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?

The Graduate

During the movie The Graduate something that lingered in the back of my mind was what was motivating Mrs. Robinson to seek this relationship with Ben. After re-watching a number of scenes it becomes apparent that Mrs. Robinson is looking for youth.

Youth is a big theme from The Graduate and Mrs. Robinson is a symbol for the future or the longing for youth. In the scene when Mrs.Robinson invites Ben back to her house, and she tries to tempt him which leads to Ben accusing her of seducing him, she takes it as a compliment instead of an insult. This alone how all she wants is somebody younger to want to have feelings for her and make her feel like she is young not old and washed out. In that same scene when Mr. Robinson comes home, he talks about how you can never be twenty-three again. This scene is what shows us that Mr. and Mrs. Robinson both regret decisions they made when they were younger and wish they ventured out and had flings instead of tiring the knot.

An important way to show this longing for youth from Mrs. Robinson is how she is clothed throughout the movie. In almost every scene between her and Ben she is wearing clothes that women who are old mothers and married shouldn't be wearing especially cheetah print. This all tells the audience that Mrs. Robinson has a serious insecurity problem about age and tries to make up for it by wearing flattering clothes.

The whole relationship between Mrs. Robinson and Ben also felt like Mrs. Robinson using Ben as almost vitamin D, keeping her young and healthy. In an odd way she was sucking the life out of him and putting him in a position where she was taking his youth and he was losing it. The director shows this by having Ben do nothing but be with Mrs. Robinson instead of doing what normal twenty something year olds should be doing.

Another way the director showed us Mrs. Robinson was searching for youth was the rack focus in the scene Elaine finds out Ben has been having affair with her mother. I believe the rack focus in this scene shows that Ben has replaced her with something younger and it is the only scene Mrs. Robinson isn't in make up. The camera is focused on young Elaine and when it switches focus to Mrs. Robinson it shows her wrinkled and older than ever shown, hinting to the audience that Mrs. Robinson wasn't getting her youth anymore from Ben.

Provocative Clothing on Mrs. Robinson 

Rack focus showing old and unmake up'ed Mrs. Robinson

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".

The Graduate

The ending of the film The Graduate is a very iconic scene, and one that has been referenced and parodied many times in popular culture. However, in my opinion, the most interesting thing about the scene is the way in which it misleads the audience. For a first time viewer, the film has an incredibly happy ending. Ben gets the girl and humiliates the sinister Mrs. Robinson. They vide off into the sunset together and live happily ever after. However, let us think about the implications of the scene. Elaine has just run out on her wedding, and infuriated her parents by marrying the "wrong" man. I don't think that either of them will ever be welcome home again after this. The biggest implication of this is the final two shots of the film. As Ben and Elaine sit in the back of the bus, the smiles slowly fade from their faces as the somber melody kicks in. The bus then speeds on into an incredibly uncertain future. (Not to be negative or anything!)
Do you agree, or do you think that this is more of a classic, happy movie ending?

The Graduate

Something I picked up on in The Graduate was the use of color, particularly through costumes. In the beginning of the film, and well into the middle, the characters wore strictly black and white outfits that coordinated with the oftentimes black and white backgrounds. But unlike in Casablanca, where the difference between black and white costumes symbolized “good and bad” characters, in The Graduate, I feel as though these stark contrast between black and white costumes was meant to tell the storyline. It is only in the beginning that characters are only dressed in dark and light colors. As the story unfolds, new colors are introduced. That to me showed that there was a clear difference in characters and their intentions. As new colors such as navy blue, pink, and camel, are slowly embedded in the costuming, the plot, specifically relationships, becomes melded together (Ben, Mrs. Robinson and Elaine), it isn’t so black and white anymore. Also, the first time you see a character wear a color that is not black or white is when the audience is first introduced to Elaine, when her and Ben go on their first date. She is wearing a pink dress, which showed that she will be a significant later in the movie; she isn’t just wearing black and white like the rest of the characters.

It is clear that the use of color had a deep meaning throughout this film. It illustrates how the characters grow and change. What other motifs or details show the development in character?

