The Graduate film review

The Graduate

The Graduate holds a special place in my DVD collection as one of my most cherished films. It’s one that speaks to me on a level we can all relate to. Watching it once again in an actual theatre displayed on a wide screen was an absolute joy and it wasn’t until I saw it at the Cosford that I realized the film is perfect in my eyes. I just couldn’t find a flaw, besides a shaky zoom. Every shot had its depth, whether through hidden meaning or simple depth of field.
I first saw this film as an immature fifteen year old kid and I began to ask myself for every situation after (girls and school), What would Ben do? I learned to act rather than think. I was obviously too young to understand this film’s true meaning. Watching it a little older I realized there was nothing good about Ben’s actions. His intentions and love for Elaine were genuine but his way of expressing that was insane. In the end, after all the laughs and smiles, Ben and Elaine stare off into space, just as Ben did at the beginning of the film. He’s right back where he left off, lost and without agency. Sure, they could run off, disappear and start new lives somewhere, but is it really worth it for Elaine? Does she love him that much just to escape what could have been a secure marriage with that other frat dude? Ben did, after all, do all those horrible things. I think her face said it all, that maybe love is not enough. So when I first saw this movie I loved its happy ending and disregarded their blank expressions as bad acting. Now, I now the ending is crucial and defines the essence of Ben. If he keeps acting the way he is, he will always be lost.
Let’s get into the cinematography, which has inspired my own films in so many ways. From its opening shot to the last, every one had its depth. I think the opening credit sequence on the moving platform is a direct mirror to the last shot on the bus. They both express Ben’s descent into nothingness. The imagery of Ben under the pool and framed within the fish tank all symbolize the way he feels, drowning in a world he cannot understand. One shot that stood out for me was when Ben and Mr. Robinson were talking in the living room. All you could see are their heads deep in shadows and between their talking heads is a huge space and in the background is the rest of the house out of focus. When Mrs. Robinson comes down the stairs, the shot rack focuses from the two men to her. The movie is crammed with beautiful shots and sequences like this. I could go on about that montage for another page but I need to move on.
The music by Simon & Garfunkel sets the right tone from the beginning to the end and I think the lyrics truly capture what is going on. The Sound of Silence addresses the film’s use of sound. April Come She Will mentions the months falling off the calendar, as Ben lounges day by day in the pool. Even Mrs. Robinson has her own anthem.
Mike Nichols scored big with The Graduate. He found a topic that would target a particular audience and made it happen, painting a perfect picture of a college graduate, drifting through life without reason or purpose. I’m sure all of us could find a little bit of Ben within us.