ce n'est pas genève

THE GRADUATE (1967)

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On tap for tonight is The Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. The film earned Mike Nichols an Academy Award for Best Director in 1968, and is lauded as a classic American film. Nichols is the man responsible for other noteworthy films like Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Carnal Knowledge, Working Girl, and Closer. The Graduate is about a recent university graduate named Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) who has no well-defined aim in life. His parents throw him a graduation party at their home in LA,  and all of their friends ask Benjamin about his upcoming plans for graduate school or a career. Benjamin is clearly uncomfortable and anxious about his future (ring a bell??????) but is ignored by his overbearing parents who expect nothing less than success.

Mrs. Robinson, the wife of his father's law partner, asks Benjamin to drive her home from the party, which is really just a ploy to seduce him. They begin an affair, which is complicated when Benjamin falls in love with Elaine, the Robinsons' daughter. The story that unfolds is part love story and part scathing social critique. Interestingly, Dustin Hoffman beat out the likes of Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, Harrison Ford, Steve McQueen, and Gene Hackman for the role of Benjamin, possessing, in Nichols' eyes, a certain "underdog quality" that the character needed. The role of Mr. Robinson, too, was the object of much competition: Ronald Reagan, Marlon Brando, and Gregory Peck were all considered before Murray Hamilton was cast.

I can't wait to watch this tonight for four reasons. First, as a near-graduate myself, I laughed aloud at the IMDb description of the film's context. A young graduate drifting aimlessly yet expected to accomplish great things? Sounds like pretty much every kid I know at university, myself included. Second, it is widely touted as hysterical, with sharp writing and great comedic timing. I'm a big fan of well-written comedies, particularly social satires, and hate the slapstick comedy genre that dominates the Hollywood box office. Third, it's set at Berkeley and also has what promises to be a very romantic/dramatic wedding scene, both of which are things I love. Fourth, it looks like an aesthetic masterpiece.

Soooooo I'll be watching this tonight and will let you know how it is!