Wednesday, October 15, 2014

The Graduate

The ending of The Graduate leaves a large amount of room for interpretation. The song, "Mrs. Robinson" is manipulated to give the final scene of Benjamin racing to stop Elaine's wedding a suspenseful feel and a more dramatic mood. 

The original tempo of "Mrs. Robinson" here is manipulated in sync with the diegetic sounds; being both accelerated when Benjamin is driving frantically to Santa Barbara and slowed down when his car runs out of petrol.



The rhythm fades as the car slows down and Benjamin jumps out to run the rest of the way to the church. The contrast between the changed rhythm of "Mrs Robinson" and the noises of the wind and passing cars while Benjamin is running creates even more suspense.

The final shot of The Graduate is of Benjamin and Elaine on a bus. It slowly starts driving away from their previous, planned out lives while their facial expressions turn from happiness to sense of anxiousness.“The Sound of Silence” starts to play; a song, in my opinion, that describes Benjamin’s feeling of dissatisfaction and isolation. I think that through sound and suggestion, The Graduate closes on an confused note, leaving plenty of room for interpretation. How do you believe the movie ended and would you change anything about it? Do you think the music or the images have more of an effect on the movie’s final scene?


2 comments:

  1. Great use of clips and stills in order to describe the emotions and the actions portrayed in the film. I agree with you that the music syncs with the actions and emotions in the film. Music always plays a huge part in telling any story; especially for "Mrs. Robinson" which was specifically made for this film. This helped tell a bigger story and make a better connection.

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  2. I really like how you found a clip to portray the ending of the film. I agree that the music was a big part in creating and enhancing the mood of the characters throughout the entire film. In the end the music is very significant, and I think you did a great job at detecting that, and the connection to Ben's mood in the beginning.

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