The graduate, the funniest american comedy of the year, is inspired by the free spirit which the young british directors have brought into their movies. August 11, 2010 admin 0 comments the movie the graduate directed by mike nichols is a coming of age story entailing the confusions young adults go through as to whether they actually are adults or still kids. Youve survived your defeat at the hands of that insufferable creep, benjamin, and emerged as the most. An analysis of filming techniques of mike nichols movie. The film stars dustin hoffman in a careermaking role as benjamin braddock, a 2021yearold who has just graduated from an unnamed university in the american northeast, and has returned to his home in pasadena, california. Ma in film studies department of cinematic arts college.
This week, i will be doing a film analysis on the 1967 film the graduate. The graduate, a 1960s classic, is recognized as a landmark film due to its social themes regarding gender, fidelity and marriage in american suburbia. The opening scene of the graduate is principally constrained by the rules of classical hollywood style for reasons like this, and so that audiences are presented with a rational believable world. The school is widely believed to be williams college, webbs alma mater in the opening sequence of the movie, dustin hoffman, playing benjamin braddock, is wearing a williams college tie. The graduate 1967 is one of the key, groundbreaking films of the late 1960s, and helped to set in motion a new era of filmmaking. The graduate is one of those movies that never turns out quite as gentle as it is in the memory. The film analysis website was developed to meet the needs of faculty and students at yale who are interested in becoming familiar with the vocabulary of film studies and the techniques of cinema. The graduate is a 1967 comedydrama directed by mike nichols, based on the 1963 novel by charles webb. Film analysis of the graduate essay 2038 words bartleby. Film analysis of the graduate and annie hall 1288 words 6 pages. As the benchmark for every intergenerational relationship film since and, quite. Dec 01, 2014 when nichols died in november, obituaries inevitably depicted the graduate as an emblem of youth alienation in postwar america. The obvious here is that it is not the overall theme for the movie, in fact, there are a lot of lessons for this movie people are not even.
The film tells the story of 21yearold benjamin braddock dustin hoffman, a recent college graduate with no welldefined aim in life, who is. Oct 25, 20 the graduate, a 1960s classic, is recognized as a landmark film due to its social themes regarding gender, fidelity and marriage in american suburbia. The graduate 1967 is one of the key, groundbreaking films of the late 1960s, and helped to set in motion a new era of film making. The following analysis reveals a comprehensive look at the storyform for the graduate. Graduate film students work closely with industry professionals to develop and shoot personal narrative, documentary and commercial work. It is a film which appears at a great turning point in hollywood film history, at the moments of transition between one era tied to the strictures of classical storytelling and codes selfimposed censorship, and the beginning of a. From the first frame of the film, his preference is clearly to think out situations before taking action. In the graduate, the director, mike nichols, emphasizes the mysterious tone of the film with his overuse of lighting, camera angles, and shadows. The film stars dustin hoffman in a careermaking role as benjamin braddock, a 2021yearold who has just graduated from an unnamed university in the. The graduate is a delightful, satirical comedydrama about a young mans seduction by an older woman, and the measure of maturity which he attains from the experience. Robinson enters behind him totally naked, her nudity reflected in the glass which covers her daughters portrait foreshadowing the.
The plot, while following the character ben braddock, is a simple coming of age tale, the real storytelling is done through the cinematography. It is funny, not because of sight gags and punch lines and other tired rubbish, but because it has a point of view. The film explores the life of 21yearold ben braddock dustin hoffman shortly after earning his bachelors degree from an unnamed college in the northeast. Robinson, you are trying to seduce me, says benjamin braddock dustin hoffman. I wanted to look at some of the clever shots we did not get to discuss in class. Overall the graduate is an amazing movie with excellent writing, great acting this movie jumpstarted dustin hoffmans career, and outstanding cinematography. The two and a half minute title sequence of the graduate is full of detailed touches communicating the mindset of the films protagonist. It started with a new form of acting called method acting that encouraged improvisation. The graduate 1967 is one of the key, groundbreaking films of the late 1960s, and.
