The Graduate (1967)

Yep, I hadn't seen The Graduate. If your at all cinema conscious however you can't help but be aware of the film, its so iconic. In fact I thought its virtual ubiquity in cinematic circles, as well as its subject matter, might turn me off of this film, but I was surprised to find out how truly good it really is.

It is and was one of those turning point films, it captured something of the time in which it was made, but also something more universal. I'm not entirely sure what the metaphor is, it might simply be about that place in life, just post adolescent, where you don't know what you want or what your doing, but you know you want something. 'I'm worried, generally, about my future', as Ben Braddock might say. I think this is a movie about the obstacles in the way of your goals, even if you don't know precisely what those goals are, or why you might want them, or what to do when you've achieved them.

I was really surprised by how funny this movie is, I wasn't expecting that. It's a dry, kind of odd ball, almost surreal humor, and it blends in well with the films surprisingly interesting visual style. It's also kind of an unsettling picture, which again ties into the whole post-grade anxiety theme of the film. All the leads, and even the supporting players are excellent, the cast magnificent, as is the writing, performances, and of course that music. I think this is pretty close to a perfectly realized film, I can't think of anything they could have done better. I can tell, even having just finished it, that this is the type of film that's gonna dwell in my mind for awhile, there's a lot there, and as I've intimated above, I don't think this film is truly about what it seems to be about. I think perhaps its about exploring, at its most rudimentary, or maybe rebellion. Anyway, I was pretty amazed, this deserves its place in the cannon. Grade: A+