Sunday, October 12, 2014
The Graduate
I thought the very last scene of the film was interesting. After Elaine and Ben have made a daring escape, interrupting and cutting her wedding short, and anger her parents, they run off together and get on a bus. The last shot lingers on their faces as they sit on the bus. At first, both are laughing and smiling and looking at each other. This gradually goes away, and they switch between regular faces and smiles, and looking at each other and looking forward. Finally, they both end up looking straight faced forward, toward the front and not at each other. I thought this was interesting because it seems like the two of them are having second thoughts about their hasty escape. Neither really thought it through, and it was very spur of the moment. Now that they have a moment, they are back where Ben was at the very beginning: unsure of the future and what is to come. The song also returns to something a little less bright, playing "Sound of Silence".
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I did get the feeling that neither character knew what was to come. However, I guess I'm an optimist as I didn't get a negative feeling from it either. They're both young and they had just started their lives together (presumably) so I never figured that they would have any idea what to do. That being said, I think Ben ended the film with more than he began with, as now he has something to work for and motivate him: to be a husband.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I watched this scene, I was too caught up with the fact that Ben was willing to interrupt Elaine's wedding, and Elaine was willing to run off with him... that I hadn't even noticed their facial reactions to what just happened. It was an interesting moment, because it didn't just end the movie with, "...And they lived happily ever after!" They are both excited about what they did, but they are unsure of what will come next.
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