The Five Film Elements of The Graduate (1967)

NARRATIVE

The narrative of this movie begins with a graduate student, Ben Braddock, who does not know what he wants to do with his life. He goes back home to celebrate his latest accomplishments and the fact that he will now be closer to his career, only by getting through the final obstacle, graduate school. All of his friends and family are badgering him with questions about his future, often causing him much discomfort and anxiety. Soon one of this parent’s friend and neighbor, Mrs. Robinson, asks Ben for a ride home. Being easily influenced, Ben agrees, and they begin a sexual relationship. Soon, Ben meets Mrs. Robinson’s daughter, Elaine and falls in love on their first date, made by Ben’s parents. Complicating the relationship, Ben becomes infatuated with Elaine; although Elaine was set up to marry a man by the name, Carl, she decided to runaway with Ben, shortly after he interrupted her wedding.

In The Graduate, Ben Braddock, was the protagonist, being that the film was about him and everything happening in the film, were happening to him or a result of his doing. The most dynamic character in this film would be Mrs. Robinson. In the beginning she was not a bad character: it was when Ben began to mess around with her daughter, that she began to transition against Ben. She and her soon to be ex-husband, planned the wedding for her daughter in order to keep Ben from Elaine and possibly hid her pregnancy. Mrs. Robinson was the main source of Ben’s dismay, at his own fault. The climax of this film came at the time of Elaine’s time to say “I do” to Carol. This scene marks the climax, because it is the worst time for the protagonist. Almost losing the “love of his life” to another man. In the end, the diegetic elements in this film is all the dialogue and everything the characters in the film can ear. The non-diegetic sound is the music scores and the main song of “The sound of silence” performed by Simon and Garfunkel.

EDITING

In The Graduate, editors used various amounts cuts throughout the film. The first cut that is very prominent in this film are the match cuts. These types of cuts are used to for action transitions. In the film, when Ben goes into Mrs. Robinson’s home, the match allows the audience to follow the action of Ben following Mrs. Robinson into the bar in her home. Moving on to the final cut of the film, a fade out. This movie ends by having the film fade into darkness, insinuating that maybe the ending for these characters was not the best and maybe they did not receive the happy ending they wanted.

A montage in the film would be the time lapse after Ben began his sexual affair with Mrs. Robinson. During this montage, we see the screen dissolve multiple times close and at a Birdseye view of Ben catching some sun in his pool, with the films main song “the sound of silence”. This montage shows how unhappy and confused Ben was with his life.

Referring to when Ben first took Mrs. Robinson to her home, there was a long cut. A long cut is when a scene is drawn out longer than it was supposed to be. Signaling the discomfort that Ben felt as he was being asked to stay longer than he wanted with Mrs. Robinson.  The director most likely used the shot in a way to bring everything in the focal point of Mrs. Robinson seducing Ben little by little and showing his awkwardness in the process.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

During the beginning of this film, there was a substantial amount of low and high angles. The low angles would often be designated to Ben, while the high angles would be with almost everyone, especially Mrs. Robinson. The camera showed Ben sitting down in many scenes looking up at Mrs. Robinson, to show that she had the upper hand in experience and the relationship. It showed how much of a kid Ben really was, because he is seated as a student awaiting the instructions of the adults. The also had these when Ben would be with his parents, showing, again, that they have power over him. 

Moving on to the close-ups of The Graduate, these shots are used many times, especially with Ben. Showing off all his emotions; whether that is the act of his cringy moments in the beginning, or to show off his despair in the end when he sees Elaine almost get married. It is also seen when Elaine finds out that her mother and Ben had an affair, to show how disillusioned she was with bother her mother and Ben. The use of the over the shoulder shot, when Ben went into the Robinson’s home to look for Elaine, is often used for to establish the conversation he and Mrs. Robinson were having as she was calling the police.

Finally, there is a point of view shot in the film. These shots allow the audience to see through the camera, giving then insight into what the character is thinking in the film. In the movie, Ben’s parents put him in a scuba suit and we as an audience can see through the scuba suit like if we were in it. Many times, Ben was trying to resurface from the pool, but his parents were constantly putting him back into the water. We see this when his father’s hand is covering the entire screen. Signaling that his parents are constantly trying to control him and how much they are drowning him in pressure.    

MISE EN SCENE

This film used various forms of mise en scene through; color patterns likes yellows and props and camera blocking. The color patterns for example, are a way for the cinematographer to convey the feeling to the audience. In the movie, a pale-yellow hue was used when Ben and Elaine were able to get away from everyone in the church, including her parents. They made it to the bus and they were happy. The color yellow usually signifies happiness, but in this scene, the cinematographer and the director decided to use a pale version of the color to show that her happiness was numbered. The characters seem to know that after the rush, maybe it was a bad decision to run away together, the pale-yellow coinciding with their feeling at this moment.

The camera blocking in this film was used in such a good way, because it illustrates the feeling of the moment between the camera and actors. For example, when Elaine finds out that Ben was having an affair with her mother and she storms out; the camera then catches Ben’s backside right in front of the camera, looking at Mrs. Robinson in a long shot against the wall. This particular scene, the camera blocking allows us to see Mrs. Robinson in a vulnerable state, because she is holding on to life since her daughter no longer wants to look at her.  Along with the blocking, they use of high key lighting shows how washed out and sad Mrs. Robinson looks as well.

AUDIO

The audio in this film is majority set within the main song of “The sound of silence” by Simon and Garfunkel as well as the transitioning of the camera movements and empty sound of his thoughts. To begin with “the sound of silence” was played many times during the film, possibly to signify how throughout the film, he was never truly happy. Not in the beginning, when everyone was pressuring him about his future; not when he established a sexual relationship with Mrs. Robinson; and not even in the end of the film, when he finally had the Elaine in the bus. Stating how indecisive and confused he was because he never knew what he wanted out of life or in his professional career.

Focusing on the moment, when Ben was forced under the water by his parents. Before they got to that moment, Ben was bombarded by his parents and his friends with loud dialogue, signifying the amount of commotion that was out of the pool. As soon as he submerges himself into the water, all he hears is the sound of the water. And everything else outside is muffled. It is at this moment that Ben is truly alone without his parents or anyone else in his ear telling him what to do. Leaving him in a state of bliss and calmness.