The graduate

1967 USA Color 105 Minutes

Photo of Murray HamiltonKatharine Ross + Anne BancroftPhoto of Dustin Hoffman + Norman Fell

Review

Would you like me to seduce you?

Photo of Dustin HoffmanBenjamin (Dustin Hoffman), just out of college, does not know what he wants to do with his life. One of his parents' contemporaries, Mrs Robinson, (Anne Bancroft) seduces him. At first he's shocked, but the affair is the only thing at that moment that relieves him of his boredom. His relationship is purely physical and is devoid of tenderness. However , a chance of real happiness presents itself when Ben falls in love with Robinson's daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross).

Photo of Anne BancroftBen finds himself sandwiched between the embittered desperation of Mrs. Robinson and his own attraction to the ambivalent but beautiful Elaine. Benjamin's life falls apart. His affair is discovered and he is barred from seeing Elaine any further. However, Benjamin refuses to give up hope, despite warnings and threats from both Mr. and Mrs. Robinson.

Cast

Directed by Mike Nichols

Links and more

Listen to: Get out (Small mp3 file, 41kb) Get out
Listen to: Plastics (Small mp3 file, 57kb) Plastics
Listen to: That older woman (Small mp3 file, 171kb) That older woman
Listen to: Your’e trying to seduce me (Small mp3 file, 47kb) You are trying to seduce me

 

Photo of Katharine Ross + Dustin Hoffman

Trivia

Katharine Ross did some screen tests with Hoffman for the part: “He looked about three feet tall, so dead serious, so humorless, so unkempt” Source / More (Book)

The graduate ranks number 18 in the American box-office rankings
Grossing adjusted for inflation -> $547 m Source / More (Web)

The score was made by the folk-rock duo Simon and Garfunkel.

The graduate is a novel by Charles Webb.

The film has and has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry

The dictionary says:
Graduate -> A person who has received a degree or diploma on completing a course of study, as in a university, college, or school.

Bio

Dustin Hoffman

Photo of Dustin Hoffman
Stardom equals freedom. It's the only equation that matters

Movie news:

This week 39 years ago Midnight Cowboy premiered (May 25, 1969)

Born:

August 8, 1937

Born as:

Dustin Lee Hoffman

Died:

January 24, 1983

Dustin was born in Los Angeles. He made his off-Broadway debut in 1960 in Yes Is for a Very Young Man.

In 1967 Hoffman got his big break when he caught the attention of director Mike Nichols, who cast him in the The Graduate, which catapulted him into stardom.

Constantly looking for challenges, Dustin played the anti-hero in Midnight Cowboy (1969), Little Big Man (1970), and Marathon Man (1976) and the hero in All the President's Men.

The 1979 domestic drama Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and the comedy Tootsie (1982) were a major succes, but Dustin decided to go back to the theatre to portray Willy Loman in a Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman (1983).

He returned to the movies with a megaflop, the comedy Ishtar (1987) but revenged himself a year later with Rain man (1988).

During the nineties Hoffman's drawing power gradually diminished allthough he was nominated for another Academy award for Wag the dog (1997).

In the third millenium, his star rises again with the succes of Finding Neverland and Meet the Fockers (both 2004) and a lot of films planned for 2006.

Academy awards:

1998 Nominated Best Actor for: Wag the Dog (1997)
1989 Won Oscar Best Actor for: Rain Man (1988)
1983 Nominated Best Actor for: Tootsie (1982)
1980 Won Oscar Best Actor for: Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
1975 Nominated Best Actor for: Lenny (1974)
1970 Nominated Best Actor for: Midnight Cowboy (1969)
1968 Nominated Best Actor for: The Graduate (1967)

Selected movies:

Books:

Dustin Hoffman: Hollywood's Antihero -> Jeff Lenburg (2001)