Art does more than entertain. At its best, it elevates. And so, I ask, what is the most impactful movie that you ever saw…the one that changed your way of thinking, your perception of the world and your role in it. Several come to mind for me (2001: A Space Odyssey, Ben Hur, King of Hearts), but there is one winner: The Graduate.
The Graduate was released December 21, 1967, Christmas break of my freshman year of college. Benjamin Braddock has just finished college and has come home to figure out what to do with his life. He is a lost soul and becomes even more lost as the summer wears on. Then he falls in love with Elaine.
Logically, much of the film’s impact on me had to do with the fact that I was equally lost, and, like Ben, I knew it. My standard answer when asked about picking a major: “I’m going to be a business major so I can drink martinis at lunch.” I might have meant it. I love the scene in the movie where an older businessman takes Ben aside at his graduation party because he has one word of advice for him: “Plastics.” It dawned on me how empty a life spent seeking material gain would be. I believe The Graduate was instrumental in turning me from the direction I was headed.
I want to rave about the movie a little bit. The interplay between Ben and Mrs. Robinson as they proceed into and out of an affair is wonderfully written and acted. The cinematography is incredible: shots of Ben in his scuba gear at the bottom of the pool—or of Mrs. Robinson when Elaine finds out the truth—haunting images that stay with me. The editing made me notice editing for the first time: jump cuts of Ben getting onto a pool raft to him getting on Mrs. Robinson or his slow motion sprint to the chapel. And, of course, the soundtrack: such a perfect fit! Simon and Garfunkel must have lived in Mike Nichols’ (the director) back pocket.
The ending of the film taught me a greater lesson than turning from materialistic values. The first time I saw it I thought it was the most joyous movie ever: they escape from the raging horde, get on a bus, and live happily ever after. The second time, I watched more closely—they get on the bus, look back at the chapel, look at the people on the bus staring at them, laugh, look at each other, and look away. And in comes the familiar refrain: “Hello darkness, my old friend
I started college in 1967 and graduated in 1981, and I spent many of those years believing that if I just found the right woman, all the pieces of my life would fit together. It was a constant search and discard, or be discarded. I’ve been married to a wonderful woman for 42 years, but I have no illusions that finding “the one” has been the key to peace and contentment. Yet, I think we are encouraged (mainly by Hollywood) to believe that. Ben tried to tell me at the beginning—I’ve always been a slow learner.
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