Day 61 The Graduate [1967]
Screenplay Calder Willingham & Buck Henry
Based on ‘The Graduate’ by Charles
Webb
Director Mike
Nichols
Cinematography Robert
Surtees
Music Paul
Simon & Dave Grusin
Leads Dustin Hoffman, Anne
Bancroft, Katharine Ross
Production Mike Nichols/Lawrence
Turman Productions
IMDb 8/10
Rotten Tomatoes 91%
I wasn’t going to rate this film very highly at
first as I didn’t realise quite how old it was. I was going to comment on the
way they all talk and some of their actions are unnatural, but now I realise a
lot of this is simply because it is a product of its time. The plot of the movie
is an excellent one – recent graduate Benjamin (Hoffman) is seduced by one of
his neighbours Mrs Robinson (Bancroft) and has an affair with her. He then
falls in love with Mrs Robinson’s daughter Elaine when she returns from
college. I sympathised with Hoffman’s character hugely as I have experienced
and still experience the feelings that he is supposed to be going through in
the film. The feeling of not knowing what to do with himself, the weird feeling
of having accomplished everything at high school and college and yet suddenly
life hits you in the face and asks you what you’re going to do now. I didn’t
like Benjamin himself, he is boring and awkward, perhaps because he is lost. I
didn’t think it plausible that such a character would have two beautiful women
fall for him, even if Mrs Robinson is a troubled ex-alcoholic. I don’t think
people know how much better this film is thanks to Surtees, who turns a visually
boring story into an appealing one with his long, slow shots that perfectly
portray Benjamin’s moods. The shots of him in the pool especially. It all gets
a bit mad in the end and personally I think Elaine is a bit troubled herself. She
falls in love with someone who has been sleeping with her mother, chased her to
college, broken off her wedding, and yet she only went on a couple of dates
with him. I guess when you know, you know eh? I’ve mainly given it the rating I
have thanks to Paul Simon’s iconic soundtrack and Surtees’ brilliant camera
work. Those are the positives. Not much else.
Acting 3
/ 4
Writing 3
/ 4
Cinematography 3.5
/ 4
Music 3
/ 4
HMD
rating 3 / 4