pWednesday, September 1 2, 1 9 7 3TE MHIADAL THE MICHIGAN DAILY.. Page Five PQge Five 'Graffiti' By CHUCK BLOOM As a student would have said back in 1962, George Lucas' American Graffiti is a "boss" movie. Man, it's. the ginchiest! W it h ouit a doubt, Amer- ican Graffiti (Fox Village Thea- tre is the best movie yet for 1973. It is a study of an era, ignored by most historians, which most of us have heard about but few remember.. Cars were king, ,and songs were made for dancing, and you held your girl tight in the back seat of a '57 Chevy. It was a time of non-commit- ment when being a high school stud was more important than political involvement. It was an era for having fun. A MLR I CA N GRAFFITI recounts the last "big night" of the summer for four guys in a small California coastal town, perhaps Modesto. Through ac- tion spanning a 12-hour period, the viewer is introduced to the entire panorama of the late fifties and' early Sixties: the greaser king, -the head cheerleader-class president romance, the cars, the strip, and above all, the music. The music of the Sixties is. an integral part of the movie. The soundtrack is a sii-ulated radio Sbroadcast featuring %V1lfm -a r Jack, who even make; token appearance. Songs are not chos- en at random. Well placed in the film, the songs hold spec,,ific tmeanings in the Sixties c,:l_:reI W~hile one of the charactets hot-wires a car, a menacing fig- ure approaches to the sound of "Mello, baaaaaaabv!'' from Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace." When the big high school romance threatens to break up, reconcilia)- tion is attempted through't;e Skyliners' "Since I D~on't Tve You." Booker T. and theMG' "Green Onions''. is a bad- ass Sares ~ s; t f E' ,r' / 2. r {n tA toresl iclowvs a had-ass Yet I>rcti'Lu'cas does an c~ci~at jb o editing and di- ut g Otat the plot and the f' of musi never becomes Th sor,, revolves around Gust, i;i -db ~card Dreyfuss, and his :: cli, whether to leave fari enFirn college in the I )e fu.sterns in a sensitive pcrorr:Ine o a kid who is al- \, 3 [1usunganelusive dream, ei~hc a fture outside of his b'~nr~wnor a nmysterious blonde cruising the local strip in a '56 T-Bird. Curt's, friends also face typical high school dilemmas. Paul, for instance, (played by Ronny Ho- ward who you may remember as Obie in the old 'Andy Griffith show) the class president, and Laurie, the head cheerleader, have a lover's spat. Toad, portrayed a;s a totally inept loser byChri Martin White, attempts to score with a blonde lush. And John Milner (Paul Le- Mat) reigns as the king of the strip. LeMa~t turns in the film's finest portrayal as the child lost in his times. lie is the true philosopher of the film: "I remember five years ago when it took one tank of gas and two hours to complete the circuit . . ." Milner says. "I don't dig that isurfin' shit. Music has gonez downhill ever since ruddy Holly died." While cruising around torn in a car described as "a cross between piss yellow and puke -green," Milner picks up a car- worshipping teeny-hopper played by 12-year-old McKenzie Phillips (daughter of John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas). '1h ovie climaxes, as it al- " nay diba~them Frith the. de iniilad th~e faster out- l ' . sidt',whopossibly symibolizes a dawingera. But illogical fate _ decrees tht Mzilner stay on top, . .. iW t4 *,t0 though he re' lizes his time has Io l :n d , Il. ort, the- them e of A m eri- can Gaffiti ca n be summed up 1 b;v M ilner's sta tement, "I don't want to leuvic here - I'm having too muach fun'.'' The more you think about the film, the "heavier" it will seem. I# r'' ::':^ But you won't want to analyze ; :**..\lt it. Yo Mlijst i' t to have fun r t l>Ftt wa ltchn it-thke kind of fun they A l' '" : a- ' . 