The Graduate analysis PDF

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Summary

Gives an in depth analysis on themes and cinematic methods used as well as criticisms on aspects of plot and development....

Description

In Mike Nichols 1967 American classic, The Graduate, the audience follows the life of Ben Braddock after his college graduation. On his post graduate journey, Ben is shown a lot of what it means to live in the adult world. One of the most prominent parts of this adult world is that life is full of isolation and the cinematography shows the audience this isolation without saying it outright, or in the words of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkle, “talking without speaking.” Isolation is prominent from the beginning of the film. One of the first scenes follows Ben through his graduation party, talking to various family friends who bombard him with questions about his future and advise for his adult life. The scene begins with Ben’s parents taking him down from his room as the three of them are in a medium closeup. The next cut brings the focus on Ben with a close up. The majority of the scene is filmed in one take with the camera focused close up on Ben. This single take close up puts the audience in Ben’s shoes. The screen is clustered and almost feels claustrophobic and as Ben shuffles from one family friend to the next, the camera seems discombobulated. This cluttered and disjointed movement creates a feeling of isolation, as if Ben is the only person in the room even though the room is literally full of people. The claustrophobia is broken up when Ben is taken outside by Mr. McGuire. They step outside and it switches to a medium close up. Prior to this interaction almost all of the people Ben has talked to are faced away from the camera as if they do not exist or are not real. In his conversation with Mr. McGuire, the audience sees both their faces and it seems like a genuine human interaction except that they talk about plastics and it makes Mr. McGuire just another fake person and Ben is further isolated. The adults in the background come into focus as Mr. McGuire leaves and Ben excuses himself before talking to them. This creates a chain of isolation. The open space in the shot is a relief from close and clunky camera work, but the dialogue contradicts what is shown, creating a sort of fake world. In the scuba diver scene, Ben is paraded into the pool in his backyard in scuba gear in front of all his parents friends. The scene begins with Ben walking outside and as he walks, he moves toward the camera and eventually gets so close that it seamlessly transitions into Ben’s point of view. From there, the audio cuts out and all that can be heard is Ben’s breathing through the oxygen tank. The camera moves around looking at all the people in the yard cheering at him, but he does not hear them. This P.O.V. creates isolation once again, even though he is surrounded by people. Ben hops into the water and attempts to come up but is pushed back down by his parents. The camera is angled low in regards to Ben’s parents as they push him down creating the feeling that Ben is inferior to adults or not quite in the adult world yet. The final part of the scene is a slow zoom out on Ben at the bottom of the pool. He is alone in a pool of water literally, but the negative space suggests that Ben is also alone in a pool of people. The two scenes are just two examples of how the cinematography portrays isolation in The Graduate. There are other examples as well and by choosing specific angles, shots, and distances, meaning is conveyed through visuals instead of audio ques....