by John Greco
There are some films that are indelibly burned into your psyche for whatever reason. It may have to do with the heart of every audience member jumping into their throats the first time the shark comes out of the water in “Jaws”, or the blaring rock sound of The Ronettes “Be My Baby” on the soundtrack of “Mean Streets” or the discovery of a little know film called “The Panic in Needle Park” as you watch a then unknown actor named Al Pacino blow you away. There are certain films that are etched into your life and become a brick on the wall that helped build your love for movies. For me “The Graduate” was one of those films.
I do realize “The Graduate” has dated, hell it was dated back in 1967, so let me get some of the criticism out of the way. You know, the stuff critics have been saying about this film since its release some forty years ago and Roger Ebert reiterated upon the film’s 30th Anniversary. First, there is the age difference between Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, only six years, and yes Hoffman does look too old to be a twenty one year old college student. Then there is the character of Benjamin who many sanctified years ago as a symbol of America’s anti-establishment youth. Benjamin who really does not rebel more than any twelve year old would. As for Mrs. Robinson who over the years has been vilified as a unsatisfied bitch, well it turns out she is the only character in the script with any emotional soul and not a cardboard “plastic” character. Finally, there is Elaine, Elaine who Ben runs away with in the end, after she marries blonde haired waspy Carl. Elaine, who found Ben disgusting when she discovered he had slept with her mother and a half hour later, is chowing down on burgers and fries at a drive-in with him. Ben the rebel ends up with the girl his parents wanted him to date all along in the film; of course they would have preferred it would have been before she said “I do” to old Carl. (more…)
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