezzek5728]

It is an interesting film, and that final shot *is* chilling; Milner's vehicle goes over hill, that other vehicle approaches from the other direction and you know exactly what's going to happen. Best gag in this film is Harrison Ford's cameo as Bob Falfa (he raced Milner in the first film; here he's a motorcycle cop who busts Debby.) And Toad's Vietnam sequences give a good idea of what Apocalypse Now would've looked like if Lucas continued working with Coppola on it.

[@Stevesk0011]

Is the implication supposed to be that he gets into a car accident?

[@davidjames579]

@@Stevesk0011 Yes. His death is in the end titles of the first film.

[@kennybeans6115]

Well if that’s true, thank God, because Apocalypse Now would’ve been lessened had Lucas had a hand or influence in it. FFC made one of the greatest war films ever in Apocalypse Now, and Lucas’ vision/style wouldn’t have belonged there imo. Lucas is criminally overrated, and we all have a good idea as to why.

[@andrewwanner6855]

In the book, that car was supposed to be the 56 T-bird with the blonde, the cop and Budda the Mel's waitress inside.

[@SKREVR]

Milners death always depressed me. The car disappearing. I knew it was coming but wish it hadn't. For what it's worth

[@chuckdieselkicksdisks2380]

his character is awesome to follow, the inevitable ending is rough.

[@ramonmarron8207]

I think that’s worth more than you can imagine

[@johnharris3362]

Around 20 years ago John and a yellow coupe was at our annual Adirondack car show in Lake George , it was kinda sad to see Paul trying to make a living signing autographs at a car show.

[@supersixbravo1610]

I've always liked More American Graffiti. I think it had some very heart touching scenes.

[@GreenRiver72]

John trying to make out with Eva - the beer never spills a drop: the stability of America before everything went crazy.

[@lewisanderton8062]

It's cases like these that really draw to my attention just how important collaboration is in the filmmaking process. Directors are very often given far more attention than anyone else involved in making a film, their voice is seen as the most important, the most influential and the most authentic. If a film is great, the director tends to get all the praise, and if it sucks, most of the blame. To a certain extent that's certainly valid. If it weren't for the ideas and visions of people like George Lucas, many great films would simply never exist. But I think it's a tragic mistake to forget that a director is NOT the only person involved in making a movie. If a film is truly great and successful, I almost never find that to be the result of any one person's talent, but the talent of a whole team of great artists who pulled together to make the film the best version of itself that it could possibly be; the editors, the sound designers, the visual effects artists, the musical composers, the cinematographers, actors, costume designers, producers, co-writers and many more. George Lucas was able to produce his finest work when he collaborated with other talented people who could bring his unique and interesting ideas to life and some of his worst work when he minimised the involvement of those people and tried to exercise as much control over his films as possible. And he's far from the only example of an artist who's done something like that. I think it's a very important lesson for any creative individual to bear in mind. Your film is the sum of the people you collaborate with.

[@MariaVosa]

Absolutely agree. And one of the things I really appreciate with the film channels on KZbin is how much they have helped me realise the importance of the editor. Who in truth should be credited as co-director most of the times, since they construct the movie in a million different ways with their choices. Lucas is a director who really was at his best when he let a good editor handle the post-production.

[@lewisanderton8062]

@@MariaVosa Totally. I've heard it said plenty, that every film has been remade at least three times; Once on the page, once in the shoot and once more in the edit. And in my little experience that's definitely proven true.

[@zenonceballossineriz5032]

“Success has too many parents but failure is an orphan child”

[@Mokkari77]

Lucas tried to get other directors to direct The Phantom Menace but was turned down. He even tried to get British director David Hare to co direct. Hare would direct the drama scenes while Lucas directed the action but he turned it down. Lawrence Kasdan turned down writing the screenplay. Frank Darabont was approached but turned it down because it was a non union job and he didn't want to go against the Writers Guild.

[@richardhart9204]

@@Mokkari77 Lucas has often said he finds writing "an extremely painful experience" and directing "unpleasant," which is truly strange, when you consider the line of work he's in.

[@livingabstraction2206]

I have had More American graffiti for years on VHS and still haven't bothered to actually watch it. It's one of those things where I just decided to keep as a relic of my obsession of being 19 and going to thrift shops to buy old VHS's I owe this phase in my life for my rediscovery and love for the first six Star Trek movies

[@termeownator]

Where the heck did all these Star Trek vhs tapes come from? I've got 3 sets, man; at least. Anyone selling tapes would have a set, it seemed. It's like that record Frampton Comes Alive- there seem to be more copies on the planet than living human beings, and I don't understand it. I have 'The Sting II' I bought at a flea market or wherever, it continues the story of the original, only without any Paul Newman or Robert Redford to drag it down. Hah, it's probably not too bad, really; stars Jackie Gleason, and Karl Malden's even in it, but I just can't bring myself to watch it

[@lutello3012]

Don't watch it in pan and scan anyway.

[@petebondurant58]

It ruins the first film. Don't bother.

