The Graduate, a film based on the novel by Charles Webb, is directed by Mike Nichols, whose famous works also include Working Girl and Catch-22. The Graduate was released in United States on December 22, 1967. The screenplay for the film is done by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry, and the cinematography by Robert Surtees. A few of the main cast members include Anne Bancroft (as Mrs. Robinson), Dustin Hoffman (as Benjamin Braddock), Katharine Ross (as Elaine Robinson), William Daniels (as Mr.
Braddock), Murray Hamilton (as Mr. Robinson), and Elizabeth Wilson (as Mrs. Braddock).
The Graduate is a story about Benjamin Braddock, a twenty-one year old graduate student trying to find his way in life. While debating what to do with his future, Benjamin is seduced by an older woman, Mrs. Robinson, who just happens to be the wife of Mr. Braddock’s business partner. Bored and naive, Benjamin starts an affair with Mrs. Robinson, unaware that he would later fall deeply in love with her daughter, Elaine.
The Graduate has many great moments when it comes to the cinematography of the film. The focus of the camera solely on Benjamin’s face in the beginning of the film is a key factor in letting the viewer see his apprehensive emotions both toward the people at his parent’s party as well as his own future. There are a variety of shots throughout the film having to do with water and glass, which symbolize Benjamin’s feelings of “suffocation” by his parents and isolation from the superficial society he was born into and surrounded by.
The Essay on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Film and Book Compare/Contrast
Originally written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a short story unlike any other. It tells the story of a man who is born as a fragile, elderly individual who physically, becomes younger as he grows older mentally.The warped sense of time and aging in this story makes it incredibly unique and interesting. In 2008 the story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald was made ...
For example, the scene where Benjamin is in his diving suit communicates the anxiety and confinement he may be feeling in regards of his future by letting the viewer experience things from the character’s perspective while he is inside of the suit. Also, the fish tank scene in Benjamin’s room, where he is staring at his fish right before Mrs. Robinson walks in, very clearly labels Benjamin as “a fish out of water”, and confirms his character as an outsider. Sound also plays a major role in the film.
Benjamin’s feeble voice is important in developing his helpless, innocent, and sometimes awkward character, and provides the viewer with a reason to commiserate with him. The absence of sound in parts of the film, however, plays an even bigger role. Once again, in the diving suit scene, the viewer hears nothing but the sound of Benjamin’s breathing while he is inside of the suit, which indicates that he was not and had no intention of listening to his parents or friends as they yelled at him to jump in the pool.
The choice of music which is played throughout the film helps “fill in the gaps”, and convey feelings or themes that the viewer might have otherwise missed. For example, the track played at the start of the film, “ ‘The Sound of Silence’, by Paul Simon, helps portray the fact that Benjamin has difficulty relating with the world of his parents and feels cut off by invisible barriers” (www. unc. edu).
Overall, The Graduate is a great film in that in provides subtle insight, through the eyes of an outsider, into the corrupted, shallow society some of us often aspire to be part of, while still incorporating elements of love and humor to make for an interesting and light movie. This film is a definite “must see”, and deserves three out of four stars for the uniqueness of structure and powerful underlying themes it conveys.
