LGM Film Club, Part 416: The Graduate
By 
I decided to watch The Graduate for the first time since….college? Like, it might have been close to 30 years.
A couple of things happen when rewatching classic films from that era. First, you recognize why they were groundbreaking. Second, you remember how dated the mid to late 60s are in ways that are both odd and sometimes justified.
I don’t need to go over this film’s plot, but a couple of points.
First, and this is widely recognized it seems, was there ever a better match of movie and musicians at the only possible time this could have worked than Simon and Garfunkel with this film. This movie came out at that very brief moment when listening to Simon & Garfunkel wouldn’t have just been cool, but extremely hip, when they were taking themselves very, very seriously but so was the developing counterculture, after the absurdly earnest and bad folk music of a few years ago but before the new rock and roll would blow this out of the water and before Simon went Hollywood and Garfunkel went to, well, whatever. Two years later, no way this could have worked. That said, Mike Nichols really lays on “Scarborough Fair” too thick and some of the other songs too thin. And while I get why Simon and Garfunkel changed “Mrs. Roosevelt” to “Mrs. Robinson” for the movie, other than the name, the song makes no sense when played. But despite these nitpicks, it’s really a truly perfect soundtrack for that story and that time.
Second, the film of course works because of Dustin Hoffman–Redford wanted the role but it would have made no sense with a sexy guy like that. Hoffman is perfect in the role. That said, it’s hard to watch pictures of this era because the Male Gaze is so overwhelming. Katharine Ross is barely a character. Think about it–they literally go on one date, in which he takes her to a burlesque show no less, and then they are in love with each other? Like, it makes sense from his perspective, he’s a mess. But hers? Why? We never know. Literally zero of the story is told from her perspective. Now, to be fair to Nichols here, Anne Bancroft is a fully formed character who delivers a hell of a performance and we understand here to some extent, at least to the point of being extremely bored in a shitty marriage and wanting a thrill, even if it with Dustin Hoffman. But even there, she’s hardly sympathetic in the end. Meanwhile, Hoffman now plays as a complete creep, a little shit really, who ultimately probably hates women as much as he hates himself.
Third, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the scene in when Hoffman goes to the frat house to try and figure out where Ross is and every single man in there is tall, muscular, and blond. Again, you needed Hoffman for this movie.
Fourth, how long until the divorce? 1970?
Well, should be worth discussing in any case.