The Graduate Viewer's Response
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The first image in The Graduate is a close-up of Ben’s face. Then we see that he’s alone on an airplane. How else does the film emphasize his solitude, his alienation from those around him? What accounts for his sense of isolation? Do you think he ever overcomes this feeling?
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The Graduate was hailed in 1967 as the film of its generation. In what ways does it sum up the 1960s? In particular, how does it dramatize the “generation gap”?
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Stanley Kauffmann, critic of The New York Times, praised The Graduate for its “moral stance.” “Benjamin,” he wrote, “is neither a laggard nor a lecher; he is, in the healthiest sense, a moralist – he wants to know the value of what he is doing.” Consider Benjamin’s moral dilemmas and behavior: What are his values, and how does he enact them?
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Mrs. Robinson and her daughter, Elaine, are rivals for Ben’s attention. How do you characterize them? What does each one see in Ben, and what does he see in them? What accounts for his movement from one to the other?
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There are many images of water and glass throughout this film. Think of the swimming pool, the fishbowl in Ben’s room, Ben’s scuba mask, his sunglasses, and many paintings, tabletops, and windows that reflect, reveal, or cover. Are they symbolic images? Are they merely part of Ben’s visible world? How do they function in the film?
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The Graduate is divided into two parts. There are two settings (Los Angeles and Berkeley), two generations and life-styles, two women, two sides of Benjamin, and perhaps two types of storytelling (satire and romance). Describe these contrasting aspects of the film. How are they related to each other and to the film’s main themes?
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The critics sometimes regard Nichols as a “lightweight” director, although the films and plays that he directs are usually successes at the box-office. How do you account for this popularity? Do you agree that he offers movies of artistic merit?
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Viewers have noticed several film techniques that Nichols uses repeatedly in this film, including close-ups and overlapping sound transitions (in which the sound from a scene precedes its appearance on the screen). How innovative is the film from a technical point of view? How well does Nichols use standard film techniques?
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Colors are associated with certain characters in The Graduate. Mrs. Robinson often wears black. Elaine appears in pink. The friends of Ben’s parents are dressed in whites and blues. Trace the use of color through the film. What is the effect of using colors in this way?
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The final scene shows Ben and Elaine in the back of a departing bus. She is in her wedding gown. After catching their breath from their escape, they cease to look at one another as the sound track carries "The Sound of Silence." What do you think lies ahead for this couple?
Questions taken from William V. Constanzo’s Reading the Movies: Twelve Great Films on Video and How to Teach Them