One more thing about The Graduate has been bothering me...
The song. "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon and Garfunkel. Due to pervasive Baby Boomer nostalgia, I've heard this song so many times that the lyrics are more familiar to me than my own high school's fight song1. I guess I just always assumed the lyrics would make sense after I finally got around to seeing The Graduate, but this has not been the case. I don't think Mrs. Robinson prays at any point in the movie. There's no pantry, no cupcakes, no candidate's debate, and Joe DiMaggio of course has nothing to do with anything.
What the hell, 1967? Make more sense!
1. "Fight on, Saxons... something something something... victory?"
Showing posts with label The Graduate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Graduate. Show all posts
Monday, January 25, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
#31 The Graduate - probably didn't think of what was going to happen afterward
1967. dir. Mike Nichols, starring Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross.
Seen it before? Not entirely
I've seen the first seduction scene and the ending. The rest of the movie, not entirely. I have to agree with Sam about Mrs. Robinson being sultry and seductive at first but then a complete psycho toward the end of the movie. Why do that to a character? And what was Elaine thinking? She's going to run off with Ben? Really? What about the relationship with her parents? Don't get me wrong, clearly Ben did not rape her mother but ew! The thought of a girl sleeping with a guy who has slept with her mother is totally repulsive!
Feeny or KITT (depending on what generation you belong to) was Ben's dad. Mr. Roper was, funnily enough, a landlord. As for Dustin Hoffman, DAMN was he ripped for this movie! I like Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson because she had the right amount of sexiness and chutzpah to carry the role. Her husband should have kept his mouth shut to Ben about sowing his oats before making a decision about graduate school.
Now I know Sam talked about how this movie has been parodied many, many times but I think my favorite parody was from Wayne's World 2. Hilarious!
Would I see it again? Yes I suppose I would
Would I own it? No, not my thing.
Seen it before? Not entirely
I've seen the first seduction scene and the ending. The rest of the movie, not entirely. I have to agree with Sam about Mrs. Robinson being sultry and seductive at first but then a complete psycho toward the end of the movie. Why do that to a character? And what was Elaine thinking? She's going to run off with Ben? Really? What about the relationship with her parents? Don't get me wrong, clearly Ben did not rape her mother but ew! The thought of a girl sleeping with a guy who has slept with her mother is totally repulsive!
Feeny or KITT (depending on what generation you belong to) was Ben's dad. Mr. Roper was, funnily enough, a landlord. As for Dustin Hoffman, DAMN was he ripped for this movie! I like Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson because she had the right amount of sexiness and chutzpah to carry the role. Her husband should have kept his mouth shut to Ben about sowing his oats before making a decision about graduate school.
Now I know Sam talked about how this movie has been parodied many, many times but I think my favorite parody was from Wayne's World 2. Hilarious!
Would I see it again? Yes I suppose I would
Would I own it? No, not my thing.
#31 The Graduate: I think you're the most attractive of all my parents' friends.
1967. dir. Mike Nichols, starring Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross.
Seen it before? No.
Back to 1967 again, for another one from the Everybody Besides Me Has Seen It Files. Dustin Hoffman plays Ben Braddock, and adrift recent college graduate who begins an ill-advised affair with his parent's friend Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), and then an even more ill-advised affair with her daughter (Katharine Ross). Of course, you knew that; this movie has become cliche to the point that "Mrs. Robinson" has become a cultural shorthand for an older woman with a younger man. I think this is another one of those "you had to be there" sort of things, where the impact of this film had been dulled by passage of time an being ripped off by too many inferior films.
Dustin Hoffman is pretty good in his breakout role. Surprisingly, this is the only one of his movies in the Top 250. I would have expected to see Tootsie or Rain Man or Midnight Cowboy but I guess not. We'll be seeing Katharine Ross two more times, in Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid and Donnie Darko. Anne Bancroft turns it half of a good performance - in the first half her character has a great combination of melancholy and sultriness. Then, unfortunately, she turns into a Mommie Dearest cartoon by the end.
The real star here is the music of Simon and Garfunkel. Much like the last movie we saw, the soundtrack is dominated by one artist. I suppose it's a defensible choice, but how many montages of Ben moping to the sounds of "Scarborough Fair" did we really need to see?
Position on the list: 156
They were going to remake this with: Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher. urge to kill.... rising...
Seen it before? No.
Back to 1967 again, for another one from the Everybody Besides Me Has Seen It Files. Dustin Hoffman plays Ben Braddock, and adrift recent college graduate who begins an ill-advised affair with his parent's friend Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), and then an even more ill-advised affair with her daughter (Katharine Ross). Of course, you knew that; this movie has become cliche to the point that "Mrs. Robinson" has become a cultural shorthand for an older woman with a younger man. I think this is another one of those "you had to be there" sort of things, where the impact of this film had been dulled by passage of time an being ripped off by too many inferior films.
Dustin Hoffman is pretty good in his breakout role. Surprisingly, this is the only one of his movies in the Top 250. I would have expected to see Tootsie or Rain Man or Midnight Cowboy but I guess not. We'll be seeing Katharine Ross two more times, in Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid and Donnie Darko. Anne Bancroft turns it half of a good performance - in the first half her character has a great combination of melancholy and sultriness. Then, unfortunately, she turns into a Mommie Dearest cartoon by the end.
The real star here is the music of Simon and Garfunkel. Much like the last movie we saw, the soundtrack is dominated by one artist. I suppose it's a defensible choice, but how many montages of Ben moping to the sounds of "Scarborough Fair" did we really need to see?
Position on the list: 156
They were going to remake this with: Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher. urge to kill.... rising...
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