The Graduate (1967) Recommended
It is seldom that we find a film that still holds up today even though 36 years have
passed since it was first released.. The Graduate directed by Mike Nichols
(The Birdcage) stars Dustin Hoffman in his first major role as Benjimann Braddock who does not know what to do with his life after graduating
college. He decides to take up an offer to drive home a family friend Mrs. Robinson
played by Ann Bancroft (Blazing Saddles), as Mrs. Robinson upon arriving
at her home invites Braddock in and then tries to seduce him as that is where
Nichols interesting story begins. Braddock gets involved with the older Mrs. Robinson
who is married as he later begin to fall in love with her daughter as he is forced
by the older Mrs. Robinson to take the young Robinson played by Katherine Ross (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid)
out on a date. Of course the older Mrs. Robinson would later get angry and soon everyone
finds out that Braddock is dating Mrs. Robinson's younger daughter. Mrs. Robinson is not
jealous but she doesn't want this terrible guy to destroy her daughter so sets
out on a goal to prevent Braddock from seen the younger Robinson. .
Let me get this out right away. The directing of The Graduate is brilliant. Mike Nichols does so many things with the camera that I have never seen done
before in films. Take for instance the scene when Mrs. Robinson tries to seduce him, the camera is pulled back and when Dustin Hoffman moves back
his figure is now a black silhouette while Mrs. Robinson is in the background (in
color) flirting with him. Another incredible scene is when the young Elaine Robinson finds out that Hoffman slept with her
mother as director Nichols pulls the focus with perfect timing to show what Elaine Robinson really
is feeling. Finally, Nichols uses a lot silent techniques to get his point
across instead of straightforward audible narration.
The women in The Graduate are beautiful. Ann Bancroft at the time 36 used makeup to look
little older and when she is viewed in the scene where her face is all wet
because of rain you can really appreciate how beautiful she really is. Another beauty by Katherine Ross
her daughter who is even more beautiful than Bancroft. These two women are absolutely gorgeous, and Anne Bancroft is especially suited as
mistress while Ross is perfect as the young Miss Robinson.
The music in The Graduate is truly unforgettable. Anyone who knows that song "Here's to you Mrs. Robinson"
should know that it was not a song that was written for the score of the film
and most importantly it was written to reflect Bancroft's character Mrs.
Robinson.. All music in The Graduate was written by Paul Simon and performed by Simon and
Garfunkel as the score alone is one this films best assests.
One last thing to point out about The Graduate is that the movie did not address any of the social
issues of the late 60's. There were references to troubled politics, war or the social issues in America, and nor should there have been.
Because of this, when one watches The Graduate they are watching a movie and not something to do with the problem is the
60's like so many other films that are dedicated to addressing troubled America.
My only problem with the The Graduate is what Dustin Hoffman does to get the girl back, he stalks her to find out where she lives, who she is going out with and how to bump into her.
If this were the actions of a guy today (and there are guys like that) he would of been rejected
instantly or arrested, but I guess things were different in the late 60's.
The Graduate would be nominated for 7 Academy Awards in 1967 and would win for Best Director
Mike Nichols who deserved the because of the brilliance of the directing in this movie, all the transitions, shots and scenes are
put together very nicely and how the film incorporates the music by Simon and
Garfunkel is unforgettable. The Graduate would also listed as #7 on
the American Film Institutes best 100 movies ever made.
The Graduate would be the second of a many great films by Mike Nichols as he turned out the classic Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe just a year before. Nichols later films such as Working Girls, Wolf, and The Birdcage would star talented actors such as Harrison Ford, Jack Nicholson and Robin Williams but would in comparison to his production The Graduate. As for Dustin Hoffman, The Graduate was his big break as he would star in such films such as Midnight Cowboy, All the President's Men and would win two Oscar's for Kramer vs. Kramer and Wag the Dog.
Runtime: 115 minutes
MGM Home Entertainment
Rated PG
Reviewed May 7th 2004
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