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Analysis of The Graduate in Relation to New Hollywood Wave

How was "The Graduate" Constructed to Reflect Messages from New Hollywood Wave?



The graduate is a film that has a message which is engrained into the American culture. The film is a comedy about a college graduate, he has just moved back into his rich parents house and he is faced with the sad reality that he must make something of himself. He begins to have an affair with the much older Mrs Robinson who is a bored housewife that is trapped in an empty relationship. Ben begins to fall for Mrs Robinsons daughter, they form a real bond, and this is perhaps the only loving, caring relationship we see throughout the movie, however, it is frowned upon. Eventually, the forbidden lovers run away together, this leads to an astonishing realisation at the end of the movie where the lovers look lost on the bus as they run away towards their happy ever after. This realisation is that young love doesn't always last however, now they are in too deep therefore, if they start to resent each other they are now stuck together which reminds us of the Robinson's relationship which has become loveless and cold (Wang). Throughout the movie the main messages shown are about materialism and empty relationships (Williams). 


The Graduate was filmed in the 1960s where everyone's focus was on materialism, everyone is so focused on needing more and more stuff that society has become empty and void, a good example is in the very popular scene, Plastics, this is where Ben gets the advice which is that "there is a great future in plastics"(Punch). Bens parents represent the older generation of the population which at the time was all for the war in Vietnam, they are the generation that just wants more and more no matter who it hurts to get what they want (Wang). Ben represents the younger generation which values relationships and personal happiness above belongings this is expressed through his comment "I want happiness", this was said when asked what he wanted in his future, this is very unexpected as his parents would rather he become an emotionless business man with a lust for belongings over anything else. Another strong theme in this movies is about shallow relationships, Bens relationship with his parents is empty as they wish for him to conform with a lifestyle he isn't comfortable with, Bens relationship with Mrs Robinson is empty as it is strictly physical there are no emotions involved, the Robinsons relationship is empty as they only stayed together because of the pregnancy, Elaine's relationship is empty as she was unsure of it and her parents put together the marriage she didn't everyone else's relationship with each other is meaningless as it is also surrounded by the materialistic items they have around them rather than emotion. The only "true" relationship we see in the movie is of Elaine and Ben, they share many similarities which makes them inevitably fall for each other (Williams).  

A scene which I found really powerful is the fish tank scene, in this scene we see ben receiving a scuba suit for his birthday, this scuba suit reminds the audience of the plastic scuba diver in Ben's fish tank. The use of this suggests that Ben's parents are trying to turn ben into plastic, they see him as a belonging rather than a son (Punch). The scuba diver is placed in a rectangular fish tank, the idea of the fish tank represents a society which Ben is entrapped in he is forced to conform. In the scene Ben's parents force him to wear the scuba suit, in order to but the audience in Ben's shoes the director, frames the shot as if we are in the scuba suit and can see everything the same way Ben does, this allows us to connect with him. In this scene ben jumps into the pool, the director has framed this shot so that it looks as though Ben is in his fish tank, as the shot is a rectangular underwater shot with Ben still in the background. The fact that ben is very still further suggests that Ben is a plastic scuba diver that is entrapped in the confines of a fish tank with that walls of a culture that he doesn't agree with closing in on him. Next we see a shot from Ben's perspective where his parents are pushing him under water when he is trying to rise; this scene represent how the younger generation are trying to break from the shackles of the culture their parents have set for them, they are trying to improve and become better than their parents (Williams). The water reflects how Ben is a drift, he doesn't have any direction and is seeking something to fill the emptiness. The idea of not knowing what is to come in the future, reflects the uncertainty the younger generation were feeling in the 60s because the war has changed the ways of society, there are less jobs available as the poverty strikes the country leaving businesses without money to employ people. This scene is very strong as it is what finally breaks Ben, he feels empty and helpless therefore, he takes Mrs Robinson up on her offer to have an affair (Williams). The fact that Ben gives in reflects the hopelessness of society in the time, the government couldn't help its people and many gave in to drugs and smoking in order to cope with the events of the time. In the movie Ben becomes more empty as it goes on, once the affair begins he also starts smoking suggesting he was looking for a coping mechanism to make him feel something (Punch). Throughout the movie the use of low key lighting is used for example in Ben's apartment the blinds are all closed and there is no light in there suggesting this idea of melancholy, it also links to secrets, Ben is hiding from the world, he is hiding his ideologies and he is hiding his affair.


 References

Williams, T.J., 2017. Understanding The Graduate 50 Years Later (Online)
Available at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS-B-vLUIzo#
The Graduate, 1967, Directed by Mike Nichols. (Film)
Wang, C., 2016. Historical Approach to The Graduate (Online)
Available at : https://medium.com/@wxqcoco/movie-historical-approach-to-the-graduate-7488a4fd157c
Punch, D.A., 2018. The Graduate : Symbolism in Film (Online)
Available at : https://medium.com/@DavidA.Punch/the-graduate-symbolism-in-film-a549ef9882c0


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