I have now viewed the controversial 4K UHD release of American Graffiti with my own eyes. I’m not as technical as the folks in the tech forums, but I can see it. The faces look a little too smooth (Richard Dreyfus looks pasty in the backseat) and it definitely doesn’t look like grainy film, but it still beats pan and scan VHS.
What this transfer gets right is the night. The characters cruise around in shiny cars against the deep dark night. It creates pure shadows and silhouettes in the cars. The Mel’s Drive In sign is an oasis in the night and the junkyard is exquisite.
Worse than the transfer issues for me is that I had to swap players with this disc, like I did for The Princess Bride, Videodrome and Taxic Avenger movies. My Panasonic started glitching at 21:00 but the LG was fine.
Surround sound isn’t as much of a factor in the 1973 film but the music sounds great in this mix. There is good engine rumble too. The 4K UHD also includes previous Blu-ray bonus features including a 78 minute behind the scenes documentary and screen tests.