The Graduate
by Mike Nichols
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross, Murray Hamilton, William DanielsDirector: Mike Nichols
Brand: BANCROFT,ANNE
Cinematographer: Robert Surtees
Editor: Sam O'Steen
Producer: Joseph E. Levine
Writer: Charles Webb
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 105 minutes
Published: 2005-04-01
DVD Release Date: 2005-04-05
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Embassy Pictures Corporation
Movie Reviews of The Graduate
Movie Review: A film that graduates at the head of its class...
Summary: 5 Stars
`The Graduate' is by far one of my favorite movies ever made; maybe top ten, at least top twenty (I never imagined how hard it would be to compile a list of fifty films); the point being that it is pure genius. Director Mike Nichols takes Calder Willingham's screenplay (based off of Charles Webb's novel of the same name) and delivers it to us with a delicate yet subtle brazenness that adds layers of emotional weight and clarity to the film. Couple that with a slew of fantastic performances by just about everyone in the cast and you have a film that is legendary, classic and frankly `important' in the catalogue of cinematic achievements.
`The Graduate' tells us the story of young Benjamin Braddock who is just that, a college graduate. Upon returning home to a life undecided Benjamin finds himself being pursued by the older, beautiful and married Mrs. Robinson. There is no denying that Benjamin is intrigued by the proposition but he is awkwardly hesitant. Temptation can only lay undisturbed for a short time and soon Benjamin is entertaining her pursuits and falls into a full-fledged affair with Mrs. Robinson. His life is finally starting to interest him, and then a corkscrew is thrown in the mix. Mr. Robinson wants Benjamin to take out their teenage daughter Elaine. When Benjamin falls in love with her his world starts to unravel as Mrs. Robinson threatens to expose their affair in an effort to keep him away from her daughter.
What make this movie so iconic are the marvelous performances by the entire cast, Hoffman and Bancroft especially. Anne Bancroft is marvelous as the seductive and manipulative Mrs. Robinson; a woman who knows what she wants and knows how to get it. She very comfortable slides into character and single handedly created a character that will go down in history as one of the most recognizable and memorable screen vixens. Dustin Hoffman is marvelous here, truly outstanding. Benjamin Braddock was his breakthrough and garnered him his first Oscar nomination, which should have been his first win. His handling of Braddock's awkward shyness (even his audition was an awkward mess) was phenomenal. He became Benjamin, lived and breathed him, and really delivered in a way that no other actor could have. I'm often reminded of this performance when I watch Jake Gyllenhaal act, for Gyllenhaal has that same awkwardness about him as Hoffman possesses in this role (maybe that says good things for Gyllenhaal).
The rest of the cast excels as well, especially Katherine Ross, who plays Elaine. She is welcoming and vivacious and everything a man could want, thus adding to the believability that Benjamin would chose her over her aggressive mother. Murray Hamilton is great as Mr. Robinson, even if he is underused and William Daniels and Elizabeth Wilson deliver as well as Benjamin's parents.
`The Graduate' is one of those films that defined a generation. It's a film that captured everything that made the 60's what it was and created a standard for all other films approaching this genre to live up to. The feeling of the film, the fluidity, the casting; everything down to the music (Simon and Garfunkel were a prime choice) come together beautifully to help embellish the riches springing forth from `The Graduate'.
In the end I must declare that everyone should see this iconic film. There are so few true gems in this world, so few films that are undeniably splendid. Even when compiling my list of favorite films I come to realize that many of them are purely of my own opinion; but `The Graduate' is one of those movies that is universally lauded and adored; a film that we call all agree is truly one of the very best.
Summary of The Graduate
Nominated* for seven Academy AwardsÂ(r) and winner for Best Director, this ground breaking and "wildly hilarious" (The Boston Globe) social satire launched the career of two-time OscarÂ(r)-winner** Dustin Hoffman and cemented the reputation of acclaimed director Mike Nichols. Pulsating with the rebellious spirit of the '60s and a haunting score sung by Simon and Garfunkel, The Graduate is truly a "landmark film" (Leonard Maltin). Shy Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) returns home from college with an uncertain future. Then the wife of his father's business partner, the sexy Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), seduces him, and the affair only deepens his confusion. That is, until he meets the girl of his dreams (Katharine Ross). But there's one problem: she's Mrs. Robinson's daughter!Similar DVD Movies
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