Top Ten Movies of the 1960s

#9
The Graduate

1967
Directed by: Mike Nichols
Cinematography by: Robert L. Surtees
Music By: Simon and Garfunkel
Starring: Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft

The Graduate is one of those movies that even if you haven't seen it, you have seen it. It's satirized in so many other movies and TV shows. The final wedding scene where Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) crashes Elaine Robinson's (Katherine Ross) wedding is a great example. Off the top of my head I'm reminded of Wayne's World 2 where Wayne stops Cassandra from marrying Christopher Walken and saves the day (nobody wants to be married to Christopher Walken, I don't care how good he can dance). The Simpsons too with Grandpa Simpson breaking up the wedding between Mr. Burns and Mrs. Bouvier.

The homage is well deserved. The Graduate tells a story of Benjamin who is unsure about what his future holds after completing his undergrad at university. Returning home to live with his parents he wants nothing more than to relax after four long years of studying. Meanwhile he is under constant pressure to choose a career from his family and friends of the family. I'm at the point of my life where this movie resonates with me especially, as I'm sure it does most of my friends who are reading this! He then starts an awkward affair with Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) who is a friend of his parents. He falls for her daughter Elaine though and drama follows. If you don't already know what happens, I already spoiled it in the first paragraph. The movie speaks to the generation of the kids who love to read the beat poets and hear stories of personal liberation but are stuck in a cycle of work and responsibility. Benjamin shuns all this restraint and does things his own way.

But it's a hilarious movie too. If you have recently graduated, you know the hilarity of your situation too. Entering the real world isn't easy so it helps to make a big joke of the whole thing sometimes. The Graduate has some great comedic moments. My personal favourite is Mr. McGuire giving Benjamin advice for his future:

So it's a great story, sure, but that's not enough to make my list.

Mike Nichols direction is amazing and the cinematography of Robert Surtees is equally great. Indeed, many of the scenes in the movie are just the soothing sounds of Simon and Garfunkel over top of brilliant camera work. The pair go to great lengths to find unorthodox camera angles whether it be through Mrs. Robinson's legs or from underwater. Actually, maybe they overdo it a tad. One great scene though consists of Benjamin just lazing around the in the pool with 'The Sounds of Silence' playing. Great directing is not just making something that is aesthetically pleasing though. The scene also must contain crucial information pushing the plot and character development forward. This scene in particular shows us that Benjamin's preferred way to deal with the chaos of life after university is to block everything out altogether and focus on nothing at all: silence.

The film was also the breakthrough role of Dustin Hoffman. I thought he was convincing as a man in his early twenties considering that at the time of filming he was nearly forty. In fact, Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft (Mrs. Robinson) were only six years apart in age. Its nice to see him bring complexity to a seemingly simple role. Most of his roles since then he has brought simplicity to complex roles (I'm not a fan of Rainman or Wag the Dog). The Graduate was definetely his finest work.

For being one of the best dark comedies of the 1960s, in my opinion, The Graduate is the 9th best film of the 1960s.