I am not a fan of movie trailers. I think this is because trailers often do a poor job of grabbing my interest and often spill the whole story including plot reveals. When I was listening to Tim Ferris’s podcast with Brené Brown, she confessed that she likes to binge watch movie trailers and never the actual movies – yup.

British movie poster, 1967, signed by Dustin Hoffman

When I watched it last night, I went in knowing very little about The Graduate. I knew it was a classic, it had a killer soundtrack, and that the BF really wanted me to watch it. And honestly, that’s how I like to go in, with not only movies but books and TV shows too.

Let me tell you it makes watching a film so much more enjoyable and surprising. I had no idea where the movie was going, what was going to happen. I never saw anything beyond the (above) famous movie poster image.

One of the many Japanese movie posters, 1967

Without giving away the plot, in case you haven’t seen it, what stuck out was the directing (artsy!), the 1960s California vibe (fancy!), and the car (the bright red Alfa Romeo Spider). It reminded me of the lovely marriage of movies and cars. Click here for some awesome and memorable examples.

The movie was well-received and won many awards. Specifically, Mike Nichols won an Academy Award and BAFTA for Best Director. I was also reminded of Wes Anderson’s work. Both directors have an eye for humor, color and composition, and beauty.

Good stuff.
  • When Dustin Hoffman showed up at producer Joseph E. Levine’s office for a casting interview, Levine mistook him for a window cleaner. So Hoffman, in character, cleaned a window.
  • The movie’s line “Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me. Aren’t you?” was voted as the #63 (of 100) movie quote by the American Film Institute and as the #5 of “Premiere’s” ‘100 Greatest Movie Lines’ in 2007.
  • With box office receipts of just over $104 million, this was the highest grossing movie of 1967.
  • In his review, Roger Ebert called the songs by Simon & Garfunkel “unmemorable”. He joked about it years later.

Trivia from IMDB

Written for the movie

I also had no idea the film was supposed to be a comedy. If you haven’t seen it, please put it on your To Do List. It’s timeless and relevant to today’s youth as they grapple with more choices of what to do with their lives than ever before in history.

art and design by Tomer Hanuka

If you’d like to participate in Film Fridays, just link to Darren and Sarah, and tag your post #filmfriday 🙂

Have you seen The Graduate?

24 replies on “🎥 Film Fridays – The Graduate”

  1. I saw a stage version of the Graduate once, starring Kathleen Turner (who I think also acted in a 1990s remake of the film?). But now I can’t remember if I’ve ever seen the original film.

    I like the idea of bingeing on trailers.

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    1. I don’t think they’ve done a remake? But I have heard of the stage version. How was that? I can see how it could work, but the movie is great.

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  2. Why did I not have this on my list??? I’ve loved this movie since I first saw it in my late teens, when being the same age as the protagonist gave it an extra resonance. I adore this film and its soundtrack. The scene with Ben in the pool to ‘Sound of Silence’ gives me goosebumps!
    And the tiny fleeting appearance of a pre-fame Richard Dreyfuss always makes me smile.

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    1. I remember a spoof of the pool scene in some Will Ferrel movie. It’s funny when you see the spoof before the original.

      Had to look up Dreyfuss’s appearance. Now that was super fleeting. 😛

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  3. I have seen The Graduate, ages ago, but you’ve made me want to see it again! I LOVE those old movie posters, especially the Japanese ones–super cool. And I never knew all those insider tidbits. OMG, Robert Redford, I absolutely can’t imagine him in the role. Doesn’t that set sound spicy? The boob grabbing and butt pinching? Nobody’d get away with that stuff these days. But I do think you’re right that the movie still feels accurate. Like, the ennui is timeless. Awesome Film Friday post–you are a rockstar!

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    1. Hey thanks! No, you’re a rockstar! No, you are. Stop it.

      Hahahhaa.

      Yeah, it was fun once I started to do research. I love the artsy movie posters, the international ones made me think of marketing and the international book covers too.

      The Japanese ones really highlighted the romance aspect, while the Western one, the sexy bits. Know your market, eh?

      And yeah, the trivia is fun. I liked the boob grabbing story too… the fact that he was trying to hide his laughter. And so awkward.

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      1. No, you stop! Really fab Film Friday! I thought it was funny that the one Japanese poster didn’t even show Mrs. Robinson. Anyway, now you’re stuck doing these Friday things, cuz you’re good at them!

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  4. So many TV shows and movies have referred to “The Graduate” so a really long time back I looked it up. By looking it up I mean I read the entire plot. It just didn’t intrigue me enough to watch it. But after reading your raving review, will add it to my ‘to watch’ list!

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    1. Yeah, it makes me think of pitching screenplays and stories to movie studios or publishing agents. So many great stories sound horrible when described, but then you see it or read and you’re like I can’t believe this works!

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  5. No – haven’t watched it and don’t plan to either.

    I came here to say I love your newsletter and have many thoughts and feels about it, all good and warm and fuzzy 😊 Maybe I should start one myself, something like “Kiki responds to Lani”. I jest, of course.

    Thanks and can’t wait for the next one. That’s it for now, my dear Lucilius 😉

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    1. Ooooo. Mysterious fan mail! Love it. Thanks so much. I appreciate that… now I must go look up Lucilius 😛

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  6. I saw this years ago, on TV I think, and enjoyed it but it didn’t make a huge impact on me. I suspect that has more to do with the context of my viewing than the film itself. I find that a lot — I can see a film again after a few years (or decades) and respond to it quite differently.

    I do love trailers, and could bing-watch them.

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    1. I feel that way about books. I often can’t finish or even get into one if I’m not in the right frame of mind. To a lesser extent, movies, too, I’m one of those people who will just stop watching something if it loses me (as opposed to those who must finish it).

      I think The Graduate probably had a great impact at the time, for me, it was nostalgic of a bygone era and I appreciated the artistic aspect of it.

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  7. Seen it, loved it! Several times as well! 😂 It’s a fantastic classic, the soundtrack is just brilliant – ‘unmemorable’, eh? 😂 Didn’t know that bit about Hoffman and the window cleaning – hahaha! Oh, and those artsy movie posters are awesome! I only knew the very first one and think the Japanese ones are so good!! So happy you’re joining us film geeks, Lani, and thanks for reminding me of this all-time favourite of mine! 😍

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    1. Awesomeness all around. Thank you 🙂 Watched another classic last night Jaws! It’s funny, the last three months I hardly watched any movies but lately… I guess it’s the home stretch before work starts up again.

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      1. Jaws is a great classic! It’s been too long that I watched it, and since there won’t be any holidaying for me on a beach soon, I can watch it without getting nervous to go into the water. 😉 Have a lovely week, Lani!

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  8. I binge watch trailers too! Nice to know there are quite a few of us who do.

    I don’t watch many movies these days but I remember that Mrs. Robinson line, and laugh every time I see it spoofed in other movies. An iconic movie, for sure. And that ending, huh?

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