[@jasonblalock4429]

It'd be fun to see you cover Radioland Murders someday. It's the Lucasfilm movie that pretty much everyone has forgotten existed, and it's incredibly uneven, but it still has some really good moments. Plus the whole thing is just such a 'how the hell did this even get made?' sort of production.

[@Weazel1]

This is one my all time favorite films that I pretty much know by heart. I’d love to see someone cover this movie, even if they end up eviscerating it, just for others to know it exists.

[@volodymyrbilyk555]

It is kinda weird that this movie is obscure. Perfectly watchable screwball

[@davidjames579]

What's interesting is that it was once a very anticipated film, since it was to be Lucas's first film after the Highest Grossing of all time, Best Picture Oscar nominated Star Wars. Even before Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Then it got put off. And by the time Lucas was ready to make it because Blue Screen advances meant he could create backgrounds and settings much cheaper than building them, the studios didn't think a 1930's screwball throwback film would be popular with 90's audiences. In the 70's it would have been popular, because this kind of thing was, e.g. Peter Bogdanovitch's films.

[@jasonblalock4429]

@@davidjames579 As I understand it, the FX weren't about budget so much as Lucas was using Radioland as an excuse to experiment with tech that he wanted to develop for the Prequels. He did the same thing with the Young Indiana Jones show a couple years later.

[@davidjames579]

@@jasonblalock4429 You're right, the FX was a try-out for the prequels but it was also because the studios were hesitant in the 80's about funding a film with the budget that would be needed for a Period Film. With advances, the cost came down.

[@dlobelow760]

Seeing George Lucas' work besides Star Wars is interesting as hell

[@AgsmaJustAgsma]

We can hope and pray for Andrew's review of Howard the Duck, someday.

[@VegimorphtheMovieBoy]

Same! I love American Graffiti and I watch some of his short films like The Emperor and THX-1138-4EB every so often for inspiration

[@fv2977]

Seeing George Lucas wearing anything other than his iconic flannel shirt and jeans combo is also interesting as hell.

[@Ammoniumbicarbonat]

He’s a genius in my opinion

[@jonmcinnis1645]

@@VegimorphtheMovieBoy I would like to say two words 1 I think there should be a 3rd American Graffiti film set in 1997 called New American Graffiti 2 I think think there should be a sequel to THX 1138 called THX 1138: World Beyond where it’s set immediately after the main events of the first movie where it focuses on THX’s survival on the surface and meets a group of people on the surface and joins forces with them and needs to learn and figure out what happened to the surface and encourage everybody in the underground city to return back to the surface.

[@dukecraig2402]

It was kinda wild that Bob Falfa showed up as a cop. Fun fact, the 55 Chevy that gets wrecked at the end of American Graffiti is one of the three used to film the movie Two Lane Blacktop.

[@steveschu]

Yep my dads best friend owned the 55 and the yellow car for a long time. I have a pic of me sitting in it at 5yrs old that my dad took. There’s a car magazine with the owner and my dad showing them off together on the cover.

[@dukecraig2402]

@@steveschu Your dad's friend didn't own the 55 from AG, a reproduction maybe but not the actual car. There were 3 used to film Two Lane Blacktop, two were 454 powered cars and one was a 350 powered "stunt car", it's the 350 powered stunt car that was given to Lucas to film AG, it was wrecked and then intentionally lit on fire to film the end of the movie, after that it was sent to a car crusher as is standard procedure for cars that are heavily damaged or modified during the making of a movie. The one used in AG is gone forever.

[@pacificostudios]

I've always loved the split screen and parallel storytelling in "More American Graffiti."

[@chuckdieselkicksdisks2380]

me too it compliments the psychedelia & hippie movement of New Years eve 1966

[@pacificostudios]

@@chuckdieselkicksdisks2380 - Exactly. "More American Graffiti" should be judged without reference to its more successful predecessor. Moreover, since the whole point of "American Graffiti" is that it portrays a period as the perfect moment for white Baby Boomers on the cusp of adulthood, a sequel could never simply regurgitate the earlier film. "More American Graffiti" tried to extend the original story into a period that was filled with turmoil and angst, and it's honest to its audience; it's what's written on the tin.

[@kthx1138]

It echoed Woodstock.

[@Jedizen07]

As a modern filmmaker and cinematographer, I enjoy " More American Graffiti " now than when it was first released. I think this film gets better as we grow older seeing the world around us. Lucas did say that MAG really was a case study of how America was thrusted into the Vietnam war ( around 1975, Lucas was set to direct " Heart Of Darkness " which eventually turned into " Apocalypse Now " ). There are so many amazing mythological easter eggs in MAG if you know where to look ( Lucas uses TONS of great film lore for the audiences, and yes, that includes " Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ). Great presentation. But, I feel more audiences will appreciate MAG as time goes on.

[@mickangio16]

I hope so because it has always been underappreciated. Great soundtrack just like the original, too. I really think not enough people paid attention to the movie and got confused when the timeframes were being switched. They are my two favorite movies and it has become my New Years Eve tradition to watch them both many years ago. I usually have it timed for "More" to end right around midnight. Exciting New Year's Eve for an old geezer, eh? 'S'aight. A couple drinks, my favorite movies, & I'm Hap, Hap, Happy New Year!

