Dustin Hoffman - His First, His Best

Rating: Null/10 (6 May 2011)

The melancholy, indifferent, and uninterested spirit of the college graduate in the 1960's is portrayed perfectly by Dustin Hoffman. Hoffman plays Benjamin, the college graduate who is not sure what to do with the rest of his life and falls into an affair with a married woman, his neighbor Mrs. Robinson. Benjamin goes on to accidentally falling love with Mrs. Robinson's daughter, Elaine. Their relationship proves to be difficult with Mrs. Robinson still in the picture. What strikes me the most in this movies, besides the acting of Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, is the use of dark colors versus lights colors, mostly black and white. Black and white is used to show the difference between young and old as well as innocent and guilty. Dark colors on Mrs. Robinson show her as a predator. Benjamin's head in the beginning is in a white background, while it is shown in a black background after he has had sex with Mrs. Robinson. Colors, symbolism, and acting make this movie amazing, especially for the time period.