The graduate

Rating: 8/10 (27 April 2010)

The Graduate did a great job of capturing the atmosphere of the 1960's from the point of view of the older and younger generations. This is shown perfectly at the start of the film which is the "Welcome Home" for Ben, thrown by his parents. The use of the camera during that scene puts the audience in Ben's shoes and it feels as if you are at the party with him. While Ben is greeting his guests the camera whirls around to each one and remains on Ben's face as he tries his hardest to seem interested and excited. Dustin Hoffman does a fantastic job of being the nervous, unsure young man. His obvious tentativeness with Mrs. Robinson is endearing. Anne Bancroft is just amazing as well, she has a way of owning every scene that she is in and the combination of her strength on screen and Hoffman's naivety really makes the film.
Masny interesting shots are used in the films as well. The setup of the camera inside the scuba mask when Ben is showing off the scuba gear for his guests is fantastic. The match cut shots which were used mostly during the affair between Ben and Mrs. Robinson portrayed Ben's double life and how inane his life seemed to be without her. One of the best scenes in the entire film is the last shot when Ben and Elaine are sitting on the bus. At firs the two are laughing and seem happy with their decision but as they sit there both of them seem to realize the repercussions. It brilliantly demonstrates the state of minds of much of world at that in time in history. Overall the film was just fantastic.