The+Graduate

__**The Graduate**__ Every time I sit down to write something meaningful and factual and persuasive to explain the significance of this film, it all just spills out in incoherent word-regurgitation form, so let’s hope this works. I suppose my opinion is somewhat subjective. __The Graduate__ was one of the few films we saw in class that I had already seen and it definitely ranks amongst my favorites, so you see it would be a little self serving if I said that it is the most important movie in American cinema and everyone should be required to watch it. But you know what? It’s true! It is a phenomenal, phenomenally made movie everyone should experience because it’s just cinematic gold. Pure and simple. If you don’t take my word for it, the Library of Congress declared it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Let’s start with soundtrack. Again, I’m biased because saying I’m partial to the exquisite harmonies of Simon and Garfunkel would just be a vast understatement. Still, I think we can all agree that it worked. Very, very well. Apparently, director Mike Nichols became obsessed with the duo while filming __The Graduate__ and insisted they create songs just for the movie. And so Paul Simon gave birth to the miracle baby known as Mrs. Robinson. Though they weren’t exactly obscure before the release of the film, it definitely took their fame to new heights. And Mrs. Robinson even surpassed The Beatles’ //White Album// on the charts. That’s a big deal. We discussed many times in class how the music acts as an inner voice of sorts. All of the songs are brilliantly woven throughout the film in a way that doesn’t just comment on the situations, it explores the themes and feelings of characters (mostly Benjamin).Even Dave Grusin’s smooth jazz score was fantastic.

The script, written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham (and based off the book of the same name by Charles Webb) is flawless. Ben captures the essence of what it is to be young and confused, freewheelin’, adrift, whatever you want to call it. He is overwhelmed by the npotion of not knowing what his future holds and at the same time he is in no rush to figure anything out. And the dialogue is a riot; “Ben, this whole idea sounds pretty half baked” “Oh no Dad, its not, its completely baked.” And it’s made that much better by Dustin Hoffman’s groundbreaking performance. He brought Ben Braddock to life in the best way possible. He was at once charming and relatable, sharp and naïve, and funny and serious; a combination that is one of the fundamental reasons for the movie’s success. The cinematography is just one more thing to be praised; the montage in which Ben walks directly from his lving room into a room with Mrs. Robinson is posissbly the best I've seen. And what abotu Mrs. Robinson? Yes, Katherine Ross was beautiful and wholsome as Elaine, but Anne Bancroft. My goodness! She was powerful in the most effective and seductive way possible. There are just way too many aspects, some minor and some not-so-minor that make this wonderful.