[@kamdan2011]

4:26 Clark was the only member of the cast of the first film to get an Oscar nomination. That may have greatly influenced her larger role in the sequel.

[@tecpaocelotl]

American graffiti, Modesto the city I was born in. I have to explain to my mom's cousins that they were extras in more America graffiti not the original American graffiti. They thought they were in deleted scenes. Lol.

[@BillytheEntertainer]

16:41 iirc Lucas wanted the first American Graffiti to have the 1-2-3-4 format as well (i vaguely recall an interview where they called it "A-B-C-D structure"), but i think the editors told him that it flowed better the way it ends up in the final film

[@archer1949]

I loved The Two Jakes. Another underrated, under appreciated sequel.

[@Clay3613]

Same, almost equal to me.

[@jonmcinnis1645]

@@Clay3613you do have a point and I think they should do a third American Graffiti movie set in 1997 called New American Graffiti.

[@AmberAge]

To be fair, as far as I'm aware (after reading 'The Cinema of George Lucas'), American Graffiti was supposed to follow the 1-2-3-4 formula as well, but that plan died on the cutting room floor.

[@santos8468]

The silver tongued dj was Wolfman Jack. A legend.

[@michaellaverty7349]

I never watched it either for those same reasons, now it seems way more interesting than I expected and you've convinced me to watch it, ironically.

[@gregwilliams3120]

I always thought Terry the Toad's ending was sadder than Milner's. The way he just quits the war and walks away, singing his heart out, into oblivion.

[@CycolacFan]

If it helps any the original script has him walking through the jungle, getting aboard a boat and living out a long life on tropical islands. they just didn’t bother filming it.

[@mickangio16]

@@CycolacFan that's how I like to think about it. Too sad to think he didn't make it.

[@CycolacFan]

@@mickangio16 was also the ending in the book, I think he opened a bar iirc.

[@mickangio16]

Thanks. I feel much better now🙂

[@1dbanner]

All that was missing was Paul Le Mat yelling, "Now THIS is pod racing!"

[@dukecraig2402]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Fun fact, the 55 Chevy that Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford) drives and gets wrecked at the end of American Graffiti is one of the three 55's used to film Two Lane Blacktop.

[@tallhair]

@@dukecraig2402 Fun fact, they used two 55 Chevys from TLBT, there were three. Allegedly the one wrecked in AG was not one of those two. At least the hero car from AG survives. The third 55 from TLBT survives. It was used in that film and also doubled as a camera car. It’s in a private collection.

[@dukecraig2402]

@@tallhair Nope, there were 3 used to make TLBT, 2 with 454 engines and a "stunt car" with a 350 SB, the only scene it was used in for TLBT was the one where they run off the road and into a field because of the crashed cars in the road when they come over a rise. It was that 350 powered stunt car used in AG, only that car neither of the 454 powered cars were in AG, and it was destroyed, after rolling it over they intentionally lit it on fire. Of the two 454 powered cars used to film TLBT one was used as the "Hero car" which had the majority of the principle photography done with the stars in it and the other 454 car was used for the drag racing scenes, aside from the extra camera mounts used on the hero car both 454 cars were built identically by a guy whose last name is Ruth, he actually has a brief cameo in the movie where he plays the mechanic at a gas station. Some years back the hero car was discovered and with the help of Ruth was returned to it's original gasser build as per the movie, there's a video here on KZbin of Jay Leno taking the car to James Taylor to look at it, Taylor had not only never seen the car again since filming but at that point had never seen the movie itself, after Leno's visit he said he was finally going to break down after all these years and watch it.

[@tallhair]

@@dukecraig2402 Another fun fact nothing you just replied disagrees with what I wrote, even though you start with “nope”. I said two or three times there were three 55s used in TLBT. I also said two of those were used in AG.

[@dukecraig2402]

@@tallhair The nope is that there weren't 2 of them used in AG, I vary specifically stated that only the 350 powered stunt car was used in AG, neither one of the 454 cars were in AG. And you claimed that the one wrecked in AG wasn't a TLBT car, it was, once again it was the 350 powered stunt car, it was the ONLY one in AG and it was wrecked at the end and then intentionally lit on fire. so yea, nope.

[@emmasmart7613]

I thought this film was pretty great. I loved the stylistic approach and found the fractured structure a really good way of representing the way the sixties fractured American society. And I've never forgotten that shot of the car disappearing.

[@TTM9691]

I completely agree. Each year of the 60s was almost like it's own decade, and if nothing else, "More American Graffiti" captures that. Plus, it's just nice to spend a little more time with these characters, especially Charlie Martin Smith's and Candy Clark's characters.

[@gussplat]

i discovered the sequel about 2 years ago, i think it's intresting & cool...a good companion to the original

[@richardlewis4288]

I loved More American Graffiti. Hey remember in American Graffiti when they chained the cop car axle to lamppost? I saw the exact same scene in Leave it to Beaver season 6. They rigged Lumpy’s car lol

[@timsopinion]

This is probably one of your best videos - just outstanding work all around here man! It's interesting to see a little more insight into Lucas' general outlook here. He does seem genuinely depressed about this movie, but his gripe is that "it made 10 cents" - indicating that, despite him obsessing over the movie and basically edging the director out of the way, his focus on commercial viability is what drives him. Thanks for putting this together.