1 , H had Back 'fhen: ..... k Directed by Ernst Lubitsch, 1 933. With Frederick March, Gory Cooper, Miriam Hopkins, Edward Everett Horton. The' last word in sophisticated comedy. A Ben Hecht screen play from Noel Coward's daring play about a writer, a painter, and the woman who lives with both of them. "No sex," sh. says with a wink,. Directed with the famed,.Lubitsch touch. SHORT: THE FLOOR WALK ER: Charlie Chaplin. cinqma u. ARCHITECTURE ADgORUil ADMI1SSI ON.:$ r ~THIS WEEK! -WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY ONLY: 1iht Zone Festiva~l 8 HOURS FROM THE TELEVISION SERIES -4 PROGRAMS-ALL DIFFERENT- WEV _D NESDAY, SEPT. 12--7 p.m.-Program No. 1, 9 p.m.-Program No. 2 TH iURSDA'Y, SEPT. 13-7 p.m.--Program No. 3, 9 p.m.-Program No. 4 Ceporate admission, '$1 for each program, Special double-ticket for an evening, $1 .75 A R TD Do 'l. Pharo by TERRY McCARTHY Mime at the Ark Jango Edwards 'and Nola Rae per last night. The troupe is from Lon weekend. Lv. tonight e6:00247wews * 9 Andy Griftith 50, Gilligan's Island 56 Takig Better Pictures 6:30 CBS News 4 NBC News 7 ABC News 9 1 Dream of Jeannie 50 Hogan's Heroes 56 Guten Tag Wei Gehi's 6:45 56 German Film 7:00 2 Truth or Consequenes 4 News 7 To Tell the Truth 9 Beverly Hillbillies 50 Mission Impossible 56 Vince Lomnbardi Science and Art of Football 7:30 2 What's My Line? 4 Sale of the Century 7 Wait Till Your Father Gets Home 9 Bewitched 56 Consumer Game 8:00 2 Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour 4 Adam-12 7 Love Thy Neighbor 9 Ian Tyson 50 Night Gallery 56 Narukami The Thunder God- Drama rform in "Chairs" as part of -the indon, England and has made one 8:30 4 MovieM "I1 the Heat of the Night," 7 Movie 9 Nears 50 Merv Griffin 9:00 2 Cannon 9 Pro Football 9:30 56 Man Builds, Man Destroys 10:00 7 Owen Marshall 50 Perry Mason 56 Homnewood 11:00 2 47 News 50 One Step Beyond 11:30 2 Movie "Hunters, Are for Killing" (1970) 4 Johnny Carson 7 TV Times 9 CBC News 50 Movie "Secret Agent of Japan" (1942) 12:00 9 Movie "Dead Heat on a Merry-Go- Round" (1966) 1:00 4 7 News "Bullfighter and the Lady." (1951) 3:00 2 Mayberry R.F.D. 3: 30 2 News wcbn 7:00 The Morning Show 9:00 Rock 12:00 Progressove 3:00 Folk/Rock/Progressive 6:00 News/Sports/Comment 6:30 Talkback 7:30 Jazz/Blues 11:00 Progressive 3:00 Signoff "Friends Roads Show" mime tro. ' ppnhc at the Ark at 6:30 earlier, appearance in Ann Arbor a the lus and Jazz Festival last ART EXHIBIT-Lantern G' ilryOiI a one-man exhibition of Jean Weinbaum's Wat.ercofors,, and oils today with a reception for the artist from 7 to 9 toui lt. FILM-Ann Arbor Film Co-op esntTwlid Zone Fes-. tival at 7 and 9 tonight ii And. AA_ el Cinema Guild is showing Lubitch's i , in urIiv=n~ in Arch. Aud. at 7 and 9:05 tonight. The ew orl Fim Co-op presents Hill's Slaughterhouse ive i ,3 ML at 7:30 and 9:30 tonight as well asAlcin odead in Aud. 4 MLB tonight at 7:30 and9:. .'NEXT MONDAY, Sept. 17th--Hello Dolly, in 4 track sound, TUE SDAY, Sept: 18th--Filmore, in 4 track sound W^EDNESDAY, Sept. 1 9th--Fellini's Satyricon* THURSDAY,,Sept. 20th-Fellini's Night-of Cabirio" Presented in cooperation with Cinema Guild's Fellini Festival Sept. 25-30th ALLte E S .,OWI NGS IN AUDITORIUM "A" ANGELL HALL f s fr anl ol each evenings performances on sale outside the auditorium at 6 px.m -14 NOW FORMIN SIGN UP UNION LANES I INDI "'DUBLS Open 11a m orn S . 1 pY ISuh 1 NEW WORLD FILM COOP-presents- 42 . j .rf 44lA ~ IV, a F v f~l Y , Thi biare c1O / "'7." * IN KURT VON NEGUT'S * SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE Winner 2972 Canniies Film Festival-Jury prize and award. "One of the most daring, original, and totally fascinating pictures ever mnade." -Rex Reed II y (Wed.-Natural Sciene Aud4., :ur. :..cn n~oqsAud.?I