Movie of the Month - The Graduate (1967)

Ben: "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me."

Mrs. Robinson laughs.

Ben: "...aren't you?"







It took me a little while to decide on what movie I wanted to be my first Movie of the Month, and after some consideration I decided for The Graduate (1967) directed by Mike Nichols.

This was one of the movies I studied in my History of the Cinema class freshman year and I fell in love from the opening credits as Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) exits the airport. It's a well-known classic, and I'm sure those reading have seen it, or at least have heard of it.

Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman)

Ben seems very stoic from the beginning. Just graduating from college, he's nervous about what his future will be like. He comes home to a graduation party his parents threw him and dodges all the questions about what he's going to do now. You can notice his growing concern and 'disturbance,' as he likes to put it, as he wanders around his home.

When escaping to his room, a woman walks in. Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) is a very 'take-charge' woman, and you can notice that from the second she comes in. After convincing him to take her home, she convinces him again to stay there. She's very persistent in keeping Ben with her until her husband gets home. Ben, being the flighty and caring individual that he is, stays with her.

While in the Robinson's house, scene after scene of building tension unfolds showing Ben's nervousness and gradual acceptance of what is happening (since it is his neighbor's wife, after all). Mrs. Robinson is playing a fool, pretending she has no idea how she's acting to poor innocent Ben. Even when Ben accuses her of trying something with him, she shrugs it off.

Eventually they end up in her daughter's bedroom, where she corners him with no clothes on. Propositioning herself to him, Ben is scared shitless and runs downstairs as soon as Mr. Robinson is heard coming through the door.


Famous shot of Ben with Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft)

Days later he's taking her up on her proposition at a hotel. He is very clumsy with it and a nervous wreck, but that night they begin their oh so scandalous affair.

If his fear for the future in the beginning was bad, it's even worse now. He struggles with what to do with his life now that he has Mrs. Robinson. His parents are on him about getting a career and making something of himself, while the Robinsons urge him to keeping relaxing.

Eventually it's obvious Ben is getting restless with his affair. One night he questions Mrs. Robinson on their lack of conversation and tries for it, which shows how he wishes for an actual relationship. In this conversation we find that Mrs. Robinson was pregnant before she was married. More is seen in on her character, as before she is very careful about what is said.

Ben eventually goes on a date with the Robinson's daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross), after a lot of urging from his parents, but against Mrs. Robinson's wishes. He continues his apparent stoic nature and takes her to a strip club, causing Elaine to break down and cry. Seeing her tears snaps something inside of him, and they continue the date, ending on good terms.

Elaine offers Ben something that Mrs. Robinson doesn't; a chance at a real relationship with someone who can converse with him.

Elaine Robinson (Katharine Ross)

Furiously angry, Mrs. Robinson threatens to tell Elaine everything to stop him from seeing her daughter. And in a haste, he tells her himself, thus ending what could have been.

He's not done, however. And follows her to Berkeley to get her back. What remains in the movie is up to you to see.



This film is one of my personal favorites. It's a comedy while still focusing on the downfalls an affair can have on everyone involved. But what makes this movie such a favorite of mine is the editing.

As stated before, I want to be an editor. Editing is something I'm heavily interested in, and how this fillm comes together in montages is amazing. Transitions between scenes is done very well. There is usually a voice over that leads into the next scene, or something that is said from one scene carries on into the next.

My favorite scene in this, however, is the montage showing Ben continuing the affair with Mrs. Robinson. It is right after he begins this adultery at the hotel, and he's lying in the pool. As he then walks into his house, it shows an edited sequence that makes it seem as if it is one continuous shot of him switching between his parents and then sleeping with Mrs. Robinson. This scene right here is my favorite editing sequence of all time. It even shows him shutting the door on his parents having breakfast as he turns around and climbs into bed with Mrs. Robinson.

I decided to put the video up of this sequence, just because of how much I love it:

During this "The Sound of Silence" is playing in the background. To put it quite frankly, this song makes the movie. I'm a big believer in what kind of music that is used in a movie, whether it is soundtrack or lyrical, helps heavily with how successful it is as a whole. This song is played three times: the beginning, the middle, and the end. It's played in the beginning when Ben is leaving the airport, where it automatically sets the tone. It's played again in the middle during the sequence I talked about before. And again in the end. Simon and Garfunkel wrote this song, along with a couple of others more for this movie. "Mrs. Robinson" is another big hit.

Nichols also used a lot of symbols in this film. The main one is water. Throughout the entire movie, Ben is constantly seen by water; whether it is the fish tank in his bedroom or at Berkeley or himself swimming in the pool. Being under constant stress from everyone around him as soon as he gets out of college, it is as if he is 'drowning,' hence his stoic character throughout most of the movie and the cause of hsi rash decisions with Mrs. Robinson.

Mirrors or reflected images are constantly used, also. Especially with Mrs. Robinson, such as the reflection of herself in Elaine's picture or the reflection of her at the bar table as she comes up behind Ben. In each on of these shots, she is seen as if she is about to 'pounce' on him.

There are so many things to talk about this movie. It has everything, literally. Watching it, you're kind of sucked into Ben's turmoil as he tries to figure out what to do with himself when life is suddenly thrown at him. In a way I can relate, but not quite. Only two years now until I graduate, so soon enough I will be in his position; the state of not quite knowing what you're going to do. It is a bit frieghtening.

Although this film is very comical, as Ben is a very goofy character (at least I think so), it really shows the downsides of what can really happen in an affair. Dustin Hoffman is wonderful at Ben. I've heard quite a few people say when they think of Hoffman they think of the kid in The Graduate. This was his breakthrough movie.

Another thing about this movie is the time period when it came out. In the 60's, a couple of films came out that showed kids rebelling against their parents. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) is an example. Apparently back then parents didn't too much like this movie because of such, but teenagers to people in their 20s really enjoyed it.

Too bad Nichols couldn't make another film like this. After Catch-22 (1970), he never quite made a film with as much hype as The Graduate created. It's still popular as of today. Everything in it works together in just the right way. There's so many different aspects going for it that it's difficult to just focus on one. This really is a remarkable movie.

Here is the trailer: