Graduate (Blu-ray) (1967)

Editor's Note Director Mike Nichols's THE GRADUATE is the satirical coming-of-age comedy that became an emotional touchstone for an entire generation. In the mid-1960s, Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), a confused college graduate, is pulled in myriad directions by family, friends, and associates just days after receiving his degree. Seduced by Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), an older friend of the family, Ben carries on an affair with the married woman even as he falls for her daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross). However, Ben and Elaine's attempts at romance are threatened by the spiteful rage of Mrs. Robinson, who proceeds to hastily arrange Elaine's marriage to someone else, leading up to one of the most memorable endings in cinema history. With its striking photography and clever editing, THE GRADUATE established Nichols as a major director. The film also made a star out of young Hoffman, who gives an understated portrayal of the perplexed Ben--the actor's first role in a Hollywood film, which he almost didn't get because he wasn't Waspy enough. Outstanding performances by the rest of the cast are highlighted by Bancroft's sexy, embittered turn as Mrs. Robinson and Ross's endearing presence as the gorgeous yet innocent Elaine. The film's impact on popular culture is immeasurable: "Plastics" will live on eternally as depressing but solid career advice, and older women will never eye younger men without fear of becoming a "Mrs. Robinson." Buck Henry (who appears briefly in the film) cowrote the influential screenplay, based on the novel by Charles Webb, and the soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel remains a movie classic.

	Buck Henry
	Richard Dreyfuss
	Murray Hamilton
	Walter Brooke
	Elisabeth Fraser
	Anne Bancroft
	Alice Ghostley
	Elizabeth Wilson
	Jonathan Hole
	Brian Avery
	Lainie Miller
	Harry Holcombe
	Katharine Ross
	Norman Fell
	William Daniels
	Eddra Gale
	Marion Lorne
	Dustin Hoffman
	Calder Willingham - Screenwriter
	George Robert Nelson - Set Designer
	Patricia Zipprodt - Costume Designer
	Charles Webb - Story
	Harry Maret - Makeup
	Simon and Garfunkel - Music Performer
	Robert Surtees - Director of Photography
	Buck Henry - Screenwriter
	Lawrence Turman - Producer
	Richard Sylbert - Production Designer
	Dave Grusin - Composer
	Sam O'Steen - Editor
	Mike Nichols - Director

Dustin Hoffman is the college graduate who has an affair with a married woman (Anne Bancroft) but falls in love with her daughter (Katharine Ross).

"I just want to say one word to you...just one word."----Mr. McGuire (Walter Brooke) to Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) |"Yes, sir."----Ben|"Are you listening?"----Mr.McGuire|"Yes, sir. I am."----Ben|"Plastics."----Mr. McGuire

"Don't you think that idea is a little half--baked?"----Mr. Braddock (William Daniels) to Ben |"Oh no, Dad, it's completely baked."----Ben

"Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me."----Ben to Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft)

Total Film
"...A wonderful comedy of manners..." -- 4 out of 5 Stars 06/01/2000 p.104

Chicago Sun-Times
"...[Bancroft] is a great beauty....To watch it today is like opening a time capsule..." 03/28/1997 p.31

USA Today
"...[A] mellowed-out great movie..." 11/13/1992 p.3D

Premiere
"[T]hanks to the perfectly cast Bancroft, Mrs. Robinson not only became the archetype for the older woman as seductress, but also the source of distraction for many an adolescent male." 04/01/2004 p.64

Uncut
"Mike Nichols' classic is as fresh, perceptive and witty as it was in 1967." 08/01/2000 p.124

Entertainment Weekly
"The hit ages like wine and should speak just as eloquently to disaffected grads in the 21st century." -- Grade: A- 05/12/2006 p.64

Ultimate DVD
5 stars out of 5 -- "[A] breakthrough....Nichols's stylishly constructed film still feels fresh today..." 11/23/2007 p.111