[@keithklassen5320]

Well, that's one quote from one video, without context. Hardly his definitive statement in the matter.

[@blondiewan3331]

I think there’s more to it than just its box-office returns; the common perception of him as anything-for-a-buck notwithstanding, there are plenty of examples of him either leaving money on the table or opting to spend it on some passion project even after it’s clear it’s not going to be particularly profitable. His enduring resistance to releasing the original versions of the original Star Wars movies when he’s well aware a sizable chunk of his fan base wants them on legit Blu-rays is one example; the way he continued to work on Young Indiana Jones after its cancellation is another. I think that in the case of More American Graffiti, his lament about it making “ten cents” is a shorthand way of saying “hardly anybody bothered seeing this thing we worked hard on and did something really different with”.

[@Sabacc]

Very glad I found this video. I’m a fan of More American Graffiti in the sense that I’ll follow any trail that leads back to my beloved American Graffiti but I also see the sequel as flawed but fascinating. The review herein is fair and worth watching till the end. For those that want to go further down the rabbit hole I highly recommend the 2019 episode of The Projection Booth podcast on More American Grafitti. In addition to a long discussion about the successes and opportunities of the movie there are interviews with director Bill Norton, writer Willard Huyck, and Candy Clark who plays Debbie.

[@bucksdiaryfan]

I finally watched it last winter. I didn't think it was bad. It didn't match up to the original classic, and was disjointed and I didn't like some of the cinematography but it wasn't bad

[@kevinbarrett9615]

Very nice analysis of both movies. I am a huge fan of A.G. Saw it when it first came out and have watched it a dozen more times. It truly encompasses the experiences of many of us who lived through that time and the soundtrack is a sublime tapestry that weaves the visuals together. It is my all time favourite film.

[@That_AMC_Guy]

Dude! You answer your own question. John Milner's story 100% reflects the "Beach Party" movies at the time. 1964, Southern California, Drag Racing, Girls.... but it's also supposed to give us some emotional attachment because we are reminded that Milner dies later that night. That's the "tragedy" of his story line. Also, the 1-2-3-4 intercutting is unfortunately intentional. Test audiences did not react well to pre-release version where the intercutting was much more randomized. I believe this is what gives the movie that dragging feeling like you're watching a movie that feels much longer than it really is. I think since they had to re-edit it from scratch, some scenes are left in and run way too long without really giving us the audience any pertinent information. One thing that bothers me about Milner's story line is that RIGHT at the end, everybody suddenly remembers "Hey, what about Sven the Swedish guy that works at the snack bar?" They could have planted a few hints through-out his story that they know this dude Sven that can speak to whatever her name is but they can't find Sven. "C'mon, somebody go find Sven!" Milner would cry in anguish trying to communicate with his new love interest. That might have given the audience a little more investment as well. Oh yeah, don't forget that there's some George Lucas revisionist history at play here. In the original cut of Graffiti, Milner was killed in JUNE, 1964. This was changed for the re-release in 1978 just prior to "More" coming out so that "More" would make sense. One thing you've got to admit is that, taken as a whole, the movies compliment each other very nicely. Where as "Graffiti" leaves you on a high note, with a fairly satisfying ending; "More" brings you down, almost making you wish you could have helped these characters. After two movies, we know them well. The first move was where we were, and the second is now where we are. It's almost a tragedy unto itself; the human condition. The biggest problem is that "More" is very much a product of it's time and as time marches on, the generations who watch it have no connection to the times. They have no frame of reference as to what the world was like pre-Kennedy assassination.... they have no idea what it was like to lose a friend to street racing or drunk driving; they've certainly never been to war and never had anybody go off to fight in a pointless endeavour only to come back completely damaged or worse - in a box. They didn't live through the summer of '67 and they certainly have never experienced anything like Woodstock. The movie is 100% FOR the "Boomer" generation.

[@mickangio16]

You said that all very well.

[@dogbadger]

My Dad loved this film and taped it off the TV - it was influential and I watched it many times - it's a masterpiece. My favourite part is Green onions as the cars line up at sunrise before the race - it's that transition from 50s rock n roll to funky, 12 bar 60s blues.

[@michaelterry6143]

I LOVE American Graffiti. It is also one of my top five favorite films. “More American Graffiti” is not a bad film just as long as you don’t make the sequel responsible for being of the same caliber. If it wasn’t a sequel then “More American Graffiti” wouldn’t have gotten so much flack. American Graffiti was beautifully low budget and I love it. There is even a historical film flub in one of the shots in your video At 8:20 the car on the left has a California blue & white license plate that was not issued until ‘69 or 1970.

[@starkingbiker]

i freaking love american graffiti, probably my favorite lucas film.

[@TTM9691]

Absolutely. Me, too, hands down.

