The top-grossing movie of 1969, this satire-seeped comedy spoke to a generation of alienated middle class young people who were dissatisfied with the promise of what their perceived futures held for them. Audiences cheered when Benjamin Braddock burst into the church and successfully convinced Elaine Robinson to leave her wedding and runaway with him. Seen thirty plus years later, the film still works but at a much deeper level. Ben's derision for his parent's lifestyle doesn't seem to include the expensive sports car he was given as a gift for graduating from an expensive college that was also paid for my his parents. Nor does it cause him to refuse their financial support as lays around the house worrying about his future. He despises their morals but actively participates in an affair with the married wife of one of this father's friends. And his ultimate act of defiance is to run away with the girl his parents tried to set him up with at the beginning of the movie. It is called a movie that defined a generation and that may be more accurate than originally conceived. See what we mean in our Tribute to The Graduate.
The Graduate DVD Spotlight
The Graduate 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition
, - this special DVD offers great extras including two audio commentary tracks - one by actors Dustin Hoffman and Katharine Ross and the second by director Mike Nichols and special guest Stephen Soderbergh.
The depressed college graduate. The earnest reporter. The out-of-work actor. The heartbroken father. The autistic brother. The egotistical producer. His performances stick with you and so too, will our Tribute to Dustin Hoffman.