We already talked about a good amount of it in class such as with the aquarium or the scuba diving scene or the claustrophobic conversations ben has with family friends at the beginning of the film. The graduate is a 1967 american romantic comedydrama film directed by mike nichols and written by buck henry and calder willingham, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by. When ben and elaine get on the bus heading away from the church, their facial expressions seem to betray the confidence they had when escaping from the people at elaines wedding. The graduate was released in united states on december 22, 1967. The graduate has a ton of interesting cinematography. The graduate is one of those films that is both dated and timeless at the same time. It was written for the rebellious teens and college students of the time, but still has a lot of universal. He is caught between adolescence and adulthood searching for the meaning of his upper middle class suburban world of his parents. This is a reflection from my film theory course, in it i analyze the film and aspects of the genre. The oscarwinning classic the graduate, 50 years later the. May 05, 2016 mike nicholss, the graduate, is an academy award nominated film, which is received well even to this day. The yale film study center is home for a growing collection of film titles in various formats, as well as scripts, books and other reference material.
The graduate, directed by mike nichols in 1967 is an influential satirecomedy film about a recent east coast college graduated who finds himself alienated and aimless in the changing, social and sexual general public of the 1960s, and questioning the values of society. The department of english offers over 200 courses for undergraduate and graduatelevel students. Jan 20, 2015 mawr gorshin educational aid, film analysis january 20, 2015 may 25, 2018 minutes the graduate is a 1967 comedydrama directed by mike nichols, based on the 1963 novel by charles webb. The graduate essays are academic essays for citation. Jun 14, 2019 the two and a half minute title sequence of the graduate is full of detailed touches communicating the mindset of the films protagonist. The graduate, a film based on the novel by charles webb, is directed by mike nichols, whose famous works also include working girl and catch22. Unlike most of the analysis found herewhich simply lists the unique individual story appreciationsthis indepth study details the actual encoding for each structural item. A disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and. The film would go on to clinch the best director oscar for mike nichols, launch the career of dustin hoffman, and stir nationwide controversy for its. Essay film analysis of american beauty and the graduate. Comedy is naturally subversive, no matter what doris day thinks. The year 1967 was significant in cinema history, and if youre trying to make sense of why, you dont have to look much further than mike nichols the graduate.
Kenneth turan and justin chang discuss mike nichols landmark 1967 film, the graduate, starring dustin hoffman and anne bancroft. Master of artsthe ma in film studies is a multicultural, international, and interdisciplinary program, which approaches cinema as both art and as international social practice. With dustin hoffman, anne bancroft, katharine ross, william daniels. It will give students substantial advanced training in film analysis, history, and theory, and afford them an opportunity to learn about various film related disciplines in order to. The film tells a story of a young graduate student who knew who finds himself tangled up in an affair with his fathers business partners wife. And even though hes smart, accomplished, and rich, guess whathes unhappy. Our experts proofread and edit your project with a detailed eye and with complete knowledge of all writing and style conventions. When nichols died in november, obituaries inevitably depicted the graduate as an emblem of youth alienation in postwar america. Graduate film course of study artcenter college of design. The graduate title sequence film analysis rob ager.
Clever cinematography and the graduate so i recently watched the graduate and i was mindblown by the clever cinematography and great performances. The uncertainty benjamin braddock feels can be seen right from the start as he stands on the moving sidewalk at the airport. The graduate is what hollywood in later years would call a high concept movie, that is, one that takes a basic story and gives it a memorable. We already talked about a good amount of it in class such as with the aquarium or the scuba diving scene or the. A disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter.
In the 1967 films most iconic line, a family friend gives young braddock a single word of advice. This week celluloid cinema is stepping back in time to the year 1967 in order to discuss why the graduate is the perfect coming of age film. When the story begins, benjamin braddock has just arrived back home in southern california after graduating from college in the east. These courses focus on a diverse array of topics from across the fields of american and british literature. But even though benjamins a college graduate and therefore supposedly prepared to face the worldhe really isnt prepared to face the world at all. The influential film is a biting satirecomedy about a recent nebbish, east coast college graduate who finds himself alienated and adrift in the shifting, social and sexual mores of the 1960s, and questioning the values of society with its keyword plastics. The most discussed aspect of the graduate is its ending, which is notable for being ambiguous and slightly ominous. However, in the final analysis, director nichols actually subversively. A movie about adultery is going to get a rating higher than g.
The graduate film analysis essay topics have absolutely perfect grammar, punctuation, spelling, formatting, and composition. This film is still relevant to this day, and i can prove it. Sexual psychology and nonconventional film making in the graduate. The film begins with a closeup of benjamin braddocks face the white background focuses attention on his steely motionless gaze. Unlike most of the analysis found herewhich simply lists the unique individual story. How visual imagery is used to enhance the core themes of mike nichols seminal 1967 film.
