The Graduate: Here's to You, Mrs. Robinson

The Graduate is a definitive film of the younger generation in the late sixties and a groundbreaking film. Released in 1967, directed by Mike Nichols, and starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, and Katherine Ross, The Graduate captured the alienation of an entire generation with dry humor and cynical insight. Mike Nichols won an Oscar for the film and it has earned a spot on the American Film Institute's 100 Best Movies list, placing at number seven. The film, though quite ideologically specific to 1960's America, still seems relevant, original, and oddly funny today.

The Graduate used complexity editing, with montages and dialogue overlap. It was one of the first films to employ dialogue overlap, in which the dialogue of one scene begins before the previous scene ends. Scenes were spliced together, altering time and chronology, such as when we go from watching Benjamin jump onto the raft to seeing him lying on top of Mrs. Robinson. This creates the tedious feeling of everything in his life being done repetitively and running together.

All of these technical aspects were unusual at the time, which helped give the film its innovative feel. They also give the film a more artsy, creative look. The film did all of its shooting on location, another anomaly for the time period. It also used a black and white color scheme, which, besides being very austere and simple, emphasizes the contrast between Benjamin's world and the adult's world. In addition, the film's soundtrack consists only of Simon and Garfunkel songs, the most notable being, of course, Mrs. Robinson. The songs of Simon and Garfunkel not only capture the essence of a generation, but they also provide the perfect melancholy background to Benjamin's angst and confusion. A water motif was also used; its fluidity represents the uncertain and ever-changing nature of Benjamin's life at the time.

The Graduate can be a difficult film to categorize, with its aspects of both drama and comedy. Over the years, it has been classified as both by critics and can be found in either section of any given video store. Perhaps an accurate compromise would be to call it a "dramedy"; in other words, a dramatic comedy. Overall, however, the movie seems to center mainly around the drama with the comedy as just another aspect involved. From the serious tone that the lighting and music creates, to the complexity of the issues, the film stands out as a drama. It can also be classified as an ideological film because of its specificity to a time and place.

The dramatic dimension in the film is what brought it such success. From Dustin Hoffman's dry, confused, and alienated portrayal of Benjamin, to Anne Bancroft's seductive, vindictive, jealous Mrs. Robinson, and Katherine Ross' innocent and indecisive Elaine, the film is excellently cast and acted. Even the less important characters, such as Benjamin's overbearing father, seem realistic and significant. One of the best features of the film is that all of the characters are three dimensional, and therefore thought provoking.

Benjamin, a very likable character, involves the audience and evokes our sympathy. However, we still see his naiveté and erroneous beliefs and actions, and shake our heads disappointedly. Though the character of Mrs. Robinson leads the audience to feel anger, we also feel understanding and pity for her. Despite the fact that she is clearly an unlikable character, she is not without depth, and therefore, the audience cannot help but feel for her also. The character of Elaine is the freshest and most untainted character in the film. In the film, she symbolizes hope to Benjamin, and the audience comes to see her through his eyes, placing great importance on her.

The plot tackles some heavy issues, including betrayal, guilt, infidelity, and dysfunctional families. Mrs. Robinson, a lonely housewife with too much time on her hands and nothing fulfilling in her life, reaches out to a confused and desperate young Benjamin, who, despite his initial resistance, gives in to her advances out of a sense of boredom and isolation. However, when her daughter Elaine returns to town, Benjamin falls for her and wishes to end the affair which has been a source of shame for him all along (although seemingly not for Mrs. Robinson).

Mrs. Robinson, who has been using Benjamin to make herself feel young and desirable, becomes irate at seeing him with Elaine, who has everything that Mrs. Robinson has lost: youth, beauty, and a future. Becoming vindictive, Mrs. Robinson tells Elaine a skewed version of the affair, making it sound as though Benjamin has taken advantage of her. This, of course, causes Elaine to run away, but by this point, Benjamin has set his heart on her, and goes as far as interrupting her wedding to win her back. The end is seemingly happy, but I will talk more about that later.

With its ambiguous ending and complex characters, The Graduate leaves the viewer with much to think about after he or she has watched the movie. Through the character of Benjamin, the film portrays a generation of young adults searching for change and meaning in their lives, who are confused and inhibited by the adults and authority figures in their lives. The audience sympathizes with Benjamin, who, despite having graduated from college, seems very young, naïve, and innocent. Benjamin is perplexed by the world around him and unsure of what to do with his life. Rather than trying to figure everything out, Benjamin distracts himself with his affair with Mrs. Robinson. Once Elaine comes into his life, he believes he has finally found something to lend meaning to his life, and he impulsively and desperately chases after her. Benjamin childishly believes that having Elaine will fulfill him, but people must find fulfillment on their own and through themselves, rather than relying on other people.

That is Benjamin's big mistake. Though the film seems to end happily, with Elaine and Benjamin together on a bus, it has been said by Mike Nichols that it was his intention that the characters of Elaine and Benjamin end up like her parents: trapped in a loveless marriage and a mundane life which never seems to satisfy them. This is hinted at when we view the disconnect between Elaine and Benjamin as the bus drives off into the distance. The audience should see this and realize what Benjamin has done: that he has based his happiness and fulfillment on another person rather than finding it in himself, and now must pay the same price his parents paid. At the end, the audience may feel disappointed and disillusioned by Benjamin's unwittingly falling into the life he was trying to escape.

This film also represents a generation of people desperately trying to add meaning and fulfillment to their lives, but not knowing how to go about it. The older generation has given up their dreams for a monotonous and dissatisfying life of working from nine to five, constantly trying to make more money. The younger generation sees this and knows that this is not what they want, yet they do not know what they do want. That is why they chase after the first thing they think will bring them happiness. In late 1960s America, this was the feeling in the air. The nation was at an uncertain state: war was waging, people were disillusioned and confused. The younger generation became restless and defiant, rebelling against parental and authority figures and searching for meaning through all kinds of methods.

This is my perception of The Graduate, the meaning I have found in the film. However, I think the entire movie, and especially the ending, is open for interpretation. Because it is so ambiguous and nothing is clearly spelled out, many different views about the meaning of the film are supportable. The film remains distinctive and thought provoking, which is infinitely more important than having a clear-cut message which is easily understood by all who view the film. Rather than force-feeding the audience its message, the film only hints at it and leaves the rest up to the audience.

Overall, The Graduate captures the restless innocence of an entire generation during a time when the world was in a state of uncertainty. With its discontinuity editing, water motif, and Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack, its distinctiveness caught the eye of critics and audiences alike. Taking the edge off the serious tone surrounding the issues, the dry humor in the film is especially amusing and unique. The Graduate manages to skillfully mix the elements of drama and comedy: we can laugh at the characters, get angry at them, and sympathize with them simultaneously. It is a film that makes people both feel and think, and today remains classic and significant.