The Graduate

Scott Yarmoff
Mrs. Robbins
Period 3 Film Analysis
10/10/14

If someone were to look for this movie in the library, it would be in the "comedy" section. A majority of those who watch this movie would laugh and agree. However, for a comedy, there is a serious lack of happiness by the characters. Ben goes from stressed, to more stressed, to a bit more relaxed, to annoyed, and many more emotions. The only two scenes where he is truly happy are when he is on his date with Elaine and after he stole her from the wedding. Mrs. Robinson's thirst for power keeps her from ever being happy, whether she has Ben wrapped around her finger or not. Elaine seems dissatisfied for most of the movie, and when she's not dissatisfied or on a date with Ben, she's annoyed or confused. True happiness is not a reoccurring part of this romantic comedy, which is truly odd. It is certainly a classic, and this attribute might make it what it is, but it is one of a kind. The themes of depression and loneliness make for a new experience for a viewer. I just think it's odd for a comedy to have little happiness experienced by the characters.

The Graduate

Lauren Hope Gottschalk

Mrs. Robbins

Critical Analysis of Film and Literature

10 October 2014 

The Graduate

Throughout the movie it is seen that Benjamin Braddock finds water as a means of serenity. The first time we as viewers see this is when Braddock first arrives home. His head lie motionless against his fish tank, and he has a calm expression on his face. Later, Braddock's father makes him come downstairs to impress his guests. Braddock's demeanor completely changes, he looks afraid and stressed in complete contrast to when his head was against the fish tank.

The second time this type of action is seen is when Braddock jumps into his pool in his birthday present, a scuba suit. He does try to surface, yet his father pushes him back down. After this action Braddock stays still underneath the water, not swimming, not floating, but completely still within the quietness, and peacefulness of the water. There is no noise underneath the water which means it can be assumed that Braddock is in a happier environment underneath the water.

The third time we see Braddock peace driven state within the water is when "The Drifting Montage" begins. It is seen that Braddock is floating on a float in his pool. It looks as though he could not have a care in the world. No one is bothering him and it seems like he is in a completely calm and serene environment.

The last time we see Braddock in the water is when his parents begin to complicate his peaceful state. While he is floating in the water his parents begin to circle him like sharks, consistently asking him question after question. As they continue to berate him with questions in the end he can not take it anymore. Braddock flings himself off the float and into the water. We see him with the same scuba goggles as he wore during the birthday scene which could mean that he feels the same now as he did when that event occurred. Like in every other time he is the water he is still. Not making a movement, but just surrounded by water and again he looks emotionless.

In the end of the movie there is no idea of water. This could mean that Braddock has had his time of peace in the water, but now it is time for the excitement and complications that await him on land. 

The Graduate

The Graduate, released in 1967, still remains as one of the highest ranked films because of its special film techniques. Particularly, in the last segment watched in class, rack focus is used when Benjamin tells Elaine that the girl he had an affair with was her mother. Before Ben can even get his words out, he looks through the tiny frame of the door and sees Mrs. Robinson. The focus slowly shifts from Elaine, to Mrs. Robinson. From the shift in focus, we are given a subjective point of view, as it signifies Ben looking to Mrs. Robinson. Aside from rack focus, another technique used is framing. When Ben looks over at Mrs. Robinson, she is framed in between a tiny opening of the door. This symbolizes how unimportant she is to Ben, and how small she seems now that he has gone on a date with Elaine. Shortly after Elaine rips her head off to him, he sees her the next day through his rearview mirror in his car. This is another example of rack focus, while he is putting on his seatbelt he is first focused on the road, then switches his focus to Elaine who is walking out of her house. The use of rack focus communicates his existing interest in her. Another time rack focus is used, is when he follows her to Berkley College, and sees her through a statue. At first the focus is on the statue, but as she gets closer the use of framing through a hole in the statue and the use of rack focus (by focusing on her) is used. The fact that he is able to spot her in a busy crowd on campus proves just how much he knows her.  Later on, when Ben stops Elaine near one of the brick walls, the use of framing between the walls is used to communicate the love, and affection they have for one another. She kisses him goodbye, and in between the walls tells that they are the only two around, even though there were many people walking by. It signifies their deep relationship. Lastly, when Ben runs out of gas, he sprints as fast as he can to the wedding. As he gets closer, the camera does not move, and although he is sprinting, he still looks so small. This shows his inferiority, and sense of failure that he could not stop her from getting married. However, we find this to be misconceiving, as the two run away together on the bus.