[@petergriffin355]

Glad to see you back so soon! Saw the 1st one on my bday during the beginning of the pandemic last year

[@SteveTheFazeman]

I truly enjoyed More of American Graffiti and have it sitting next to American Graffiti. Both in VHS 📼 format.😎

[@mickangio16]

I have them both in VHS and disc.

[@fartzinwind]

I grew up watching American Graffiti because my dad loved it. We were part of a classic car club, it had every major actor who was or would be from the time. It had everything... there was a sequel?

[@DarthEd77]

Man, I really like The Two Jakes, especially. I like Texasville and 2010, too. I guess I've been able to compartmentalize my appreciation of these sequels from their more impressive original films.

[@jennifersman7990]

Right! I thought 2 Jakes took Nicholson’s character in a fascinating direction

[@derekdexheimer3070]

Beautiful visuals, stellar writing. I love these thoughtful, visually engaging essays.

[@casperchristiansen2458]

"Wierdest and wildest sequel." Must be those book sequels to "Willow" writen by Lucas and Chris Clairmont.

[@volodymyrbilyk555]

Always wondered what were they like. Anything worthwhile?

[@casperchristiansen2458]

@@volodymyrbilyk555 I haven't read them, but they seem like what they wanted to do but couldn't in a film format. If you find any at the library, try it.

[@coreyroberson4550]

@@volodymyrbilyk555 I read the first one as a kid and never read further. Aside from some self-plagiarism ("Willow Ufgood, now that's a name I haven't heard in a very long time."), it murders major characters off-screen. I hated it. Sometimes you have to remember that good stories deserve to end.

[@kamdan2011]

They’re only worth it if you want to read about the characters from the first film only appearing in the first chapter then suddenly being wiped out completely and respawned as different characters.

[@owlyus]

This feels a lot like how I feel about the prequels, perhaps maybe in reverse. Great concepts and themes muddled by the execution.

[@nigelpollard1304]

I had completely forgotten that this even existed and never seen it, even though I've watched American Graffiti countless times. I really enjoyed these insights, and I'm now determined to watch it!

[@ThomasDeLello]

I loved MAG because I have a lot of good memories at local drag strips in the early 1960's.

[@asaking5795]

Honestly, I liked More American Graffiti. It has it's flaws but it was pretty entertaining

[@TTM9691]

Me, too.

[@GjpgrD]

So if Richard Dreyfuss had signed up, what do you think his storyline would have been? I always imagined that he would have been the one protesting & heading to Canada in the end, while the Bolanders were written into that later. Little bro Andy was a poor substitute.

[@visaman]

Spoiler Alert: Kurt did move to Canada to evade the Draft. It was mentioned at the end of the original. I assumed he was the one who wrote the screenplay.

[@wesleycook7687]

@@visaman Possibly, but neither Curt or Toad would have been drafted anyway. If they were the only surviving sons. Curt did have a sister but I don't think it counted. Besides, Curt went to college and then to Canada. Poor Toad was like every poor kid. He was drafted apparently.

[@budblankenship4686]

​@@wesleycook7687 The "sole surviving son" exemption was only used if all your male siblings died in combat. Was not exempt from draft or deployment if you were simply an only son.

[@BugsyFoga]

“JarJar is the key to all this “ - George Lucas

[@richardhart9204]

LOL! ... was just about to drop the same quote.

[@megapants444]

Until Copola convinced him to cut it out of the film to save time, Jar-Jar was going to be the fifth storyline in American Graffiti

[@chefskiss6179]

That was quite wonderful, thank you for that. I was in the same boat, but now I really do want to sit down and view it.

[@cashdavenport6822]

How has this not been taken down the second they noticed there was a beatles song?

[@davidjames579]

Didn't know there's a second American Graffiti? Did you know there's a third one? Well, sort of. French Postcards (1979) is written by Grafitti's scribes Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz and is similar in feel but about American college students in Paris, looking for the life of the artist and grown up love.

[@blondiewan3331]

Radioland Murders is a totally different kind of movie (more so than American Graffiti and More American Graffiti are from one another), but it’s actually a prequel; Roger and Penny Henderson are intended to be the parents of Curt and Laurie Henderson, and like American Graffiti, it does have as one of its themes the shifting role of radio on the 20th century American cultural landscape. And it, too, has Huyck and Katz collaborating with Lucas.

[@davidjames579]

@@blondiewan3331 That's an interesting observation. Maybe there is a Lucasverse? Club Obi-Wan in Temple Of Doom after all.

[@edgarcardiel157]

OH MY GOD THIS IS EXACTLY THE SAME EXACT THING I JUST WENT THROUGH. i love AG and when i saw the sequel i knew its challenge my love dream w the orginal

[@kowalski5599]

More American Graffiti is a tough watch, but there are some gems in there, that final shot of Milner's yellow deuce crossing those hills at dawn to meet it's fate might be one of my favorite shots of all time.

[@libertines24]

havent seen this video yet but really hope its about more American graffiti. One of my all time favorite films. Gotta be one of the most experimental hollywood films ever. The editing, the split screens, the cross cutting, what's not to like?

