Monday 23 June 2008

The Graduate [1967]


One of the most loved movies in film history, Mike Nichols’ seminal work The Graduate bears testimony to a popular saying that good works of art need not be obscure – they might as well be popular and easily appreciable. A brilliantly composed social satire, laced with humour (both deadpan and otherwise) and restrained melodrama, this is certainly one of the finest coming-of-age stories told in motion pictures. The movie made a star out of a young Dustin Hoffman as he became the embodiment of a generation of confused young men trying to make a sense out of their lives. His developing a huge crush for and getting involved in a dangerous affair with an older, married lady Mrs. Robinson (played wonderfully by Anne Bankroft) who happens to be the wife of a close friend of his father, and his subsequent falling in love with her daughter thus earning the spite of the older Robinson lady, makes for hilarious and thoroughly enjoyable viewing. Simon & Garfunkel’s timeless songs “Sounds of Silence” – which happens to be one of my all-time favourites, and “Mrs. Robinson” have also played huge roles in heightening the movie’s lasting impact in popular culture.









Director: Mike Nichols
Genre: Romantic Comedy/Coming of Age/Social Satire/Comedy Drama
Language: English
Country: US

No comments: