The Complete American Graffiti (1979) Novelization

Written by John Minahan.  Based on the films AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973) and MORE AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1979). The first film was written by George Lucas, Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck and directed by George Lucas. The second film was written and directed by B. W.L. Norton. The films starred Richard Dreyfuss (AMERICAN GRAFFITI only), Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Charles Martin Smith and Paul Le Mat.

This novelization attempts to combine the two films into one extended story, but truth be told it really doesn't work. Compressing the two films into one book doesn't result in anything except a fair accounting of the dialogue--there isn't time to get into much else.

The first film is a classic coming-of-age story, taking place over one night in 1962. The film remains interesting due to Lucas's visual sensibilities, innovative use of music and goofy sense of humor. The second film is a fair continuation of the characters and retains the first film's parallel story structure, but there is no getting around the fact that it just isn't very interesting.

The most interesting thing about MORE AMERICAN GRAFFITI is that it used different film formats and aspect ratios for the different stories. One of these stories takes place in Vietnam. Which brings us to APOCALYPSE NOW.

George Lucas was part of Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope in the late 60's early 70's. AZ had a deal with Warner Bros. whereby they would fund a number of low-cost films, so there were a number of ideas for movies in play. One of these was Lucas' idea for a film set in Vietnam called APOCALYPSE NOW. He wanted to film it in 16mm with a small team IN VIETNAM. It's doubtful this ever would have been allowed but hey, stranger things have happened.

The first film released by American Zoetrope was THX-1138, which flopped at the box office and led Warner Bros. to rescind its funding deal. This left American Zoetrope in a shambles. As part of the financial fallout, APOCALYPSE NOW became an American Zoetrope property. Because Coppola had so much of his money tied up in American Zoetrope, he was forced to take work-for-hire, which led him to make THE GODFATHER.  As part of proving he could do a 'normal' film with characters people could care about, Lucas did AMERICAN GRAFFITI, based on his original screenplay (rewritten by some friends from College).

As we know, Coppola went on to make APOCALYPSE NOW, but Lucas apparently never stopped thinking about it. When a Vietnam story was vetted for MORE AMERICAN GRAFFITI, Lucas became very involved. This sequence in the film was shot on 16mm and, from all reports, was a pretty good indication of what Lucas would have done in the early 70's had he been able to make APOCALYPSE. Lucas helped edit entire sequences of the Vietnam story and was thus able to finally get the idea out of his system. From a filmmaking standpoint, it almost makes MORE worth watching. Almost.

Excerpt:

Despite the fact that the parking meter directly in front of the Haight-Ashbury police station was draped with an official-looking red cloth bag marked out of order, there was a big ticket under the windshield wiper of Lance's '56 Olds hippie-mobile. Debbie came out of the station first, smirked when she saw the ticket, began pacing up and down, waiting for Lance to collect his valuables. Her saddlebag-type shoulder purse bulged with the carcass of the dead python that Ralph had magnanimously given her, and she couldn't repress a delighted smile when she thought of her rather ingenious plan for it. When Lance finally came out, still putting on his necklaces, she ran over and gave him a big hug.

He accepted it patiently, then adjusted the necklaces under his hair. "Thanks for springing me, honey."

"That's all right."

"How much was it?"

"Two hundred and twelve."

"You're great. You know that?"

"Do you love me?"

"Does Raggedy Ann have cotton tits?"

"I mean really love me?"

"You know I do." He gave her a big kiss, then went over and pulled the red bag off the parking meter.

"We got to get to the country, Lance. I'm sick of the city."

"For sure."

"You thought any more about what we were talking about?"

He walked to the driver's side. "What was that?"

"About getting married."

Close Encounters of the Third Kind - Special Edition (1980) Novelization

Written by Steven Spielberg. Based on the film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. It starred Richard Dreyfuss, Francois Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr and Bob Balaban. The film is a classic IMHO and one of my all times favorites.

This novelization was ghostwritten by Leslie Waller, but credited to Spielberg who apparently did some revisions to the text.

This is something I've wanted to do for a long time. I had the original paperbacks of both the 1977 and 1980 "Special Edition" back in the day, and dimly recalled that for the most part the only differences were that the 1980 edition had scenes from the Special Edition added in. Not all of the 1980 scenes were new, however. The 1977 edition already had some of the Special Edition scenes in it, such as the bathroom scene where Neary breaks down. The 1977 edition also included various scenes filmed but deleted from the initial theatrical release, such as:

• A scene with Aireast 31 on the ground where Lacombe interviews them. (Chapter 7)
• Much material was deleted with Neary on the job before he goes off in search of the strange lights. In the theatrical release, it appears that he gets lost before doing any work. Material was filmed that showed him on the job, leaving the job site and THEN getting lost. This is why he got fired--he left the job site. (Chapter 6)
• A scene at the police station after the UFO chase. (Chapter 9)
• A reference to Neary having built a platform on the roof of his house for looking for UFO's at night. This is viewed briefly in the finished film when Ronnie packs up the kids and leaves. (Chapters 16 & 18)
• More action around the trip by Roy and Jillian to Devil's Tower. (Chapter 22)
• Much action around the final scene is also added, including cuboids that fly around and more business with the small aliens. (Chapter 26)

The only substantive changes to the Special Edition of the novelization are:

• The UFO chase is extended with action of a UFO causing havoc with a gas station. (Chapter 9)
• Scene added where Lacombe's team find a freighter in the middle of the Gobi desert. In the final film Lacombe would not be part of the scene as Truffaut was unavailable. The freighter is described as having damage from being picked up, also not in the final film. (Chapter 9)
• Neary goes insides the Mother Ship. (Chapter 26)

There are multiple little wording changes throughout the 1980 edition too numerous to note.  

I don't expect anyone else to be interested in this, but I wanted to do it.

Excerpt:

Now Land-Rovers began to arrive, churning up long trails of dusty sand. The third vehicle swerved to a halt, all four tires milling sand. Lacombe stepped out, followed by Laughlin, his interpreter.

Tribesmen, photographers, pilots, and drivers turned in their tracks to stare at the gray-haired Frenchman. He stood beside his vehicle, the sun silhouetting him in a fiery outline. He stared where the rest of them had looked. Slowly, he removed his dark glasses.

He took a step in the direction all of them had been watching. Another step. A third. Then he stalked through the sand, pace quickening.

Brilliantly silhouetted by the sun, Lacombe's body suddenly moved into shadow. A huge shadow in the middle of the trackless Gobi desert spread its blackness over+- him.

He looked up, no longer squinting. High above him hung the gigantic bronze three-bladed screw of an oceangoing ship's propeller. Lacombe shaded his eyes as he stared upward.

"Another gift," he said. Suddenly, a drop of water oozed off the blade tip and dropped on his nose.

He recoiled, touched his nose, felt the wetness. Slowly, he touched his wet finger to his lips and tasted the water.

"Salt," he reported.

Chaos broke loose. Photographers scrambled over each other, aiming their lenses. Before them sat an immense oceangoing freighter fully five hundred thirty feet long. It lay on one side, steel plates dripping water.

Technicians began crowding forward. Scientists ran clicking Geiger counters over the dripping hull. Zoologists began prying barnacles from the plates. A crew with photographs and a thick book of engineering specs marched the length of the freighter from stem to stern.

"Danish," one of them remarked.

"Reported missing, with all hands aboard," another chimed in.

"Last seen near the island of Eleuthera," the first remembered.

"And no sign of flotsam or debris."