American Graffiti
Sixties cruising film
American Graffiti is a 1973 film directed by George Lucas, set in early 1960s California and following teenagers on a single night of cruising, romance, and rock-and-roll.
The film's nostalgic portrayal of pre-Vietnam America and its wall-to-wall oldies soundtrack helped launch the 1950s revival of the 1970s.
Its title evokes the ephemeral markings of youth culture—car culture, diner culture, the radio hits that defined a generation.
- 1973Early seventies date
- coming-of-ageYouth becoming adulthood
- soundtrackMusic accompanying visual media
- cruisingMoving at relaxed pace
teenagers · small-town · drag racing · Richard Dreyfuss · Ron Howard · Harrison Ford · diner · drive-in theater
Youth becoming adulthood
- teenagersPeople aged thirteen to nineteen
- high schoolUpper secondary institution
- rebellionDefiance of established power
- innocenceFreedom from wrongdoing
friendship · identity · dating · cruising · rites of passage · growing up · adolescence · uncertainty
Moving at relaxed pace
- drag racingStraight-line acceleration contest
- customizedAdapted to specific requirements
- deuce coupeCustomized 1932 Ford roadster
- flame decalsDecorative fire imagery stickers
chrome · convertibles · roadsters · souped-up · street racing · cherry · hot rods · muscle cars
Rhythm-heavy fifties pop
- jukeboxCoin-operated music player
- oldiesNostalgic popular songs
- Buddy HollyFifties rock-and-roll pioneer
- Beach BoysSurf rock vocal group
Bill Haley · Fats Domino · Chuck Berry · doo-wop · AM radio · Sixteen Candles · surf rock
Four-digit date
- innocence lostEnd of naivety
- bygone eraPeriod no longer current
- memoriesStored past experiences
- golden agePeriod of peak prosperity
oldies · yesteryear · retrospection · wistfulness · sentimentality · halcyon days · simpler times · baby boomers
George Lucas
- 1973Early seventies date
- coming-of-ageYouth becoming adulthood
- soundtrackMusic accompanying visual media
cruising · teenagers · small-town · drag racing · Richard Dreyfuss · Ron Howard · Harrison Ford · diner · drive-in theater · high school
coming-of-age
Youth becoming adulthood
- teenagersPeople aged thirteen to nineteen
- high schoolUpper secondary institution
- rebellionDefiance of established power
innocence · friendship · identity · dating · cruising · rites of passage · growing up · adolescence · uncertainty · future
cruising
Moving at relaxed pace
- drag racingStraight-line acceleration contest
- customizedAdapted to specific requirements
- deuce coupeCustomized 1932 Ford roadster
flame decals · chrome · convertibles · roadsters · souped-up · street racing · cherry · hot rods · muscle cars · lowered
rock and roll
Rhythm-heavy fifties pop
- jukeboxCoin-operated music player
- oldiesNostalgic popular songs
- Buddy HollyFifties rock-and-roll pioneer
Bill Haley · Beach Boys · Fats Domino · Chuck Berry · doo-wop · AM radio · Sixteen Candles · surf rock
1962
Four-digit date
- innocence lostEnd of naivety
- bygone eraPeriod no longer current
- memoriesStored past experiences
golden age · oldies · yesteryear · retrospection · wistfulness · sentimentality · halcyon days · simpler times · baby boomers · reminiscence
- 70s CinemaThe Godfather, Star Wars, Taxi Driver, Chinatown, Apocalypse Now
- 1973Watergate, oil crisis, Roe v Wade, Yom Kippur War, Skylab
- Ensemble FilmsThe Breakfast Club, Love Actually, Nashville, Grand Hotel, The Royal Tenenbaums
American GraffitiStar Wars
Iconic space fantasy franchise
Blade Runner · science fiction · space opera · A Clockwork Orange · Metropolis
American GraffitiThe Terminator
Futuristic mechanical assassin
Nineteen Eighty-Four · Children of Men · futurism · science fiction · Soylent Green
American GraffitiApocalypse Now
Vietnam War epic
Taxi Driver · The Deer Hunter · Coming Home · Easy Rider · disillusionment
graffiti, America, American, Americans, Americana, Americanize, Americanized, Americanizing, Americanization