Classic 60s Movie: The Graduate
January is Classic 60s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from John Hörnschemeyer.
Movie Title: The Graduate
Year: 1967
Writers: Screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry based on the novel by Charles Webb
Lead Actors: Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross, William Daniels, Murray Hamilton, Elizabeth Wilson.
Director: Mike Nichols
Plot Summary: Having successfully graduated, twenty-one year old Benjamin Braddock returns to his parents’ home in an upper-middle-class California suburb. Despite the rosy future that beckons, Ben is painfully awkward, and suffers from anxiety attacks, unable to come to terms with his situation and the pressure imposed by those who surround him. If need be, his life is further complicated when he succumbs to the calculating advances of Mrs. Robinson, the wife of his father’s business partner, resulting in an emotionless, physical relationship that further numbs Benjamin’s motivation to move on. To make matters worse, when Mrs. Robinson’s daughter, Elaine, also returns from college, Benjamin falls for her, despite the clear warnings of her mother, who has no intention of letting him near her daughter. Unable to resist, Benjamin begins a relationship with Elaine, provoking both wrath and rejection when his affair with Mrs. Robinson is revealed. Ostracized, and against all odds, Benjamin makes one desperate, final effort to reconnect with Elaine… on the day of her wedding to another man.
Why I Think This Is A Classic 60s Movie: Among the many reasons that qualify The Graduate as a classic 60s movie, is the fact that it announced Mike Nichols as a major new director on the Hollywood scene, notably winning the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Bafta for Best Director. For this reason alone, I’d argue that it cements its place in cinematic history.
From a writer’s point of view, Calder Willingham and Buck Henry won both a Bafta and the WGA award for Best Written American Comedy, as well as being nominated for the Oscars and Golden Globes. This said…, although Calder Willingham and Buck Henry share screen writing credit, Buck Henry wrote the shooting version of the screenplay without assistance, and Henry was not even aware of Willingham’s draft. Henry was the fourth screenwriter asked to try to adapt Charles Webb’s novel, however, and Willingham filed a challenge with the Writer’s Guild for screen credit after the movie was completed. Because Webb’s novel consists of large passages of dialogue, and both writers lifted various lines that appeared in each version, Willingham’s challenge was successful.
The story, itself, is a remarkable social satire, subversively undermining the pristine facade of upper-middle-class suburbia, and its starched social etiquette. In his first major leading role, Dustin Hoffman plays with such justness that we have little difficulty in sharing his anguish and embarrassment, however extreme or ridiculous his actions may appear. Opposite, Anne Bancroft is magnificent in her predatory role of the weary housewife who seeks escape though whichever illicit pleasure she can obtain, for which she won a Golden Globe. The rest of the cast plays with equal quality, driving the plot through their underscored portrayals of wonderfully sculpted characters.
And then, of course, there is a little matter of the soundtrack, littered with what are now considered classics, by Simon and Garfunkel.
My Favorite Moment In The Movie: I’m tempted to say any scene that involves both Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, but if I have to choose, it would have to be the scene at the Robinson’s house when Benjamin first becomes aware of Mrs. Robinson’s intentions, or so he thinks…
The movie’s line “Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me. Aren’t you?” was voted as the #63 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100), as the #5 of Premiere’s “100 Greatest Movie Lines” (2007).
My Favorite Dialogue In the Movie: Bumbling nervosity in the face of cold calculation as Benjamin has a telephone conversation with Mrs. Robinson as both are in the same hotel lobby at the beginning of their liaison.
Mrs. Robinson: Benjamin.
Benjamin: Yes?
Mrs. Robinson: Isn’t there something you want to tell me?
Benjamin: Tell you?
Mrs. Robinson: Yes.
Benjamin: Well, I want you to know how much I appreciate this. Really.
Mrs. Robinson: The number.
Benjamin: What?
Mrs. Robinson: The room number, Benjamin. I think you ought to tell me that.
Benjamin: Oh, you’re absolutely right. It’s 568.
Mrs. Robinson: Thank you.
Benjamin: You’re welcome. Well… I’ll see you later, Mrs. Robinson.
Key Things You Should Look For When Watching This Movie: Although Mrs. Robinson is supposed to be much older than Benjamin, Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman were just under six years apart in age. He looked naturally boyish, and she was made up to look older. For the same reason, Bancroft was only 8 years older than her “daughter” Katharine Ross, William Daniels (Mr. Braddock) only 10 years older than his “son” Hoffman.
The movie is full of womb imagery. From Benjamin’s constant desire to stay immersed in his parent’s swimming pool, to the slow close-up shot of the hips of Katherine’s roommate as she brings the “Dear John” letter to Benjamin, to returning to the actual womb of the elder and maternal Mrs. Robinson.
On Inside the Actors Studio (1994), director Mike Nichols claims that the final “sobering” emotion that Benjamin and Elaine go through was due to the fact that he had just been shouting at the two of them to laugh in the scene. The actors were so scared that after laughing they stopped, scared. Nichols liked it so much, he kept it.
In Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft’s first encounter in the hotel room, Bancroft did not know that Hoffman was going to grab her breast. Hoffman decided offscreen to do it, because it reminded him of schoolboys trying to nonchalantly grab girls’ breasts in the hall by pretending to put their jackets on. When Hoffman did it onscreen, director Mike Nichols began laughing loudly offscreen. Hoffman began to laugh as well, so rather than stop the scene, he turned away from the camera and walked to the wall. Hoffman banged his head on the wall, trying to stop laughing, and Nichols thought it was so funny, he left it in.
To end, and in reference to that incident, here is a short video of Dustin Hoffman’s thanking Mike Nichols for casting him in the role of Benjamin Braddock, and launching his career.
Thanks, John! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!
Twitter: @talesfromhere.
We already have a set of classic 70s movies, 80s Movies and 90s Movies. This month, we’re working on 60s Movies.
We have 28 volunteers. I have put in bold those who have already sent their guest post to me.
Ipsita Barik — Rosemary’s Baby
Ipsita Barik — Bonnie and Clyde
Bookman Film — The Sound of Music
Brandnewusedcar — Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Markham Cook — Jules et Jim
Steve Cook — The Blue Max
JasperLamarCrab — 2001: A Space Odyssey
N D — Lonely are the Brave
Drew Dorenfest — Easy Rider
Rick Dyke — Fail Safe
Felicity Flesher — The Music Man
PaulG — Lawrence of Arabia
D.L. Gill — Zulu
Jeff Guenther — Cool Hand Luke
Kate Hagen — Repulsion
John Henderson — Night of the Living Dead
John Henderson — The Odd Couple
John Hörnschemeyer — The Graduate
Zach Jansen — They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
Will King — The Pink Panther
Lisaisfunny — Blow Up
Jack McDonald — Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Daryl Powell — The Apartment
jprichard — Persona
Ally Shina — The Jungle Book
Mark Twain — The Loved One
Liz Warner — The Manchurian Candidate
Michael Waters — Dr. No
I’m looking for more guest posts to take us through January. Why not pitch in to help add to this online resource to inspire writers to learn about and — most importantly — watch great movies.
If you have a classic 60s movies on which you’d like to do a writeup, please either post in comments or email me.
And for those who have signed up, but have yet to email me your post, please do so ASAP.
Thanks in advance!
For the original post explaining the series, go here.