Review: The Graduate

       Some movies are like a time capsule to another time. The Graduate, once praised for its anti-establishment message of battle in the generation gap, now comes across as shallow and clueless. While the film still does a number of things very well and holds up in a variety of ways, the main thrust of the film no longer sticks the landing. So it has become a film lost in time, one which can be appreciated for it's technical and artistic achievements, but with a message that simply isn't conveyed in the way it once was simply because the context of the film has changed since 1967. At this time, American culture was divided between the older and younger generations. The old folks were adamant about sticking to the status quo, while the young people wanted to do their own thing and stick it to the man. This movie sides with young crowd by delivering a message of doing your own thing in the face of the old establishment, but it does so which such zeal that it ignores to base that message on anything other than the sake of that very message.

       Dustin Hoffman plays Benjamin Braddock, a recent college graduate with academic honors as well as notable extra-curricular achievements, notably on the track team and school newspaper. At Braddock's graduation party, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), the wife of his father's business partner asks him to drive her home, where she attempts to seduce him. Braddock won't have any of it at first, and tries desperately to leave, however, after a few days of thinking it over, Braddock decides to take up Mrs. Robinson on her offer and the two of them begin an affair that lasts well into the summer. Mr. and Mrs. Braddock encourage Ben to start looking for a job or at least to ask out the Robinson's daughter, Elaine. Mrs. Robinson is very much against Ben asking her daughter out, but Mr. and Mrs. Braddock more or less force Benjamin's hand. After some initial bumps in the road, the two youngsters hit it off, but it isn't long before Elaine learns about her mother and Ben's secret and the two part ways. Elaine goes back to school at Berkeley. Ben becomes determined to go after her and win her back, but has many obstacles to overcome.

        The issue here is that the film tries to make Mrs. Robinson into the bad guy. Sure, she seduces Benjamin, but Benjamin is just as much at fault for taking her up on the offer. Where things take a turn is when it comes to Elaine. Despite hitting it off on their first date, they never share any meaningful time together. They never have any significant conversation about Ben's relationship with her mother, she just accepts his story because her mother is such a terrible person. Elaine even agrees to marry a different guy because her parents would be furious if she didn't. Why does Braddock want to be with her again? Mrs. Robinson comes across as the only rational character in this movie and she shouldn't be considered the villain simply because of her age. The film does, however, do a number of things very well. Firstly, Dustin Hoffman is magnificent as Benjamin Braddock, his transformation from a nervous do-gooder to a uncaring ne'er-do-well is superb, as is his mania in his frenzied search for Elaine's wedding at the end of the film. This movie also has incredible cinematography and editing. Some of the angles used are more experimental than others and don't work effectively but the ones that do are very striking, most of all the shot that frames Benjamin underneath the extended leg of Mrs. Robinson. The editing also blends a number of shots together creating a wonderful montage of the passage of time during the affair. I haven't yet mentioned the soundtrack. Consisting entirely of Simon and Garfunkel songs, the soundtrack is one of the most memorable of all time. Their haunting harmonies guitar chords perfectly fit the context of the film, even if they are overused just a tad. While this film's main message doesn't hold up with time, this movie is still worth a watch, not only to get an understanding of American culture during the sixties, but also to see some excellent technical achievements.