The Graduate (1967)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Mike Nichols

Writers:

Calder Willingham (screenplay) and
Buck Henry (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 January 1968 (Brazil)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Comedy

Tagline:

The Movie That Became A Legend [Video Australia]

Plot:

Recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock is trapped into an affair with Mrs. Robinson, who happens to be the wife of his father's business partner and then finds himself falling in love with her teenage daughter, Elaine.

Plot Keywords:

Love | College Graduate | Graduate | Running After Bus | Love Triangle

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 19 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Anne Bancroft	...	Mrs. Robinson
Dustin Hoffman	...	Ben Braddock
Katharine Ross	...	Elaine Robinson
William Daniels	...	Mr. Braddock
Murray Hamilton	...	Mr. Robinson
Elizabeth Wilson	...	Mrs. Braddock
Buck Henry	...	Room Clerk
Brian Avery	...	Carl Smith
Walter Brooke	...	Mr. McGuire
Norman Fell	...	Mr. McCleery
Alice Ghostley	...	Mrs. Singleman
Marion Lorne	...	Miss DeWitte
Eddra Gale	...	Woman on Bus

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System) | Mono (35 mm optical prints)

Certification:

UK:15 (video rating) | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:PG (re-rating) (1972) | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M (re-rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Italy:VM14 | Netherlands:AL (original rating) | Netherlands:MG6 (re-rating) | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | West Germany:12 | West Germany:16 (original rating) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

Alumni Park - 3551 Trousdale Parkway, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Embassy Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Mike Nichols initially wanted French actress Jeanne Moreau to play Mrs. Robinson. The idea behind this was that in the French culture, the "older" women tended to "train" the younger men in sexual matters. The producers for the movie, Joseph E. Levine and Lawrence Turman, were completely opposed to the idea. Mike Nichols was even more set on having Simon and Garfunkel do the integrated soundtrack for the film. Nichols agreed to switch actresses for Mrs. Robinson as long as he could still use Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As Benjamin and Mrs. Robinson drive and run through the "rain" near the Robinson house, the lawns and shrubbery in the background are lit by bright sunshine.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Pilot: Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to begin our descent into Los Angeles. The sound you just heard is the landing gear locking into place. Los Angeles weather is clear; temperature is 72. We expect to make our 4 hour and 18 minute flight on schedule. We have enjoyed having you on board, and look forward to seeing you again in the near future.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bully (2006) (VG)

Soundtrack:

The Sounds of Silence

Rebelliousness and reality...

I'm not sure why evil, decadent Mrs. Robinson sets her sights on dazed and shy college grad Benjamin Braddock, son of the middle-aged couple she and her husband socialize with; it's never really explained, and neither is Benjamin's sexual past (it's hinted that he's a virgin when they end up in a hotel room together). It's also not explained why Mrs. Robinson definitely does not want Benjamin to get to know her daughter (she's angrily adamant about it, even willing to expose her own affair to prevent the two kids from going out for a drive!). Despite the gaps in the narrative and the lapses in logic (and taste, some might say), "The Graduate" is still a landmark film, crystallizing the helplessness of the '60s. Surprisingly, the ultimate theme of the movie is love--an impulsive, rebellious kind of love, but still the rather old-fashioned notion of love conquering all. And yet this brings up another question: is Benjamin really in love with sweet college girl Elaine or is she just a conquest? Or maybe the best thorn he can stick in Mrs. Robinson's side? Benjmain is told he cannot see her, he cannot have her, and that surely fuels his desire to marry her. The film presents love as the answer, but then (with an amusing, sobering final shot) second-guesses itself. "The Graduate" doesn't dig too deeply, it's lightweight (even with Dustin Hoffman's outburst in the church--the only time the movie gets some fury going), but it does take chances; it wasn't ahead of its time, it just came along at the right time and is still a relevant, glossy modern comedy. ***1/2 from ****