Review of The Graduate (1967) by Dylan C — 12 Feb 2011

I first watched this movie in my 20th Century Cinema class about a year ago, and I can frankly say that I wasn't too enthused about it. It always seemed, to me, that it was one of the less "fabulous" of the movies of its genre. After watching it, I could see that I was completely, utterly wrong.

At the time that this movie was released, a plot of its kind was unheard of: an young man has an affair with his father's best friend's wife and falls in love with her daughter. Was Hollywood ready for such a film!? From the looks of its success and overall legacy, it apparently was.

I'm a huge fan of dark comedies, and The Graduate definitely ranks up there for me. A young Dustin Hoffman plays college graduate Benjamin Braddock. Ben is undoubtedly the awkward type, and is generally very unsure what to do with his life; in this sense, he is a character that I can deeply relate to and have much sympathy for, right from the get-go.

Mrs. Robinson, played by Anne Bancroft, in on a different sort of spectrum. She is also unhappy with her life, and makes the decision to seduce Ben, as a sort of means to fill this empty void of her life. She is very domineering and controlling towards him, as if she was a predator seeking out her prey; she even wears a variety of animal prints and furs throughout the film, as if to further emphasize this point. One could say that she was an early example of what we now call a "cougar".

The contrast between these two main characters is what makes the movie seem so interesting. With Mrs. Robinson's dominant nature and Ben's habits to succumbing to everything that comes his way, it's inevitable that many different conflicts are to arise somehow. From the first night at the hotel, to Ben's first date with Eileen Robinson, to the following different attempts to win her affection while trying to rid of the affair, there is never a dull moment in the entire film. The characters are the kind the audience can truly connect to, not just included as some actors incorporated in the plot, as some films may treat them.

The cinematography in the film is also so amazing. I am a huge sucker for symbols and parallelism in cinema, and The Graduate is chock-full of them. Water is used to emphasize the demeanor of Ben's "lost" character; angles are also used to show how dominant Mrs. Robinson is towards Ben. However one of my most favorite camera tricks in all of cinema is used during a few scenes where Ben is walking or running. The camera fixates on a certain position from afar and records the entirety of locomotion, giving the impression that Ben is doing a lot of movement, but getting nowhere. Isn't that that something that nearly everyone can relate to at some point?

I dare not close this review off without mentioning one of the most beautiful aspects of the film: the soundtrack by Simon & Garfunkel. Thanks to this music, the film does not remain to be just another dark comedy, but one of such haunting beauty and class. To this day, the beginning chords of "Sounds of Silence", as well as the opening line "Hello, darkness, my old friend..." still sends chills up my spine.

The film is funny in its own sort of unique way. It contains more situational humor than anything else, and one really needs to have a broad sense of humor to really appreciate it. However, besides just being a good comedy, it also is a timeless classic for many to enjoy. If not for this movie, there would not have been the vast number of sex comedies we have today. Everyone remembers this movie for the very last shot of Ben and Eileen in the back seat of a bus, uncertain of what's to come next. This exemplifies just how good of a film this is; it can be funny, yet remain true to the spectrum of reality.

All I can really say from now is to just see this film. It's definitely no myth that not many people can really like this type of film, and it's also true that it's not really for everyone to love. Regardless, The Graduate must be seen by anyone willing to watch a truly landmark film. I believe this is an amazing film, that must be given at least one chance to revel in its magnificence.