In The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman plays a listless college graduate whose very listlessness becomes the motivation for making mistakes, most prominently having an affair with an older woman (that's non-scandalous casting, he and Anne Bancroft only have a 6-year age difference) and then with her daughter. A less wealthy character might not have been able to afford any of this, but the film certainly remains relevant in our age of stay-at-home twentysomethings, and besides, Mike Nichols' direction is so slick, so peculiar, so ARRESTING, that it makes the movie seem entirely modern. I mean, I've seen well over 2000 thousand films in my life, and his direction still had a powerful revelatory effect on me. You know, like you might have felt the first time you saw a Tarantino picture and the camera was doing all sorts of things it shouldn't have been doing. Like that. Makes sense. This is a story about breaking rules. The director ought to break a few himself.
Seeing this for the second time, later (much later) in life, the character of Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) stands out, as the most moving and deeply realised character of them all. The comedy (=marriage) belongs to the next generation, while the tragedy (=death, loneliness, sterility) is almost entirely hers alone. Politically-incorrect, I know, especially if you're young; when you're older, and a "graduate" so to speak, not so much.
If you take care to listen to the script, and to note the artistic skill and significance in the composition of nearly every frame, there is a great deal more than a Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack in this top movie.
My favorite film ever. All of the characters were multi -dimensional , with their own complex emotions. Hoffman's character is the best portrayal of young angst i have ever seen.The soundtrack and cinematography make this film universally pleasing.
The Graduate is a great movie. It is so funny! The dialogue and the acting of Hoffman are really good. One of the funniest movies I have seen. I like the ending when Hoffman and Ross are sitting in the bus and laughing but then stop laughing and the expression on their face is like : 'what now''?
I personally believe that the message in The Graduate is that it is never too late to follow your heart and go after what you want regardless of your age. The film leaves one believing that the young really do have something to teach their elders and that is; the pattern CAN be broken. “In this film, a young college graduate rejects a hypocritical society and the traditional values of his parents--and the promise of a career in "plastics"--and finds salvation in love.”
The thing about The Graduate is that the young audience who formed the biggest sector of moviegoers back then in the 60s and the 70s in The United States, could relate to the characters of Ben and Elaine in a lot of ways, example: wanting to break away and break free, not wanting to end up like their parents, not wanting to get married to someone they don’t love just because society says so. And so Elaine and Ben created a new definition for the word “hero”. “The rejection of upper-middle-class values had a special appeal for upper-middle-class college students. The inarticulate Benjamin became a romantic hero for the audience to project onto. The movie functioned as a psychodrama: the graduate stood for truth; the older people stood for sham and for corrupt sexuality. And this "generation-gap" view of youth and age entered the national bloodstream; many moviegoers went to see the picture over and over again.” States American film critic; Pauline Kael.
Something that is really noticeable in this film as well is that it captures a certain authenticity, grittiness, and spirit of the 1960s. “The Graduate draws more directly on the 1960s culture of youthful alienation. The target is not banks and law-enforcement officers, but the consumer-oriented world of 1960s suburbia”.
In my opinion, The Graduate is a truly great film that is masterfully directed, acted and edited. Most importantly, The Graduate is a true coming of age film that has changed the perspective of moviegoers in regards to young adults forever.
A classic that came out the year that I was born, and that I fell in love with in high school. When I was younger than that, I called the album "the foot album". This is one of the first of my favorite movies that I was able to share with my sons. It was PG when it came out, but it'd definitely be PG-13 today.
I don't understand the people who like the music in this film. The rendition of Mrs. Robinson is grossly inferior to the standard version most people know of. Furthermore, The Sound of Silence and Scarborough Fair are played over and over again. I like Simon and Garfunkel as much as the next guy, but in doses.
It's a good film. But felt kind of pointless. Anyway, I really liked it. Soundtrack is really very good, the acting and dialog too.
By the way, I watched this film because it inspired my nearly favorite film (500) Days of Summer. The Graduate was mentioned several times in it and there was one segment of the film shown, the very ending. So I was a little bit spoiled before watching it.
From the opening scene you know you're going to see some pretty excellent directorial stuff. The beginning where Mike Nichols brings the camera in super close and jerks it around while moving about the party just perfectly illustrates the character's emotional angst and nervousness. It's a pattern that permeates the film and Nichols' Oscar was well deserved. The film resonated especially well with college kids in the late 60's but the overall theme of an uncertain future and finding yourself has kept it relevant.
Full credit to Dustin Hoffman, being convincingly nervous and incredibly awkward is not easy to portray but he pulls it off so well.
