6070 (6070) wrote, @ 2007-03-21 20:17:00

THE GRADUATE (1967)
In 1967, the country was about to teeter on the brink of a revolution. Having survived the JFK assassination, the slide into the Vietnam War began to divide the country. Many began to wonder if the war was worth it. Students on college campuses began to organize and protest. The very meaning of America started to be questioned. Youth began to have their own culture. Rock 'n Roll became the dominant music and form of expression. Old Values were beginning to be questioned. Drugs and sex became more prevelant in the world of young people. A conflict between the parents who lived through World War II and their children begins to manifest itself.

THE GRADUATE was extraordinarily influential when it came out. It revolutionized how many people looked at an American drama and redefined what a love story could be.

There are many things interesting about the film. The opening song is "The Sounds of Silence" with lyrics that would never have been in a movie made a decade before. What else makes this film so different from the other films you've seen so far? How does the confusion of the 1960s reveal itself in what you are seeing on the screen in the guise of the characters Benjamin, Elaine and Mrs. Robinson?

This film also is unique in how it looks. Its cinematic style is also revolutionary. The camera is almost a character as well in The Graduate expressing Benjamin's outlook on life in WHAT we see through its lens. Please comment on its use of photography, sound, editing or even the story itself. What came to mind when you saw these things and WHY did the filmmaker choose to include them? In other words, what was the effect on the viewer about HOW this film was put together? How does the style of the film echo the themes of alienation.

Oh yeah...if you want, you can check out the screenplay to THE GRADUATE on-line! Would-be screenwriters study this script and it is immitated often!

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/8200/graduate.txt

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