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The Graduate (1967) watch along
🕑 Added 2025-01-24 19:00:19 +0000 UTCSpoilers below!!!!!
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The Graduate (1967) #17 on the AFI List!
This film was such a fascinating and quirky experience-I absolutely LOVED it. The way it was shot, the creative editing, the quick cut shots, and those dramatic zooms blew me away. It felt so innovative and ahead of its time. I never imagined a story like this could unfold in such an artistic and compelling way, and Mike Nichols' direction brought out both stunning performances and incredible visual storytelling. I adore when films take a simple premise and transform it into something utterly unique and unforgettable.
Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft were phenomenal together, each conveying their own struggles with such depth. As I reflect on it, I realize how trapped both characters were-caught in the consequences of their decisions and unsure of how to escape. This dynamic adds such emotional weight to their choices, especially for Mrs. Robinson, whose carefully constructed, secure life is at risk of unraveling.
One of the standout moments for me was the ending, with Ben thinking marriage would be the solution to everything. The look on their faces as they sit on the bus is so powerful. It says so much, not just about their uncertainty and disillusionment, but about the cultural and personal stakes of the time.
This movie continues to resonate with me as I process its layers today. I keep having those "aha" moments that deepen my appreciation, and I love when a film lingers with you like this, giving new reflections long after it ends.
Can’t wait for you all to give me insights on what I may have missed upon first time watch! I loved it!
Getting close to HALF WAY on the AFI! This is nuts!
Xx
Ames
Comments
JM63
It’s 1967. Three hundred and fifty years after the Pilgrims landed in Massachusettes, Americans have subdued a continent, overcome the Great Depression, and won two world wars. And in California, humanity has nearly recreated paradise -- a live-in theme park with gorgeous scenery and beautiful weather combined with a laid-back work culture and still affordable living and housing costs. The American Dream has swollen from “a chicken in every pot” to “a swimming pool in every backyard.” So what do the lottery winners of this reconstituted Garden of Eden do to pass the time? Not much, really. They golf (Mr. Robinson). They drink (Mrs. Robinson). They throw pool parties for the neighbors and buy expensive gifts for their children (a portrait for Elaine, a little red sportscar for Ben). It’s a cosmic joke. The zenith of six million years of human evolution and six thousand years of civilization is your son in a scuba suit performing tricks for your friends. Ben knows he can’t tolerate **that** trajectory, but he has no hint of an alternative. At this crisis point, Ben gets the lucky break of a lifetime. Existential angst sucks, but sunny days in the pool with a Coors and evenings of no-string trysts with the ultimate bored housewife isn’t a bad anesthetic.
JM63
As everyone who has seen The Graduate knows, the word most associated with this film is “Plastics.” But to me, another word best encapsulates its theme -- “Boredom.” ***** SPOILER WARNINGS FOR THE GRADUATE, THE APARTMENT, AND THE MALTESE FALCON *****
LaserLamb
In the 1992 film The Player, Robert Altman's satire of Hollywood, Buck Henry (the main screenwriter) pitches a sequel to The Graduate to producer Griffin Mill (played by Tim Robbins) during the film's opening sequence. Henry describes the plot as Ben and Elaine living in a haunted house in Northern California, with an invalid Mrs. Robinson living in the attic. 🤣😅😂
