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| the poster for the film |
“The Graduate” was released when
Hollywood was in a transitional period. It was a funny time for Hollywood. They
were in a fierce competition with something new that had come onto the entrainment
scene; television. Television changed the name of the game for Hollywood, and
it reflected back on the movies that were to be made and shown in theaters.
Auidences could get the same entertainment value from television that they
could get from the movies, and they even did not have to leave their house.
This reflected poorly on the movies that were being produced, so Hollywood had
to change, and change it did. Hollywood got rid of the self-regulating production
code, and out of it came movies with more adult themes, like “The Graduate”. Television
spurred Hollywood into a change and out of it came fantastic movies like “The
Graduate”, which changed film history.
2) Find a related article and summarize the
content.
This aricle talks about how the film “The
Graduate” was made and five must know facts about the making of the film. It
talks about how Mike Nichols‘s good friend Buck Henry wrote the script. Then it
goes onto talking about the casting for this film. Nichols’s wanted Hoffman to
play Ben because he could come off as sort of a loser. While the studio wanted
someone like Robert Redford to play Ben, but Nichols could not see someone like
Redford as a loser. The article also talks about the soundtrack. Nichols asked
Simon and Garfunkel to use their music for the soundtrack because he had cut
the whole movie listening to them. Then the article talks about the reception
of the film. Rodger Ebert younger audiences loved the film from the get-go,
while older audiences did not. That speaks to this film being one of the first
youth in revolt movies.
3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.
The article relates to the film
screened in class because almost fifty years after “The Graduate” was made it
still hits home with younger audiences like it did when it was released. This
film speaks to a younger generation who are stuck going through the motion and
have no idea what to do after they graduate college and have to enter the real
world. What Nichols did with his casting and Henry’s script, he made a film
that will last forever. Not just for its iconic soundtrack or lines, but
because it has heart and lets the audience know that it is ok not to know what
you are going to do with your life. It is ok to be lost like Ben, but do not
take drastic measures to find yourself like he did. The facts about this film
give more insight into the mind of the creators and how they wanted the viewer
to understand this film and what to take away from it.
4) Write a critical analysis of the film
“The Graduate” is one of the most
influential films ever made, because it spoke to a whole generation who was
lost in a transitional phase of their lives. This film spoke to a whole
generation, and still speaks to younger generations. It is ok to be lost, being
lost when you are young is a part of life. Knowing what you want to do at such
a young age is a hard thing to come by. It is ok for one who just graduated
college of high school to be lost and not know what they want to do with their
life. Ben had no clue what he wanted to do after his college graduation, but he
knew that he was disappointing his parents by not doing anything. But he had no
clue what to do next. His life was in a confusing period of his life, and he
was destructive about it. Someone who is Ben’s age and has it all figured out
is one lucky person. Most people who graduate college are lost and confused and
have no clue what they next step should be. This is very relevant to those who
are graduating college now. Being lost and confused upon graduation is to be
expected now, due to the job market. But one most not take to drastic measures
and start affairs with married people to find themselves. |
| Elaine and Ben both not knowing what to do next |
When one thinks about what Ben and Mrs. Robinson did, one
can view what they did as selfish. They were both being very selfish and doing
what they wanted, not thinking about the repercussions of their actions. What
happens between them is a gigantic mistake on both their parts. Mrs. Robinson
enters this affair because she is bored and knows she can take advantage of
this young man and easily manipulate him. While Ben enters this affair because
he is confused and needs something tangible to hold onto in this confusing
period of his life. When Ben falls for Elaine, both he and Mrs. Robinson know
they have made a mistake with their affair. Mrs. Robinson knows that she is being
cast as aide for a younger version of herself, and is terribly hurt by that. Causing
her to take it out on both Ben and Elaine. Ben ruins Elaine’s life by taking
her away from her family and fiancé, without having a plan as to what to do
next. This is the ending shot of the
film, maybe love cannot save all, and one needs to think about other before
they do something. The ending shot is very poetic because it shows that Ben is
still confused, but he had dragged Elaine into his world of confusion now,
proving once again how selfish he truly is.
 |
| Ben and Elaine realizing their mistake |
CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM
1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) ( x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
3) ( x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) ( x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) ( x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
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