Written by Musgo Del Jefe

The year 1967 was one of those magical years (like 1972 or 1996) that produced so many groundbreaking movies that I rarely pass up a chance to see one with that copyright date. That year saw the likes of Bonnie & Clyde, Cool Hand Luke, and Bedazzled, and closed out with my own my debut in November and then The Graduate came along just before Christmas. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning only for Directing. The film's been reviewed, praised, and shown in so many college film classes over the past forty years that it's hard to find a new angle to view this for the new Anniversary release.

I was twenty, just like Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) when I first saw the film. Having just graduated from college in Michigan, I found myself watching it through Ben's eyes. The film was still fresh and felt comfortable from the very beginning. I found solace in Ben's restless spirit. Much like Ben rebelling against his future in "plastics," I was hearing the message without really listening. I watched the movie three or four times that summer, loved it, echoed the dialog, but I'm not sure I really "got it." In two months, I will turn 40, too. I've got kids in their tweens now. And can I ask the same thing about myself as I do about this movie? Is this still meaningful after forty years?

The movie starts with Ben landing back in Los Angeles after graduating from college "back East." The opening credits roll to the left as Ben rides the moving sidewalk in the airport, the innocence of youth pulled along into adulthood. Everything's moving forward; there's no going back, even if you wanted to.

Ben's parents throw a party for his graduation. But it isn't full of his friends, it's their friends. Adults. Ben hides in the security of his room like a kid. A couple beautiful shots through his fish tank are evocative of the pet of his youth and also his drowning in the world of adults that will be pursued later in the film.

Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft - only 36 when playing the role but acting at least 10 years older with success) corners Ben in his "fortress," and he gets shamed into giving her a ride home in his Graduation present, an Alfa Romeo. Ben is put into an adult situation without the proper tools to judge Mrs. Robinson's actions. He misreads the signals of Mrs. Robinson's seduction. Or rather, he can't read the subtext of her mixed signals. Mrs. Robinson enjoys this part of the game - "You'll never be young again," she tells him when she finally has to spell out her offer to be his lover. It's hard to say if that's a warning or advice.