The film tells the story of 21yearold benjamin braddock dustin hoffman, a recent college. The influential film is a biting satirecomedy about a recent. Film analysis on the graduate the ways in which sound and mise en scene is used in the film, the graduate, aims to portray and reject the materialism, lack of human intimacy, and traditionalism that was prominent within the 1960s upper class culture in california. For this reason, we must replay movies or their most. Mar 12, 2016 the graduate has a ton of interesting cinematography. The graduate is a 1967 american romantic comedydrama film directed by mike nichols and written by buck henry and calder willingham, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by charles webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from williams college. The graduate mike nichols, 1967 senses of cinema film. The graduate film analysis essay topics in this world of deceit, there are some genuine custom essay services, and the graduate film analysis essay topics is such.
Traditional disciplinary boundaries melt away and collaboration among students and faculty from other disciplines encourages ideas to flourish. Film analysis of the graduate the 1967 film by mike nicoles the graduate is about benjamin braddock, a recent college graduate, who is at a crossroads in his life. The screenplay for the film is done by calder willingham and buck henry, and the cinematography by robert surtees. Film analysis of the graduate directed by mike nichols essays. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the graduate directed by mike nichols. The department of english offers over 200 courses for undergraduate and graduate level students. Mawr gorshin educational aid, film analysis january 20, 2015 may 25, 2018 minutes the graduate is a 1967 comedydrama directed by mike nichols, based on the 1963. An analysis of filming techniques of mike nichols movie the. Oct 26, 2015 this week celluloid cinema is stepping back in time to the year 1967 in order to discuss why the graduate is the perfect coming of age film. The graduate would still have been a classic film if nichols had found some other artist to become the face of its soundtrack, but the marriage between movie and music in this instance. Robinson enters behind him totally naked, her nudity reflected in the glass which covers her daughters portrait foreshadowing the contrasting role that both generations of women will play in his life one innocent and young, the other older.
Nov 20, 2014 the graduate is one of those movies that never turns out quite as gentle as it is in the memory. Older women trying to sleep with you after you graduate is probably the most unlikely scenario. Our experts proofread and edit your project with a detailed eye. For you film majors and lovers out there reading this, youll know how great this film actually was. Film analysis on the graduate the ways in which sound and mise en scene is used in the film, the graduate, aims to portray and reject the materialism, lack of human intimacy, and. These courses focus on a diverse array of topics from across the fields of american. This also means it has been incorporated into the dramatica story expert application itself as an easily referenced contextual example.
Our program attracts a diverse community of storytellers. Film analysis of the graduate directed by mike nichols. The influential film is a biting satirecomedy about a recent nebbish, east coast college graduate who finds himself alienated and adrift in the shifting, social and sexual mores of the 1960s, and questioning the. As the benchmark for every intergenerational relationship film since and, quite probably, until. But the graduate, although it is terrific fun to watch, begins to fall apart under reflection. August 11, 2010 admin 0 comments the movie the graduate directed by mike nichols is a coming of age story entailing the confusions young.
Film analysis of the fall essay example graduateway. The ma in film studies is a multicultural, international, and interdisciplinary program, which approaches cinema as both art and as international social practice. Jun 03, 2017 the most discussed aspect of the graduate is its ending, which is notable for being ambiguous and slightly ominous. The graduate film analysis essay, english literature and creative writing careers, general paper essays, if you itilaize an artile in an essay what do you do for speech. The graduate is different from other coming of age movies and books, since benjamin is a little older. The graduate film analysis essay, english literature and creative writing careers, general paper essays, if you itilaize an artile in an essay what do you do for speech date. In order to successfully contribute to the coming of age genre, the film took a lot of the common situations we work with within the genre and presented them with a unique twist by using the element of symbolism. As he lays the purse on elaines shelf in her room, mrs.
Mike nicholss, the graduate, is an academy award nominated film, which is. The graduate would still have been a classic film if nichols had found some other artist to become the face of its soundtrack, but the marriage between movie and music in this instance was so. This movie has been popularized for the characterization of the normal college graduate in the 1960s and 70s, but the way they do it through cinematography is brilliant. But since the graduate came out in 1967, before the pg rating debuted, it surprisingly has only a pg ratingsurprising since theres flashes of brief nudity in the movie, and since its all about adultery. The film that summed it all up was the graduate, released in the us in.