CIFF Classic Film Screening “American Graffiti” (1973)

CIFF presents beloved 1973 treasure “American Graffiti” on April 30. See it on the big screen!

One of everybody’s all-time favorite movies, “American Graffiti” is coming to Coronado’s Village Theatre on Wednesday, April 30. Tickets are $15 and are available now at coronadofilmfest.com. Doors open at 5 pm for a complimentary Meet and Greet glass of wine, followed at 5:30 by the film intro by CIFF organizers Merridee Book and Doug St. Denis, a vintage cartoon, and the feature presentation.

The story is based on George Lucas’s own memories, which very likely are a lot like yours. No matter what age you are today, this movie will take you back to those heady, scary, exciting, coming-of-age days – that summer vacation after high school graduation, being with your friends one last night before you scatter to parts unknown into the mystery of the adulthood that awaits.

The film was a low-budget long-shot by Universal Studios, who were so unsure of it that it sat on the shelf for six months before they decided to release it. They had no clue how to market it because it had no known “stars.” Nobody had ever heard of writer/director George Lucas, and the actors were all pretty much unknown, including Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Mackenzie Phillips, Candy Clark, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, and Suzanne Sommers as “the blonde in the T- Bird.”

It was not until Francis Ford Coppola decided to come on as producer that Universal agreed to finance the film. It was made for a lean $775,000, with an eventual box office gross of over $115,000,000, making it one of the most profitable movies ever made. Of course, this was before Lucas’s “Star Wars” series and Harrison Ford’s “Indiana Jones” became household names in the years to follow; and it was Richard Dreyfuss’s breakout film, to be followed by starring roles in major successes such as “Jaws” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”

To the studio’s surprise, the film was an immediate success and went on to be nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing.

CIFF is pleased to bring a classic film to the big screen in your neighborhood theatre every month, always on the last Wednesday. Mark your calendars now for May 28 and the sensational 1972 classic, “The Godfather.” Tickets for the entire lineup are available in advance on our website at coronadofilmfest.com.