Published in The American Poetry Review Volume 39 No. 5
An excerpt:
American Graffiti was the surprise hit of 1973. Made on a budget of $750,000, George Lucas’s depiction of 15 hours in the lives of a group of teenagers as they cruise the streets of Modesto, California in 1962 earned more than $55 million in its original run. But American Graffiti had more than financial success. It earned 5 academy award nominations including best picture, best director and best screenplay. It also won a Golden Globe Award and the New York Film Critics Award. In 1998 American Graffiti was included in the American Film Institute‘s list of the 100 Best American Films of all time.