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THE GRADUATE - 1967

Though Mrs. Robinson is the character with the most household name from this 1967 classic, it is truly Benjamin Braddock that makes the film what it is. Straight from the start, while the eerie "Sound of Silence" perfectly plays as Benjamin walks through the airport looking as lost and lonely as ass every human being feels, the tone of the whole movie is set.

After just finishing college Benjamin is left nervously wondering what his future exactly has in store for him. It is at his home welcoming party he meets the elusive Mrs. Robinson, who has already been put in her place in the world as a lonely housewife. Although the movie is famous and well-known for Mrs. Robinson's cougar-status and seduction of poor, young Ben, truly what makes it such a relatable film is Ben's solitude and confusion about what to do with his life. A scene that perfectly captures this mood is at Benjamin's coming home party, when one of the middle-aged woman guests asks him "Ben what are you going to do next?" with which he answers "Well, I was going to go upstairs for a minute" promptly following this the woman exclaims "I meant with your future, your life". Benjamin, being the smart young man he was, knew exactly what that lady was asking, yet he chose to answer in the literal of the moment sense.

Benjamin starts his affair with Mrs. Robinson to avoid his future, to avoid growing up. Mrs Robinson, on the other hand, starts an elicit affair with the young Ben, not to avoid her future but to avoid the reality of what her present has become. Where Benjamin wants to avoid the future because he doesn't want to pick the wrong path to go down, Mrs. Robinson also wants to avoid her present because she picked the wrong path to go down. At the end of the day, Ben and Mrs. Robinson both use each other for their own reasons.

Not only are the characters intriguing and the actors who played them intriguing, but the cinematography of the film is truly stunning. There are so many iconic shots throughout the movie, the most recognizable one being the shot of Benjamin through Mrs. Robinson's legs. The viewer is able to see Benjamin not through Mrs. Robinson's eyes but through her legs, conveying how Mrs. Robinson never wanted to know Ben's personality just his uhhh.... "little friend". But there are so many other beautiful angles shown in the movie. Such as Benjamin floating in his parents' backyard pool when Mr. and Mrs. Robinson come over for a dinner party. As the all the adults stare down at Benjamin and stand above him the viewer feels as if they themselves are a child who has a lot of growing up to do. The viewer themselves feels Benjamin's loneliness and confusion as the adults stand above him looking down at him with obvious disdain for his laziness and lackluster persona. 

The music selection for this movie is just as iconic as the scenes its played for. Compromised mostly of Simon & Garfunkel, each song fits seamlessly with the scene it is played for. In the beginning of the film "Sound of Silence" plays as Benjamin is aimlessly wandering through the airport. The eeriness of the song could not fit more perfectly with the hollow movements and expressions Dustin Hoffman exudes as Benjamin Braddock. The definitive "Mrs. Robinson" also appears in the film at a most crucial point. Not only do the lyrics wholly relate to the scene, but the tempo also dramatically matches Benjamin's emotions. 

Though one may not always agree with Benjamin's decisions throughout the film, it is the awkwardness and loneliness that Hoffman so clearly exudes as Benjamin Braddock that makes The Graduate the film as relatable in present day as it was when it came out in 1967.