I saw this movie on theatrical release and just watched it again last night, I think for the first time since 1973. There are many reasons why this film worked so well. We can put aside all the obvious ones, like the craftsmanship, the casting, a fun plot with a twist or two, and a good script. And of course the music and the cars, a great vibe. Because it's a look-back, it can never be dated.
But in 1973, when norms were being broken, sometimes just for the sake of breaking them, how could a movie about a period in America that by then was derided as square or cornball be such a success? Nostalgia is part of it, but certainly the recognition that, in retrospect, epochal change was coming to America in many forms (cultural, political, social, economic) plays a part. 1973 was close to a nadir in the US. The Vietnam War wasn't over; Watergate was in full swing; the economy was floundering; the first gas/oil crisis hit, and American companies were being beaten badly by Japanese competition. When I think back to my high school days in the mid-seventies, my memories are in black and white, and everything seemed in decay.
I'm sure not everyone felt as much pessimism and ennui but the rewind this film presented allowed moviegoers to escape back to what felt like a simpler, happier time. It also didn't hurt that the characters were all pretty relatable. We could see some of ourselves in just about any of the characters. Interestingly, Lucas struggled to write the Steve-Laurie couple, who represent the squarest and safest of them all.
The ending provides an appealing flip, and life goes on and not everything is resolved. And then come the title cards and we learn that life doesn't always go on, even for the young and the strong. It's Lucas' "Ode on a Grecian Urn." And you leave the theater and are out of a reverie.
But in 1973, when norms were being broken, sometimes just for the sake of breaking them, how could a movie about a period in America that by then was derided as square or cornball be such a success? Nostalgia is part of it, but certainly the recognition that, in retrospect, epochal change was coming to America in many forms (cultural, political, social, economic) plays a part. 1973 was close to a nadir in the US. The Vietnam War wasn't over; Watergate was in full swing; the economy was floundering; the first gas/oil crisis hit, and American companies were being beaten badly by Japanese competition. When I think back to my high school days in the mid-seventies, my memories are in black and white, and everything seemed in decay.
I'm sure not everyone felt as much pessimism and ennui but the rewind this film presented allowed moviegoers to escape back to what felt like a simpler, happier time. It also didn't hurt that the characters were all pretty relatable. We could see some of ourselves in just about any of the characters. Interestingly, Lucas struggled to write the Steve-Laurie couple, who represent the squarest and safest of them all.
The ending provides an appealing flip, and life goes on and not everything is resolved. And then come the title cards and we learn that life doesn't always go on, even for the young and the strong. It's Lucas' "Ode on a Grecian Urn." And you leave the theater and are out of a reverie.
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