Hello and welcome back to OTBB: Movie Club!
If you missed the intro post for this month, I’m theming it around love triangles in honor of Valentine’s Day.
This week’s pick is the classic indie rom-com The Graduate. Let’s dive in!
Notable Crew
Director: Mike Nichols (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Birdcage, Working Girl)
Cinematographer: Robert Surtees (The Sting, Ben-Hur, King Solomon’s Mine)
Production Designer: Richard Sylbert (Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?)
Composers: Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel of Simon & Garfunkel
Notable Cast
Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson (The Elephant Man, Agnes of God, The Miracle Worker)
Dustin Hoffman as Ben Braddock (All the President’s Men, Midnight Cowboy, Kramer vs. Kramer)
Murray Hamilton as Mr. Robinson (Jaws, Anatomy of a Murder, The Hustler)
Richard Dreyfuss as Boarding House Resident (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, American Graffiti)
My Thoughts
The first time I watched this movie was very early in college. While I liked it enough for some of the film techniques on display, I was not as struck by it as much as it seemed I should have been, according to people who loved it.
On this rewatch, I get it now. The film techniques are there—specifically look at some of the slick editing, ambitious angles to place the camera, and unique framing of shots (think the through the leg shot). But the script is sharp, and witty, capturing a nearly timeless feeling of youth entering adulthood, and the performances are grounded and modern. It feels like a turning point as we enter the 70s and inch ever closer to modern filmmaking.
I’m struck by the ambitious cinematography and the use of colors in the film. It’s hard not to think this is a late 70s movies because of how modern it feels. I can see this right alongside the works of Hollywood New Wave directors like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, or Francis Ford Coppola.
I also love the soundtrack from Simon & Garfunkel. The final moments of the movie, supposedly a happy ending to this story, underscored with “Hello darkness, my old friend” — the recurring line from the folk duo’s major hit “The Sound of Silence” — is nothing short of brilliant. It’s a bold way to end this film and leaves a powerful lasting impression.
The Love Triangle
Participants: Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), Ben (Dustin Hoffman), and Elaine (Katharine Ross)
Rating: 4/6
Mrs. Robinson: 1/2
Loves Ben X
Loves Elaine ✓
Ben: 2/2
Loves Mrs. Robinson ✓
Loves Elaine ✓
Elaine: 1/2
Loves Mrs. Robinson ✓
Loves Ben X
Extra Materials
Reading
Video
If you watched this last week, or plan on watching, or have seen this before and have thoughts, I’d love to hear them in the comments!
Here’s a question I’d really love to hear your thoughts on:
What future, if there is one, do you think lies ahead for the couple after that ending?
Next week’s watch: Y tu mamá también | 2001
You can stream it on AMC+ or rent it from Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play Movies, YouTube.
Thanks for reading. Til next time!
— Colton