The Graduate

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 ****

What would you do, after coming back from college, a transition is required, to expand and fill your knowledge, you're not sure just what you want, with this new world, in which you haunt, and you feel a touch distressed - as Mrs. R. slips off her dress. You make a run and disappear, uncomfortable, abashed, there's fear, but days later you have courage, which you find is not discouraged, rendezvous are orchestrated, passions sated, unabated - there is mutual satisfaction, until the train loses some traction. The ladies daughter is a spanner, and you become somewhat enamoured, but you just will not be warned, the dangers of a cougar scorned, as her claws unsheathed like daggers, scythe you from, immortal swagger, and all your futures take a turn (again), as your fingers feel the burn.

Benjamin Braddock is snared by the older Mrs. Robinson as he struggles and juggles with his transition into a post college world that only emerges gradually, and then never really reveals itself in total, although everyone else seems to know what's good for him and the paths that he should take. A timeless classic, as relevant today as it was back when it was made, and sometime before, albeit the older lady scenario not one most young men would encounter, no matter how much they would like it to.

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 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.

After graduating in college, the twenty-year old Benjamin "Ben" Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) returns home and his parents give a party for him. The uptight and clumsy Ben feels uncomfortable and the wife of his father's business partner Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) asks a ride home to him. Soon she seduces the unexperienced Ben and they have a love affair. When Mrs. Robinson's daughter Elaine Robinson (Katharine Ross) returns home, Mrs. Robinson makes Ben to promise that will never date her. But soon Ben and Elaine fall in love with each other affecting the Robinson family.

"The Graduate" is an unforgettable movie for people of my generation. The story is dramatic and funny and Anne Bancroft is perfect in the role of the unbalanced Mrs. Robinson. Despite his actual age (30), Dustin Hoffman is hilarious and convinces in the role of an unexperienced young man seduced by the alcoholic wife of his father's partner. And Katharine Ross is extremely beautiful in the role of Elaine. The wonderful soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel fits perfectly to this great movie. The rushed conclusion is silly but adequate for those years, with the couple in a bus without knowing their destination in the bus and in life. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Primeira Noite de um Homem" ("The First Night of a Man")