Director: Mike Nichols
Screenplay: Calder Willingham and Buck Henry
Based on the novel by: Charles Webb
Starring: Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katherine Ross, William Daniels, Murray Hamilton, Elizabeth Wilson
Country: USA
Running Time: 106 min
Year: 1967
BBFC Certificate: 15
When an older film starts with a content warning disclaimer that “certain views are representative of the time and may be outdated or cause offence”, it always gives me a little pause for thought. As much as I like to experience classic movies in the way they were intended, there can be a degree of awkwardness when having to deal with casual racism or misogyny. Thankfully Mike Nichols 1967 comedy drama, The Graduate, largely gets away with only a couple of slurs in one of its opening scenes and goes on to prove to be a film that is, in some ways, just as relevant with some of its subject matter in 2025 than it was in 1967.
The Graduate also starts with the dulcet tones of Simon & Garfunkel, the folk trio who provided the music for the film. Despite being meme’d to high heaven, The Sound of Silence is still a powerful song and both opens and closes the story of Ben Braddock (Hoffman), a highly decorated college graduate who is returning to his family home after his time away at University. After a welcome home party where Ben would rather be anywhere else, he offers to drive Mrs Robinson (Bancroft), a friend of his parents, home. When Mrs Robinson begins flirting with Ben they initiate an affair which sends Ben spiralling into ennui at his post graduation family life. When Mrs Robinson’s daughter, Elaine (Ross), comes back into his life, Ben begins to find purpose again, but his affair with her mother threatens both of their families.
The Graduate is one of those films that’s somehow managed to elude me for most of my film watching life, so I was grateful for the chance to check out this brand new 4K remaster from Studio Canal. What I wasn’t expecting to find was a film that is as genuinely funny as this, but which also manages to tow the line between being a comedy and a drama remarkably well. Despite its age, there’s definitely a line to be drawn between this and more bawdy coming of age comedies of the 90’s like American Pie, a film which clearly sends up The Graduate with Jennifer Collidge’s character of Stiffler’s Mom.
But arguably this is more of a drama than a comedy and director Nichols delivers very well on that front, helped along by the double act of Bancroft and Hoffman. There was only 6 years difference in age between the two stars at the time, despite the film selling it as a much wider gap of 20 years, but Hoffman delivers a great performance as the young Ben. There’s a tangible awkwardness of a boy coming of age as an adult, embarrassed by his parents, unsure of his place in the world with the script finding humour both in Ben’s listlessness and his childish excitement in the emerging affair with Robinson. Ben’s naivety shines through in the early scenes of the film and Hoffman delivers the comedy just as well as the drama, turning the early hotel encounter with Mrs Robinson almost into a farce. The film almost also predicts the modern toxic masculinity of the manosphere as Ben develops an unrealistic idea of relationships and becomes a somewhat unpleasant individual. A late scene where he attempts to put off Elaine’s advances by taking her to a strip club is initially played for laughs but very quickly becomes quite heartbreakingly sad, especially as Ben gradually comes to the realisation that what he is doing is having a negative impact on the girl.
On the flipside, Bancroft’s Mrs Robinson almost becomes the de-facto antagonist of the film, straddling the line between seductive and menacing, clearly knowing how much she’s manipulating this naive, inexperienced boy. Ben clearly sees Mrs Robinson as both an adult and a friend of the family despite their escapades, and the older woman uses that to her advantage to not only make sure Ben never reveals their secret, but also to keep him away from her daughter. It’s a great role which feels not only incredibly predatory, but also remarkably sad and lonely, showing dissatisfaction to her own husband (played with blissful unawareness by Murray Hamilton) and a desire to do something with her middle age years. Watching this while older definitely strikes a chord, particularly having a son who is Ben’s age myself and it gives some pause for thought as to the interplay between both parents and their children, a desire to see them do well but also a desire to not let them stop being children – and on the other side of that the desire of the child to finally become an adult.
All of this is shot wonderfully by Nichols using some fantastic old school cinematography. There’s a lot of handheld shots on display here, particularly in the opening party scene which provides a wonderful sense of claustrophobia, pushing the camera in on Ben, making him the center of attention and letting Hoffman sell every second of his anxiety as family and friends just won’t leave him alone. Nichols also makes use of some great single takes and match cuts, particularly between scenes which show the passage of time as Ben and Mrs Robinson evolve their affair, but also as Ben becomes even more infatuated with Elaine and begins to find his purpose. All of this is scored by that aforementioned Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack, which is great but can be a little overused (I’ve heard Scarborough Fair more times than I’d care watching this film!)
Overall, The Graduate is still a great movie, even if some of its more shocking edges have been softened over time, demonstrated by a cinema re-rating from the BBFC to a 12A (this release is still rated 15, however) and is genuinely funny and poignant, visually captivating and, at 106 minutes, a reasonably brisk film to put on. If you’ve never seen it before, this is a great opportunity to give it a go.
Bonus Features
- 3-disc set including Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack
- 64-page booklet with new essays from Christina Newland, David Jenkins, Helen O’Hara and Simon Brew
- x 2 posters – new and original theatrical artwork
- Feature UHD
- Audio commentary by Professor Thomas Koebner
- Audio commentary with Mike Nichols and Steven Soderbergh
- Audio commentary with Dustin Hoffman and Katharine Ross
- Bonus Blu-ray
- Meeting with an Author: Charles Webb
- One on One with Dustin Hoffman
- Interview with Producer Lawrence Turman
- The Graduate: Looking Back
- The Graduate at 25
- Students of The Graduate
- Screen Tests
- Scene Analysis
- About the Music
- The Seduction Featurette
This 4K release from StudioCanal does recycle many of the features from their previous BluRay release, however it is presented in a gorgeous limited edition case complete with a collectors booklet and bonus CD (both of which we sadly didn’t get a chance to look at). The highlight is the 4K transfer, though, allowing all of Mike Nichols’ beautifully constructed shots to shine through in glorious HDR. If you already own the BluRay, you may want to consider the need to double dip, but for collectors this is a great set.