[@libertines24]

also not sure if you have seen staying alive or Texasville, but you should check those out. Love all these weird sequels that have almost nothing to do with the original and take these huge swings. In an era where every sequel is studio mandated to feel like like the previous film, it's so cool to watch these sequels to 70s classics and just be weird.

[@karlkarlos3545]

@@libertines24 Who are you? The ghost of Armond White?

[@libertines24]

@@karlkarlos3545 No, but critical consciousness with art has always rubbed me the wrong way. Why is something objectively bad because a bunch of critics deem it that way? Armond White is an interesting writer but a shitty person, but I like that he has a different opinion from most mainstream critics As for me I'm probably a little middle of the road. I like critically acclaimed stuff like Taxi Driver, ET, shawshank redemption, etc. I just also enjoy movies that do radically different things like Staying Alive with it's extended montages, More American Graffiti with its storytelling devices or Texasville's... Well I'm just a peter bogdanovich fan boy so I enjoy all his works.

[@richcar3434]

For some reason, the only thing that I really didn't like about this movie, was seeing Bo Hopkins "ex Pharoh" character take that bullet in the chest....it really crushed my soul...but, I guess that was the director's goal...so, mission accomplished.

[@ReallyCoolSite]

I loved the 2nd movie for the Vietnam and racing sequences. The college protest stuff and all that yelling is easily skipped when I rewatch. Toad's story especially resonated with me. But I'm a child of the time.

[@oskar_oskarewicz]

For what it is, a sequel to the iconic, highly influential and arguably perfect movie, More American Graffiti is a solid and ambitious flick. I really liked it, sure it has it's problems, but I really liked it. It was a tuff watch knowing that 2 characters are going to die. Luckily we get some surprise to cheer us up a bit. It's a pitty Dreyfuss is not back. To be honest it's my only real issue with the movie.

[@ForceMaximus84]

I think this and the Disney Star Wars trilogy proves that Lucas taking on sequels, even when they don’t completely work, are more interesting and compelling than corporate attempts at continuing the story.

[@krisinsaigon]

THERE'S A SEQUEL TO AMERICAN GRAFFITI?!?!?!?!?!? I need to see this

[@ltlbuddha]

The STYLE of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the least of its sins It would be interesting to view Lucas' work as an editor, especially given the story of his original edit of the original Star Wars film

[@Mokkari77]

It wasnt his original edit, it was the edit of a British editor John Jympson.

[@ltlbuddha]

@@Mokkari77 How much Jympson is responsible is a question, but Lucas felt good enough to screen it. It was the reaction at the screenings that caused Lucas to find better people (Richard Chew, Paul Hirsch and Marcia Lucas)

[@Mokkari77]

@@ltlbuddha His edit was bad enough that Lucas got Marcia, Hirsch and Chew to edit the movie The bad reaction at the screening was due to the special effects not being finished with old WW2 movie footage in place of shots, the sound effects not yet put in(and Darth Vader sounding like Bristol David Process) and the score not completed. It wasnt scene arrangement that people thought was bad. DePalma was making fun of Leia's hairstyle.

[@SirBlackReeds]

Or is it?

[@nineleafclover]

@@ltlbuddha It's not in question. Lucas was literally filming in Tunisia while Jympson was editing the footage in England. It would have been physically impossible for George to have been significantly involved. It was upon returning to London from Tunisia that Lucas first viewed Jympson's footage and found it unacceptable, which spurred him to bring Marcia, Richard Chew, and Paul Hirsch on board to help him edit the movie himself. Jympson was fired before the vast majority of principal photography had even occurred. His cut was never even close to complete, and it was never screened for anybody except George himself. The infamous screening you're thinking of was the cut that Marcia, Chew, and Hirsch worked on. That was the cut that got the bad reaction from Lucas's friends, and at that point Marcia had already left to work on a Scorsese film. The final cut was completed by George with the remaining two editors. Most people believe the false narrative you've repeated because there's a very popular video on here called "How Star Wars was saved in the edit" that gets the timeline completely wrong and fails to note any of this. One of the sources they cite for their video, J.W. Rinzler's The Making of Star Wars, readily explains everything I've just told you. The people who made that video either did not actually read the book or are deliberately misleading their audience.

[@lordofthemound3890]

In my “head canon,” Dreyfus’s character’s story (Kurt) is told in the film Stand by Me.

[@sondo_nation9592]

Thanks for your review, I love your videos and American Graffiti is my favorite movie of all time. Despite the negativity surrounding it, I enjoyed More American Graffiti for what it was including the interesting film-making. Sure it seems like an unnecessary movie since it kind of undermines the prologue credits of the first film, but it does still have some chilling moments. I'm glad to have watched it but otherwise I just consider the original as a stand alone piece. Overall, I think your analysis is on point!

[@stevenmcd4741]

This movie really swung for the fences to try and do something different with a sequel. It could have just as easily been set on the same night in 1964 or whatever, and everyone is back in town for some reason. Or worse, a completely different cast on THEIR last night of the summer. Like you said, it doesn't always work, but it was definitely elevated beyond a cash grab. Unlike, say, Jaws 2, which is literally just more of the same, but worse, also minus Richard Dreyfus.

