This was a great movie. It was like a trip down memory lane, seeing the houses, fashions, and parties of my parent’s era. The non-chalant cigarette smoking and cocktail parties seem so odd now, such a relic of a time gone by. The phone booths, dial telephones, and in home bars were like walking through a 60’s museum.
Color: The director made great use of color in this film. The fashions had lots of black and white, animal print patterns and geometric patterns that were so popular in the 60’s. A standout scene for me was when Dustin is at the Berkeley campus sitting on the edge of the fountain. The director focused on all the colors, the deep green of the grass, the brilliant red of the flowers, the enhanced blue water in the white fountain, the red, white and blue of the American flag – all very slow and focused with no distractions. The next scene is the same location, filmed from further away with people all of a sudden imposed into the scene. It was a very interesting effect.
The director also made good use of black and white as identifying colors for the scenes at the Taft hotel and also the interior rooms of Ben’s parents house. In one scene, the door to the hotel room suddenly becomes the door to the kitchen of Ben’s parent’s as he quickly shuts the door. It was a good effect, inferring that Ben was ashamed of what he was doing and didn’t want his parents to know the truth.
Dialogue/Sound:
The dialogue was very simple, almost on the verge of boring at times. I am sure the director did this intentionally to set up the affair as very emotionless. When Ben does try to have a conversation with Mrs. Robinson, it is very stilted, awkward and unsuccessful. It is in direct contrast to his conversations with Elaine, light and easy.
There were some great special effects using dialogue. The scene where Ben is in the diving suit and heading into his parent’s pool stands out. All you can hear is the sound of the Ben breathing slowly via the air tank. You can see his parent’s and the guest’s mouths moving, but the only sound is the slow, steady breathing. It is very dramatic and effective. A similar effect is used when Ben and Elaine are at the drive in restaurant. They are trying to have a conversation but it is very noisy, so he puts the top up on his car and closes the windows. All you can see is Ben and Elaine’s mouths moving as they have an animated conversation that is completely silent to the audience.
The Musical Score:
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel – icons of the 60’s and 70’s. The soundtrack for this movie was perfect. The songs used were mirror images of the feelings that Ben was having at the time. I especially liked the use of the song, The Sounds of Silence. From the first time we hear it, it evokes a kind of void and unhappiness that Ben is feeling deep inside. As a leitmotif it continues to recall that feeling every time the song is heard, even to the end of the film. I really didn’t like the ending, but understand why it was used. The decisions and uncertain future this new couple had to face was staggering, even somewhat numbing. Their expressions go from elated to somber very quickly and the song is the perfect backdrop.
Acting:
Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft were excellent together. She commanded every scene she was in, perfectly in the character of Mrs. Robinson. It was so fun to see a young Dustin Hoffman; his personality becomes part of every character he plays. So many of his mannerisms reminded me of later films (Kramer vs. Kramer, Tootsie, Rainman, Meet the Folkers) where he becomes the character, but never loses Dustin Hoffman in the process. Katherine Ross does a fine job as Elaine Robinson. She holds her own next to Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman. She is cast well, part smart college girl, part clueless coed. The rest of the cast is really there for support of the main story and the main actors.
The Director’s Style
Director Mike Nichols does not seem to have a set style. The Graduate was one of 22 films he has directed, including Silkwood, The Bird Cage, Charlie Wilson’s War and Closer. His movies are truly one of a kind, with no resemblance to each other.
Works Cited
Boggs, J. M., & Petrie, D. W. (2008). The Art of Watching Films (7th Edition ed.). Ashford University: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The Internet Movie Database (2011) The Graduate retrieved on Sept. 18, 2011 from:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001566/
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