The Pre-emptive American Graffiti Directors Cut thread

Cafe Society
1

I figure any day now Lucas will re-release American Graffiti as the Super Special Digitally Remastered Directors Cut DVD - with added scenes he “couldn’t shoot at the time because of limited technology”

After seeing the new-new first 3 Star Wars and THX1138, I think we all know what to expect from ol’ George by now. We might as well get this thread over with early.

Eeerm.

I thought the colour correction and audio remaster was wonderful. It really brought that film back to life. The added bass tones on the engines rumbled the house.

That said, I didn’t quite understand a few things.

  1. Everytime a car drove by and the camera stopped for a moment showing nothing but the sidewalk, why did Lucas digitally insert little raccons doing a Three Stooges routine - bonking each other on the head, falling over, etc. Do raccons really make that “wrrrrooooooo” sound?

  2. I don’t remember Wolfman Jack making Wookie sounds over the radio in the first release. Is this new?

  3. Replacing Terry ‘The Toad’ Fields with a digitally animated frog was a bit much.

  4. Did they really drag race Land Speeders in the 50’s?

2

I hate how he digitally replaced all the classic cars with their modern styled remakes. That’s really taking product placement too far, George.

And Richard Dreyfuss’s character shooting first? What was that all about? Totally ruins the character development if you ask me.

Oh, and was that Jabba the Hutt and Boba Fett I saw in the background? What were they doing in the picture? Is Lucas next going to rub his crayons all over More American Graffitti?

I bet that he’s planning a prequel to the films. God, that’ll suck.

3

There already was one. Two, sort of. They were called “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Happy Days”. :smiley:

4

I bet it’s on the drawing board right now.

5

What does everyone think of the decision to replace the rock ‘n’ roll songs on the soundtrack with John Williams orchestral fanfares?

6

The decision to replace the gang members of the Pharos with animated gremlins is a bad move, IMHO.
Hey! I was in a gang just like that, the Kings. That part of the movie was dead-on. The animated gremlins just don’t do it for me.

7

Plus: Cindy Williams in the intergallactic bikini and the cinnamon buns hairstyle.

Minus: Darth Vader in the white T-Bird.

8

Hey! I like Gremlins, admittedly they’re not as cool as an AMX or even a Pacer, but AMCs are decent cars, despite their bad rap.

Wha?

9

AMX? Pacer? Them ain’t shit compaired to that deuce coupe in Graffiti!

10

Ah, yes, but Lucas, has CGI’d that out and replaced it with a Volvo station wagon, since he doesn’t want to encourage kids to go drag racing in high performance cars anymore.

11

What are you talking about? The Wolfman isn’t even there in the Special Edition. He’s been replaced by a much more elaborate computer-generated DJ, like George always intended.

12

I did like the digitally re-done explosion of Falfa’s chevy at the end of the race. Cool shock wave.

13

I’d actually be happy if he did 1 CGI mod: replace Suzanne Summers as the Blonde in the T-Bird with someone who didn’t go on to make “She’s the Sheriff” and Thighmaster commercials. Don’t even have to do any voice dubbing.

14

Yeah, the one in the old version of the movie wasn’t even a real wolfman.

15

I hear he plans to digitally replace all the dragster engines with walkie-talkies.

16

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Wolfman Jack now looks like a mixture between C3PO and the cops in THX1138.

You know, there was another head-scratcher. Why did all the girls at the drive in now have Gungen accents?

“He-sa you hambaburger meesa Curt-sa sir”