[@JJSmithMedia]

I caught it when it was on Netflix for a brief moment. While it was unnecessary, I enjoyed it largely cause I enjoyed the characters. Harrison Ford's cameo as a cop made it worth the viewing!

[@SoulStylistJukeBox]

I'm very fond of this film. Most audiences during '79 moaned that the structure of the film made it difficult to follow. Sigh.

[@mbryson2899]

I was born in '64. I enjoyed American Graffiti, but More American Graffiti resonated a lot more. I grew up with body counts on the news, Nixon, the Oil Embargo. The world was devolving for my generation. Just that junkyard scene, with five year old cars stacked on other five year old cars, fit for nothing but scrap, illustrated how my people were left with just casually discarded scraps. Melancholy turned into exhausted nihilism for many of us. Plus it was far better than Star Wars Episode 1.

[@rawtoonage8780]

1:19 I love how you managed to capturee the film's insanity within this small montage

[@ethansloan]

I know this would be a huge undertaking, but you should really do a video about The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles someday. Talk about an interesting, uneven, often beautiful, sometimes cheesy Lucas project. The absolutely crazy round-the-world film shoot that I'd say wasn't matched until Sense8, the feature-film re-edits, the non-chronological release schedule of a full-planned story, the possibly needless CGI experimentation, it's a lot to unpack.

[@thomasficorilli259]

Everyone has their own opinion and I don't need anyone to tell me what I like and don't like. I thought that the sequel was just as good as the original.

[@howlinginsburg7412]

I can't believe you featured this film. I have to admit to seeing it in the theater , I must have been about 11 years old. Based on my memories of the movie , your assessment of its strengths and weaknesses are right on the money. It's a wonderful mess.

[@chuckdieselkicksdisks2380]

cool, would be neat to see on the big screen

[@mickangio16]

Mess? I don't see it that way.

[@bayouradio]

Really enjoyed this. I actually saw MAG in theater at the time when I was way too young to get any of it and grew up thinking it was that terrible sequel to a great movie. Rewatched the original this weekend and decided "what the hell?" and put on the sequel. By the end, I wasn't suddenly on the "secret masterpiece" team, but admired it for being the swing that it is. They're trying something in a way you don't see with IP handling anymore and you see the glimmers of the "weird, smaller films" Lucas always said he would make if he wasn't so weighed down with his franchises. I never totally bought that from Lucas, but this shows that spirit in there, even if the box office of this probably smothered any future adventurism in the crib. But there's a lot going on on in this one and I now have a new affection for it.

[@alanbedford2007]

Very good comments! I had always assumed that a sequel to A.G. would have brought the characters up to date, that is, the year when the sequel was to be made, in order to know what are they doing today, and how they are reacting to the changes. But only going up to 1967 was neither here nor there. And most people who liked A.G. did not like the culture of the late 60s, which is why A.G. was such a success

[@TheReubenKincaid]

Could be due to Milner dying, The Toad being MIA…Doesn’t leave much, even though I like to think the Toad made it back.

[@robertjewell9727]

Interesting study. Paul told me that the original conxept was a movie just about John Milner, but it was of course expanded. The Milner story in More... is the only one I think that really works and I didn't find his relationship with the Icelandic girl silly, but narratively a character widening his narrow horizons. I'm going to share this with Paul if that's cool. He may have a comment to make about it.

[@gordonhaire9206]

I never pay attention to critics. I enjoyed "More American Graffiti" as much as the original.

[@DanyTV79]

This type of video is what I suscribed to this channel in the first place, simply amazing thought food!

[@cheddarcheese7928]

Kinda strange back then the way Ron Howard and Cindy Williams always seemed stuck in 1950’s roles..

[@michaelterry6143]

TRIVIA: The amazingly gorgeous, non English speaking, Icelandic exchange student was played by Anna Bjorn 17:56 . She was the one who gave the FBI information that led to gangster and fugitive Whitey Bulger's capture

[@mctheplaywright]

I genuinely believe that if you cut the Steve and Laurie section, you’d have an okay epilogue that would play well with the first film. Three stylistic retellings of how the new world affects these characters. Steve and Laurie just don’t feel rooted like the rest. Without them you have a tight 80 minute streamer. Better yet, in a world where they could get Dreyfuss back to play Curt, you could slip in a fourth section that actually works. Tying the film together with soft reflection on the people and time lost, with a writer trying to write about the world of the first film. Trying to remember where (and who) he was in 62

[@jmalmsten]

As someone who spends an unhealthy amount of time thinking about the boxes that movies are presented in... I now have to watch this film I just assumed was a cash geab with noone from the original team participating.

[@StevenRLegge]

Caught MAG on TV late one night in the late 90's. It's the one film with Lucas' name on it that matches his oft-mentioned hopes to make more interesting experimental movies. It's not bad, it's just really different and the splitscreen stuff made TV a presentation, where it could have gained a cult fanbase, pretty difficult.

