Fresh as the day it first appeared

Rating: 10/10 (1 March 2009)

I watched this for the first time in many years and was impressed with how well it holds up. Film technique alone still seems fresh, the montages being as much fun as I remember them. I guess the film has become the holy grail of 1960s youth movies, the word "plastic" being more prescient than most of us ever expected. Dustin Hoffman hasn't been as likable or as charming since. It's one of Mike Nichols' best films, but beyond Hoffman and Nichols, it was Anne Bancroft who stole the show. She was just perfect.
I also noticed something I'd never paid attention to before. There's a water metaphor carried throughout. Ben was often seen in shots with water. He says he's 'treading water', not knowing what to do with his life. I think Nichols used water when Ben was overwhelmed by the world of his parents and the establishment and avoids water when Ben is in control. We first see Ben after the credits, depressed, sitting in front of his fish tank. He hangs out around the pool a lot, is given scuba gear as a birthday present. When he comes to pick up Mrs. Robinson's daughter Elaine on a second date, it's raining, but a drenched Mrs. Robinson gets in his car instead of Elaine. When he's in Berkeley, he enters his apartment to find an angry Mr. Robinson, smoking a cigar, waiting for him. In the window behind Mr. Robinson we see it's raining. Warm scenes with no rain accompany moments when Ben is in control. When Ben runs off with Elaine from the church at the end, it's dry as a bone. Amazing I never saw this before.
The DVD has two commentary tracks, one with Dustin Hoffman and Katharine Ross, another with Mike Nichols pretty much interviewed by Steven Soderbergh. The Hoffman Ross commentary is less interesting than you might expect. The Nichols Soderbergh track, however, is excellent. Soderbergh is a big fan of the film and he knew exactly what to ask. Nichols is very erudite and entertaining, filling his comments with both historical information and keen observation. A great director for sure. And the film looks good on DVD.
I'd love to see that church where they shot the ending. Nichols mentions that the reason Hoffman has his arms spread wide when he's banging on the glass is not a Christ symbol, as so many have suggested, but rather, the owner of the church was afraid the glass would break the way Hoffman was banging with his fists. So Nichols asked Hoffman to bang on the window with his hands spread wide so as not to break the window.
And the last scene on the bus with Hoffman and Ross was a single take. Nichols made them nervous and put the pressure on since they only had the bus for enough time to do a single take. That uneasy look they give each other comes from their nervousness at Nichols demanding they be great. But after viewing it, Nichols realized the uneasiness in their expressions was something that would elevate the film from a feel good ending to something perhaps a bit more profound. Indeed it does. When I was younger I didn't like that they weren't totally happy at the end, but now I think it really gives weight to the whole idea of the film. Where are they going now? What will they become? Copies of their parents?
Just excellent.