The Graduate
The Graduate
(1967)
A Review by Grant Kanigan
Directed by: Mike Nichols
Written by: Calder Willingham, Buck Henry & Charles Webb
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katherine Ross
Rating: R
Release Date: December 22nd, 1967
Release Date: December 22nd, 1967
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| Dustin Hoffman & Anne Bancroft's leg in The Graduate Source: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm4214195456/tt0061722?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_sf_13 |
I've always loved The Graduate and should have taken the time to write about it before, however, with the sad news of director Mike Nichols' passing this morning at the age of 83, it seems as good a time as any. Nichols was a definitive filmmaker, directing Catch-22, The Birdcage, Charlie Wilson's War and many others. While it was his sophomore effort, The Graduate remains his defining work.
The Graduate follows Benjamin Braddock, (Dustin Hoffman), who, having recently graduated university with a bachelors degree, returns home to his parent's house to decide what to do next. Beginning with a graduation party where he's comically lectured on plastics, how to invest in plastics, and the importance of plastics, Benjamin politely nods and agrees, but we can see a distant disconnect in his eyes and body language. This disconnect soon grows, and we see Benjamin begin to mope around at home, swimming and drinking the day away, supposedly figuring out his next move in life. It's not until he catches the eye of Mrs. Robinson, the wife of his father's business partner that things get interesting.
"Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?" Is a line oft quoted from the film, yet it's supremely important. Mrs. Robinson is just as desperate for direction as Benjamin, yet she cruelly uses his innocent inexperience to take advantage of his youth. Mrs. Robinson additionally seduces Benjamin in an attempt to reclaim some of her youth and to disturb her boring home life by having an affair with the son of her husbands business partner. That's not to say Benjamin is innocent in the affair, just that he's not as aware as Mrs. Robinson is of the implications of their affair.
While The Graduate does have many comedic elements, it is, at it's core, a profoundly sad film. Both Mrs. Robinson, her daughter Elaine, (whom Benjamin begins to fall for, and vice versa), and Benjamin aren't sure of what direction they are heading. In some ways an existentialist drama, The Graduate shows that Benjamin ultimately becomes stuck in a rut after University. He's completely the master of his own future, but creating your own future comes with a responsibility that leaves open the possibility of hurting or losing others. It's a path many of us have to travel, and it takes Benjamin the loss of his integrity, respect and trust to realize that there's no way out of life, you just have to take what makes you and others you love happy and hope for the best; there are some people in the world who only exist to take advantage and hurt others. It's at the finale of The Graduate we find that while it's easy to be the latter like Mrs. Robinson, it's harder in the long run. While Benjamin refuses to become trapped in a world of cheating, lying and desperation, he doesn't know where his path may lead him, but at least he's chosen a path of his own.
With The Graduate, Mike Nichols created a film that perfectly melded elements of 1960's culture, (a killer Simon & Garfunkle soundtrack, plastics, 60's fashion and counter culture), to create a film that is truly timeless. When one graduates from an aspect of life; be it high school, university, or a new job, Benjamin Braddock's struggle is something we can all relate to. R.I.P. Mr. Nichols.
Grant's Rating: 5/5 Stars
Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate: "The Sound of Silence"
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