Die Reifeprüfung

If there is one movie from the 1960's that my family loves to rave about, it's this film, the Graduate. I can see why my family loves this film. It's a coming-of-age film set in the time period my parents grew up. A childhood classic, my father would say. As for myself, a generation or two later, I found this to be mostly a great film. If I had a complaint, I would say the film is very outdated and it grew old…..fast. But the themes of post-college troubles are very much prevalent in today's world. I liked this film not only because of resonating themes, it's the movie that introduced us to the careers of a legendary director in Mike Nichols and a fantastic actor in Dustin Hoffman. I also liked the soundtrack created by the folk-rock duo, Simon and Garfunkel. Their songs are very catchy and easy to hum along to. Of course, now we all know where the song, "Mrs. Robinson" comes from.

Mike Nichol's film is about a young man named Ben who has just graduated from college. His parents expect great things out of him. At a homecoming party, he drives the wife of his father's business partner home and he begins an affair with Mrs. Robinson. But things get complicated when he falls for a girl named Elaine. But Elaine happens to be the daughter of Mrs. Robinson!

The film is very well-acted. Anne Bancroft does a wonderful job as the sexy, manipulative Mrs. Robinson. Dustin Hoffman shows everyone why he is a great actor. He kills every scene he is in. I think Katherine Ross did a solid job as Elaine, although we don't meet her until late in the film. For those who are fans of the 90's TV Show "Boy Meets World," you may recognize Mr. Feeney himself, William Daniels as Ben's father.

Overall, The Graduate may be a bit old and weary, but it tells such a wise story with great acting and fantastic music, that it's hard to not see pass those rusty pipes. As I said before, this film has themes that are easily prevalent nearly fifty years after the film's release. It's one of those coming-of-age stories that shall stand the test of time, even if only because of the themes. This is a very memorable film to say the least.

My Grade: B+

What a wonderful time capsule. Not being old enough to grasp the entire "Swinging 60's" movement, I can't help but think this was pretty true to form to what was going on back then. Dustin Hoffman is of course great, but Ann Bancroft steals the movie, dominating every scene even when she's not in it. It must have been quite a risk for her to not only play an "older woman," especially in age conscious Hollywood, but also to play so much against "type." The music, the clothes, the houses all harken back to when America was discovering not every one lived like Ozzie and Harriet, and that a stiff martini could certainly loosen ones morals. The sexual energy this movie projects oozes across the screen and makes one feel like a voyeur.

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 ****

I saw this film for the first time in September 1968, after working for just one year as a professional cinematographer. I rapidly saw it five more times, in order to observe technical details of the photography of the film, but every time I completely forgot to look at those details, since I became so absorbed by the film every time. Now, after more than 35 years as a cinematographer and film teacher, I still marvel at Mike Nichols' and Robert Surtees' work every time I see the film. Almost everything you can do with a camera can be seen in this film, and everything is perfectly right for the story. The Graduate is groundbreaking in more areas than the photography. The casting, writing, acting, picture and sound editing are all exceptionally good, and have influenced film-making ever since. I was very happy when I saw that The Graduate reached the 7th position in the American Film Institute's voting of the best American films in history.

What I like the most about old movies like this one, are the subjects (Nowadays) that are quite controversial and that very little will likely be dealt with. The movie is good but bothered me a little because it seemed a little forced, there are many funny scenes the character Ben represents well the nervousness of "being a virgin" on the first night, I believe this movie was an inspiration for American Pie.