The Graduate

Rating: 10/10 (16 December 2009)

Mike Nichols' The Graduate (1967) is filled with memorable quotes and witty dialog, a great soundtrack and introduction of the young Dustin Hoffman. The use of color was becoming a more prominent part of movie making. The color usage in The Graduate gives such life and thrill to the film. The colors were soft when they needed to be and also vibrant when the story picked up.
The camera-work in this film is noteworthy because of the angles and focus. The dolly shots stood out the most for me. The scene where Mrs. Robinson tells her daughter of her relations with Ben Braddock wouldn't have been the same without the drastic zoom out technique. Mrs. Robinson is standing across the room from Ben and the camera is close up on her face and then it pulls back in a fast motion making her seem so distance from not only the camera but from Ben and the world. As a viewer I even felt alone for her.