The Graduate: A Cultural Review

The Graduate was an interesting film to say the least. It could also be pretty funny at times, but with the possible potential such a premise presents, the writers fell short. Luckily Mike Nichols, the director, was able to save the film from an otherwise dismal failure with simply amazingly well done shots. Of course, it also helps to have such a talented cast.
The film begins at a party thrown for our title character, the graduate, Ben Braddock, played superbly by Dustin Hoffman. Our next character, the brilliantly seductive Mrs. Robinson, throws the plot forward by asking Ben for a ride home. Once there she then slowly begins roping Ben into her devious designs. This is probably the only really well written scene in the movie; the exacting system of staged events Mrs. Robinson uses to seduce Ben is simply phenomenal. Ben however does not think so and after an uncomfortable talk with Mr. Robinson, is finally able to escape.
The movie slows for a bit as we see an excellent montage of Ben’s summer exploits, most of which include lounging about the pool and sleeping with Mrs. Robinson. Finally, however, the plot begins to move on again with the entrance of Elaine Robinson, whom Mrs. Robinson has forbidden Ben to see. Ben agrees to Mrs. Robinson demands, but is eventually forced to take her out by his parents. Ben first tries to get rid of her, driving like a maniac and then taking her to a strip club, but after Elaine starts to cry, Ben simply cannot bring himself to go through with his plan. Explaining everything, but not really mentioning any names, Elaine forgives him and they both end up having a pretty good time.
Mrs. Robertson, however, is furious and attempts to tell Elaine everything, but is beaten to the punch by Ben, who wants to explain to Elaine himself. This unfortunately just leads to disaster, and after being kicked out of the Robinson household, he settles for stalking Elaine as she goes about her business. Eventually, Elaine leaves to go back to school, sending Ben into a lethargic state of depression. This does not last, however, and with a sudden goodbye to his parents, he travels to UC-Berkley, in hopes of finding Elaine and getting her to marry him.
This new plan though, also falls through as Elaine has already been proposed to by another man, one whom her mother deems much more acceptable. Ben, however, refuses to give up, even after heated encounters with both of Elaine’s parents. Searching for Elaine, Ben finds only a note of farewell, explaining that Elaine had decided to marry the other man. Still refusing to admit defeat, Ben travels across the state in pursuit of Elaine, hoping to stop the wedding ceremony. After a few mishaps and a few small stabs at hilarity, Ben finds the wedding, and proceeds to attempt to stop it. Fighting off nearly the entire wedding party and assorted guests, Ben and Elaine manage to break free and escape onto a public bus. The movie then ends, quite un-romantically, with the camera focusing on the eloping couples’ uncomfortable faces and an escalating soundtrack.
Although this film did not really have an ulterior message relative to the counter culture movement, it certainly had some themes previously unheard of. Most prominent of course is the entire premise, which focuses mainly on an affair with a married woman. This complete destruction of morality previously epitomized by the American viewer is what truly makes this film part of the counter culture movement. Additionally, there are several other issues present at the film that also would have been something of a disgrace among older films. This includes things such as: the fact that the Robinsons were married due to a child out of wedlock, the seeming lack of importance of an education, the basic idiom of “if it feels good do it”, the apparent idiocy of parents, and of course someone sleeping with an older woman. While this film certainly is not an One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, all of these disparaging themes do come together to provide evidence of when this film was made.
As for the actual quality of the film, its most evident failing is, as mentioned before, the writing. There were just so many places where situational comedy could have put the film into an entirely new bracket, but the writers simply fail to present. Much of the dialogue, while getting the point across, is utterly lacking in any sort of entertainment value what so ever. With a character like Mrs. Robertson, seductive, demanding, and cunning, interacting with a character such as Ben, naive, clumsy, and completely lacking common sense, there should have been much more humorous dialogue. Once again the writers fail to deliver.
It is definitely testament to Mr. Nichols ability to direct, to be able to use such a sorry story, I mean some bits did not even make sense, and tell it in a way that is actually marketable. Taking advantage of the excellent actors he had at his disposal, he was actually able to create some humor, just by focusing on certain mannerisms and voice inflections. Another astounding display of talent was his use of the camera. Even more so than the actuality of bringing the story to life, the shots he used were extremely innovative. That is probably the one thing that I actually found attractive about the film, using glass tables, mirrors, and even furniture to create some really interesting camera angles.
Overall, the film was pretty good. The lack of any real meaning, however, did it no favors. Much of the time a film will focus too much on a given message, and as a result the film will lose much of its value as a story. By the same token, a film lacking in any real message, simply does not have any real value. And with a lack of adventure, comedy, or horror elements, the film is not really that entertaining. In the end, The Graduate is worth a viewing, simply to see the superb acting and excellent camera shots, but I would probably never watch it again.