[@blondiewan3331]

He actually has a ton of such experimental stuff that he’s done, just mostly as an executive producer on other people’s movies (which is technically the case even with this one, though of course as detailed here, he was more hands-on that the credits might suggest… which only stands to reason, as it’s a sequel to not just a movie he created, but his most autobiographical, personal work). But More American Graffiti aside, there’s also Twice Upon a Time, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, Latino, Powaqqatsi, and on and on. He’s actually helped bring a lot of stuff to screens that’s miles from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Willow.

[@gymshoe7123]

Now I'm gonna have to see this movie. I am intrigued by the insights of this video.

[@Tacom4ster]

I like Lucas biography book, read for weeks at a bookstore because I was so cheap

[@orangehoof]

If More American Graffiti seems like a chaotic mess, it's because the later 1960s was a chaotic mess. The 1950s had stability and order to society. Men were men. Women were women. The divorce rate went way down in the '50s and everyone pursued a steady job and a safe home in the suburbs with good public schools. The later 1960s had assassinations, riots, counterculture, drugs, etc and the kids from the first movie with their teen angst had to grow up fast among the uncertainty and chaos of the new society. It's not meant to be a happy movie like the first one. There was real death, real homelessness and real fracture from the institutions they once depended on. While the movie wasn't a financial success, it was the message contrasting 1962 to 1968 that is the movie's main premise and I think they did that well.

[@mickangio16]

Well said, indeed.

[@waynevia6976]

More American Graffiti is one of my favorite movies. I watch it every new years eve. Paul le mat as john millner is my favorite character in the movie. John millner's story is my favorite in the movie. It has a lot of great music in it.

[@mickangio16]

Yeah, maan. My New Year's Eve tradition, too, brother😁

[@afonsolucas2219]

I had the notion that this film had no redeeming qualities. A cheap sequel. What you showed here was a flawed movie for sure but an interesting one. Having loved every character from the first one, being able to accompany some in their last moments (John really was my favorite now that I think about it besides Kurt) seeing that whole sequence beautifully shot like Grand Prix... that ending. I gotta pop it in sometime and give it a go. There’s always something to enjoy or to learn

[@nicklyskawa3504]

Your channel is wildly underrated

[@yournamehere6002]

I like MORE AMERICAN GRAFFITI, even if it isn't quite as good. The changing film stocks and aesthetics make it memorable and compelling.

[@colinstewart7722]

The original Graffiti is without doubt my favourite film of all time. Ive watched it regularly since i was in my teens. More i've watched only once , and while it has its plus points and i cant say its a bad movie, i just dont feel any desire to watch it again

[@scottbain1383]

I thought it was an excellent movie using the Woodstock split screen style. Milner's story was the best, even if it was slow. The girl from "Eess-lind" really melted my heart.

[@scottshea4681]

Excellent analysis. I feel the same way about the film. I do like it. It's very interesting, but wild and weird. American Graffiti is my favorite movie of all time. Nothing will surpass it. Lucas set the stage for the eventual sequel at the end when we find out the fate of the characters. There's such a disparity in our minds between the 1950s and 1960s. The former represents youthful innocence while the latter represents gritty reality, and many of us prefer innocence. But, the 1960s happened and these characters had to face it. I think it was well done in that regard, but a far cry from the charm of the original. Just a note on the subplot of Milner being stuck with the Icelandic girl who can't speak English. You said it sounds like a plot point in a beach movie. That was the movie style the drag racing scenes were going for, so it makes perfect sense that they'd throw something like that in there.

[@TimHunold]

Where this ends the big chill begins if you think about it

[@DS-gg1pb]

I have More American Graffiti on a double feature DVD. The DVD also has American Graffiti. I have the original soundtrack to More American Graffiti on a double vinyl record set, includes a More American Graffiti promo bumper sticker, a British import cassette tape of the More American Graffiti original soundtrack, a framed promo only vinyl picture disc of the More American Graffiti original soundtrack. I also have a book that has the stories to both films. I like more American Graffiti than the original. I watch More American Graffiti Every New Years Eve.

[@valmarsiglia]

Lucas saying "You _can_ destroy these things." LOL!

[@Zerinsakech]

No you're right, Kingdom of crystal skull was totally a 1950's B movie! I never thought of it that way. Either by mistake or on purpose. That makes it much more watchable.

[@jackdonohue7893]

1:18 and it’s actually a pretty good movie.

[@tomgeorge7316]

9:54 A reference to George Lucas' first movie THX 1138 is right here.

[@fartzinwind]

I got my girlfriend to watch Explorers last year for the first time. It ends a little wonky but it's one of the best journeys.

[@starkingbiker]

Andrew, you should tackle “Twice Upon A Time” ! A very much forgotten gem!

[@ezpz4333]

Thx for covering this, lot of content I haven’t seen

[@wtk6069]

Ironically, Lucas' best career work might just be his student version of THX-1138, which is maybe the best student film in history.

[@kamdan2011]

It suffers from the same problem all of George Lucas‘ work does: style over substance.

[@clydekimsey7503]

Sorry, it bored me

[@kamdan2011]

@@clydekimsey7503 Exactly. It’s way too obsessed with the environment. I remember watching the film for the first time on VHS and it was totally incomprehensible. “WHAT’S WRONG?” “WHAT’S WRONG?”