It's rather expertly done how Benjamin's relationship with Mrs. Robinson progresses. At first it naturally feels sexy but as the tone of the film shifts you really feel how incredibly unsatisfying the entire experience is for both characters. It felt super realistic and it just goes to further back up the entire plotline of Benjamin searching for something greater and how quickly interest is lost over something believed to be desirable.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 39
MKej
Love the soundtrackSiskoid
In The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman plays a listless college graduate whose very listlessness becomes the motivation for making mistakes, most prominently having an affair with an older woman (that's non-scandalous casting, he and Anne Bancroft only have a 6-year age difference) and then with her daughter. A less wealthy character might not have been able to afford any of this, but the film certainly remains relevant in our age of stay-at-home twentysomethings, and besides, Mike Nichols' direction is so slick, so peculiar, so ARRESTING, that it makes the movie seem entirely modern. I mean, I've seen well over 2000 thousand films in my life, and his direction still had a powerful revelatory effect on me. You know, like you might have felt the first time you saw a Tarantino picture and the camera was doing all sorts of things it shouldn't have been doing. Like that. Makes sense. This is a story about breaking rules. The director ought to break a few himself.juanittomx
The final scene amazing! :)Neville
Seeing this for the second time, later (much later) in life, the character of Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) stands out, as the most moving and deeply realised character of them all. The comedy (=marriage) belongs to the next generation, while the tragedy (=death, loneliness, sterility) is almost entirely hers alone. Politically-incorrect, I know, especially if you're young; when you're older, and a "graduate" so to speak, not so much.If you take care to listen to the script, and to note the artistic skill and significance in the composition of nearly every frame, there is a great deal more than a Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack in this top movie.
emmabordon
My favorite film ever. All of the characters were multi -dimensional , with their own complex emotions. Hoffman's character is the best portrayal of young angst i have ever seen.The soundtrack and cinematography make this film universally pleasing.Nilofarish
The Graduate is a great movie. It is so funny! The dialogue and the acting of Hoffman are really good. One of the funniest movies I have seen. I like the ending when Hoffman and Ross are sitting in the bus and laughing but then stop laughing and the expression on their face is like : 'what now''?NourNasreldin
I personally believe that the message in The Graduate is that it is never too late to follow your heart and go after what you want regardless of your age. The film leaves one believing that the young really do have something to teach their elders and that is; the pattern CAN be broken. “In this film, a young college graduate rejects a hypocritical society and the traditional values of his parents--and the promise of a career in "plastics"--and finds salvation in love.”The thing about The Graduate is that the young audience who formed the biggest sector of moviegoers back then in the 60s and the 70s in The United States, could relate to the characters of Ben and Elaine in a lot of ways, example: wanting to break away and break free, not wanting to end up like their parents, not wanting to get married to someone they don’t love just because society says so. And so Elaine and Ben created a new definition for the word “hero”. “The rejection of upper-middle-class values had a special appeal for upper-middle-class college students. The inarticulate Benjamin became a romantic hero for the audience to project onto. The movie functioned as a psychodrama: the graduate stood for truth; the older people stood for sham and for corrupt sexuality. And this "generation-gap" view of youth and age entered the national bloodstream; many moviegoers went to see the picture over and over again.” States American film critic; Pauline Kael.
Something that is really noticeable in this film as well is that it captures a certain authenticity, grittiness, and spirit of the 1960s. “The Graduate draws more directly on the 1960s culture of youthful alienation. The target is not banks and law-enforcement officers, but the consumer-oriented world of 1960s suburbia”.
In my opinion, The Graduate is a truly great film that is masterfully directed, acted and edited. Most importantly, The Graduate is a true coming of age film that has changed the perspective of moviegoers in regards to young adults forever.
elgw
A classic that came out the year that I was born, and that I fell in love with in high school. When I was younger than that, I called the album "the foot album". This is one of the first of my favorite movies that I was able to share with my sons. It was PG when it came out, but it'd definitely be PG-13 today.Marazmatique
So much second-hand embarrassment from this one. :D The second half of the movie is utterly redundant and boring though.CDF
I don't understand the people who like the music in this film. The rendition of Mrs. Robinson is grossly inferior to the standard version most people know of. Furthermore, The Sound of Silence and Scarborough Fair are played over and over again. I like Simon and Garfunkel as much as the next guy, but in doses.jktomas
It's a good film. But felt kind of pointless. Anyway, I really liked it. Soundtrack is really very good, the acting and dialog too.By the way, I watched this film because it inspired my nearly favorite film (500) Days of Summer. The Graduate was mentioned several times in it and there was one segment of the film shown, the very ending. So I was a little bit spoiled before watching it.
DisneyStitch
From the opening scene you know you're going to see some pretty excellent directorial stuff. The beginning where Mike Nichols brings the camera in super close and jerks it around while moving about the party just perfectly illustrates the character's emotional angst and nervousness. It's a pattern that permeates the film and Nichols' Oscar was well deserved. The film resonated especially well with college kids in the late 60's but the overall theme of an uncertain future and finding yourself has kept it relevant.Full credit to Dustin Hoffman, being convincingly nervous and incredibly awkward is not easy to portray but he pulls it off so well.
proggorp
(removed by mod: please post in English)airi86ja
Ohh, that's a crazy comedy!And Dustin Hoffman - haa, amazing.
Music!!!! Simon & Garfunkel !!
Loved it.
lucynevin
Completely overrated...not a single truly likable character - The best thing about this film is the Simon & GarfunkelShowing items 1 – 15 of 39