"The
Graduate"
“The
Graduate” is a classic film that takes a satirical approach to the
affluent
suburbs of Los Angeles
through the 1960s. This approach is
displayed through the eyes of Benjamin Braddock, played by Dustin
Hoffman. Benjamin is the protagonist of
the play and
most of the movie is shown from his point of view.
Benjamin is a recent college graduate from
the University of Berkley and now is facing the tough
transition from
an intellectual student in California
to the
materialistic society known as Los
Angeles.
Through Benjamin’s eyes, we are taken on a journey through high
class
suburban life, witnessing such things as the adulterous acts performed
between
Ms. Robinson and Benjamin. The director
seems to only show shots of Benjamin’s facial reaction to key points in
the
film. Because of this, I feel that the
theatrical
angle and key shot elements that were taken of Benjamin throughout “The
Graduate” display how everyone is connected by Ben’s character and
their truly
is no order in this world that seems filled with madness and chaos.
For more info on "The Graduate" Soundtrack Click
the Picture:)
As a true
outsider of affluent Los
Angeles
society, you think everyone lives a perfect lifestyle and has
everything anyone
could want in life. But the realization
is that everyone in “The Graduate” is an outsider in their own world. In the opening shot of the film, a close up
of Dustin Hoffman’s blank, lifeless face is shown as he is making his
way
through the LAX airport, after returning from the University of
Berkeley. This shot was almost a
fore-shadowing event
that continued throughout the film, showing close-ups of Benjamin’s
lifeless
face, and displaying how he never felt secure with his position in the
materialistic society. This shot was
repeated after he had finished having intimate moments with Mrs.
Robinson which
showed the lack of connection and emotion that he lacked from both the
society
and Mrs. Robinson. This shows how
Benjamin seems to be running through the motions of society. He just graduated college and now he knows its
time to go back home to Los
Angeles
where life seems to be pre set for him.
He must now find a woman to marry, which his parents seem to
have
already set up in Elaine.
Mrs.
Robinson was considered an outsider of her world because she did NOT
follow the
‘normal’ standards of society. She more
than likely got married too young because of pregnancy issues that had
arisen with
Mr. Robinson. Mrs. Robinson was also in
a sense in outsider of her own role as a wife and mother figure. During this part of the 1950s, traditional
families played a major role in society, whereas in the 1960s, open
sexuality
become a norm and big families and house moms were out the window. I think that the directors took a humorous
approach towards this issue within the film, through Mrs. Robinson’s
character,
who in the first five minutes takes advantage of Benjamin and
eventually
seduces him. Through various camera
angles, the director edited in shots of Mrs. Robinson undressing, or
smoking a
pipe but remembering to quickly return to Benjamin’s face for reaction
shots of
Mrs. Robinson’s sexuality. In the
infamous bathroom scene, Mrs. Robinson is topless and standing in front
of
Benjamin in the bathroom. This is the
first time where viewers are able to see the infatuation that Mrs.
Robinson has
for Benjamin and also the way in which Mrs. Robinson is more of a
sexual being
then a loving wife. Mrs. Robinson also
doesn’t fit the stereotype of a wealthy, house mom in suburban
societies. Mrs. Robinson’s daughter Elaine
seems to be
the foil character for Mrs. Robinson which is shown through various
camera
shots. Mrs. Robinson is a sexual being
and the camera shots show this by its various shots of her legs, or
scenes with
her topless or lying on a bed. She
rarely has close-ups of her face because Mrs. Robinson seems to lack
emotion
that Elaine possesses. You can see this
through the angles the director decides to take with close-ups on her
face and
actions, rather than on her physical appearance. Because
Elaine seems to possess real emotions
and values in life, Elaine is also considered an outsider of a world
that she
seems to be physically apart of.
Because
everyone is separated within their suburban lifestyle, love also does
not seem
to be a major issue since love needs some type of emotional connection. This is even shown through camera shots where
every shot seems to be a straight cut nothing seems to dissolve or fade
into
one another or lead to the next scene.
With the relationship of Mrs. Robinson and Benjamin, lust and
comfort
seems to be the two key factors that have influenced this relationship. For example, Ben finds comfort in calling her
‘Mrs. Robinson’ because treating her as an elder and not a sexual
partner still
makes him feel like secure or that he is a free college student again
at Berkley, and not a lost adult in Los Angeles.
Mrs. Robinson also lacks the love and support of her husband,
who even
sleeps in a different bed than Mrs. Robinson and only seems to play the
role of
‘bringing the meat to the table.’ Elaine
seems to want answers in a life where things seem to be confusing and
questionable. She seems to be longing to
be loved and is so pure and innocent, yet cursed because of her parents
past
and identities. At the end of the movie,
Elaine and Ben seem to be confused about the decision they just made
regarding
the wedding and question whether they are truly in love.
This shows how characters within “The
Graduate” seem to act more out of passion and curiosity instead of love
because
I feel as if none of the characters truly know what love really is
because they
have grown up in a society where love and morality are non –existent. Overall, I feel that this film was a film not
about someone leaving college and entering the real world, but Ben
actually leaving
the real world and entering this distant world where people are trying
to
become ‘the graduate’ of life, love and misunderstandings.
Sources
IMDB Databases
Google
Image Search
Film Search
Back to Homepage