Film Studies Review

Rating: Null/10 (25 November 2003)

*** This will spoil the ending.***
This film is about a guy name Benjamin who just gets home from a college. He lives in California in an upper class budget. He is very worried about his future, and during a party that his parents for him, this makes him vulnerable to being seduced by Mrs. Robinson. She is married to Ben's father's business partner, and has known Ben for his whole life. Although, when she lures Ben into her home the first time, she is unsuccessful in seducing him. Eventually he gives into her, and they have affairs for many months. Elaine Robinson, Mrs. Robinson's daughter, comes back from school and Ben's parents set up a date between the two young adults. Ben ends up falling in love with Elaine, which makes Mrs. Robinson furious. Elaine then finds out about the affair and heads back to school. Knowing that Elaine is the one for him, Ben goes to find her at her school and tries to get her to marry him. It does work, but Mr. Robinson steps in and takes Elaine and tries to marry her off to some other guy. In a last hope of desperation, Ben searches for Elaine before she gets married. When he does find her the vows are already said, but Ben interrupts the wedding anyway. Then, Elaine yells out to Ben, he fights his way to her, and whisks her away into a bus. After they calm down, the movie with sincere expressions on their faces.
"The Graduate" was a very tasteful film. I found it to be quite funny and that the story could basically fit our time period, not just the 60's. This characteristic is not commonly found in movies that were made more then four decades ago. This could be contributed to that the movie didn't give much of any relation from the events of the plot to the time period it was set. It also had a very complicated story.
The acting was quite superb. I did not notice one character that seemed awkward or that I didn't like. Dustin Hoffman and Anne Boncroft (Ben and Mrs. Robinson) acted remarkably well especially when I heard that they were around the same age. in the film, Ben seems to be much younger then Mrs. Robinson. Not just in appearance, but also in the way that they acted. Nervous young Ben as compared to calm uncaring Mrs. Robinson. All the characters in this movie did very well in getting into their roles.
The feelings and moods of the film were portrayed quite well. You could tell what Ben was feeling just by the every once and while shots of him either on a plane or on the bottom of the pool. He looked like he was lost in his own mind. The music was also very important to showing the mood of the story, and the soundtrack is quite amazing if I do say so myself.
The film kept me interested because of how the characters grow with the story and the plot. If you just looked at the characters at the beginning of the movie and the end you can see that they all have changed a lot.
In short, I really enjoy this movie and I will recommend it many people that I know. Plus, if they don't like it they at least have to respect the music in it. I have to say I think this is my favorite film from the 60's.