Lacanian look at The Graduate

Rating: 9/10 (30 January 2006)

The Graduate was an amazing film. The shots in the filmed seemed very modern, and the montages were amazing. This film also had a lot of symbolism along with the theme of youth rebellion. I also feel that this film can be linked to Lacan's theory of the symbolic order and the imaginary in a culture. Ben represents the imaginary trying to break into the symbolic order but is being held back. The soundtrack for this film was also amazing, and I feel that "Sounds of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel was the perfect song for this film. This song's first line "Hello darkness my old friend" describes what Ben is going through perfectly. He is trapped and wants to break free from the darkness.
Water is a huge symbol in this film. I feel that it symbolizes Ben feeling trapped by his family and his life in general. He doesn't want to become like his father and mother, but he feels that it is inevitable. This forces him to rebel throughout the film, and do exactly what people don't want him to. Water is found in many of the scenes in this film, and it always represents the same thing. When Mrs. Robinson (Bancroft) confronts Ben about not seeing her daughter anymore, it is raining out. Mrs. Robinson threatens to tell her daughter everything that has happened between the two of them. She is trapping him emotionally, but he is able to break free. Water also is present when Mr. Robinson (Hamilton) confronts Ben about sleeping with his wife. Ben is also being trapped here. Ben's parents also get him scuba gear for his birthday. This to me represented them not wanting him to escape, or break free. He is able to stay under the water now, and that's where they want him to be.
This film can also be loosely connected with Lacan's theory of the symbolic order. This theory can be used for many films, and this film had many of the elements of this theory in it. First of all, Ben is in the imaginary and is trying to break into the symbolic order. He desperately wants to be accepted for what he is, but he can't be accepted. At the bar in the hotel, for instance, the waiter doesn't hear or see Ben when he wants to order a drink. This is because he is not in the literary world, and is stuck in the imaginary. Mrs. Robinson has no problem ordering a drink in the bar because she is in the symbolic order and can be heard. The only way that Ben is recognized in this film is when he calls himself Mr. Gladstone. He is pretending to be in the symbolic order, and is momentarily heard and recognized. Ben isn't heard throughout the film, and I feel that this is why he thinks that he falls in love with Elaine (Ross), because she is the first person that actually hears him. Elaine is also going through the same thing, and they are able to understand each other because they are both in the imaginary.
I felt that this film was amazing. The shot framing in many scenes were great and the montages where very innovative. The story was also unbeatable. My favorite part of the film was when Ben and Elaine get on the bus to run away from everyone, and they both realize that they didn't actually love each other, and made a huge mistake. I thought that was a great ending to the film. My link to Lacanian theory may have been far fetched for this film, but I felt that it had many of the elements of this theory. All-in-all I felt that this film was flawless, and is one of my favorite films of that period in New American Cinema.