The Graduate Analysis

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Francesca Gobbetti Professor Jordan Stone Art of Film Final Paper Spring 2014 “The Graduate” “The Graduate” is a 1967 American comedy-drama auteur film directed by Mike Nichols, based on the 1963 novel by Charles Webb (also entitled “The Graduate”). The story recounts the struggles of a recent college graduate, Benjamin Braddock, who is confined to a superficial and fake world. After some thought, Ben begins an affair with Mrs. Robinson, the wife of his father’s business partner. He is then conflicted when he begins to have feelings for Elaine, Mrs. Robinson’s daughter. After having told Elaine about his affair with her mother, Ben discovers that Elaine is due to marry and, neglecting Mrs. Robinson’s requests, he stops the marriage. The movie closes with a shot of Ben and Elaine on a bus together with blank expressions on their faces. “The Graduate” was an extremely revolutionary movie, which clearly contributed to its great success. Its excellent use of editing allows the audience to further comprehend the character’s emotions. A clear example of this brilliant use of editing is the scene that starts out with Ben lying in his parent’s pool; when he gets out and puts his shirt on, he is revealed to be in a hotel room with Mrs. Robinson. This use of editing, not only keeps the audience very interested, but it also perfectly captures Ben’s state of mind in that he is simply drifting from place to place with no apparent destination or objective. Another factor which clearly allows the audience to capture the character’s emotions is the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound. The use of popular music as non-diegetic sound was extremely innovative at the time and significantly emphasized the character’s mindset. The genre of “The Graduate” is clearly related to the idea of coming of age, in that Ben is still trying to sift through the confusion of a

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