A glimpse of Mike Nichols' directing techniques in American New Cinema ``The Graduate''

This is literally "American New Cinema"

Although he may not be a bank robber during the Depression or a pair of thieves who ran through the late West, Benjamin, who was born into a bourgeois family, is also dissatisfied with reality and tends to stray from society, just like Bonnie and Clyde and Butch and Sundance. shall be. Viewed in this way, ``The Graduate'' is definitely a work that should be counted as ``American New Cinema.'' No, it may be more urgent because it is set in the present day. The risk of deviating from the rails laid down by someone else lies darkly in the gaps between technical shots.

Mrs. Robinson's sense of blockage is even deeper than Ben's. She got married in a shotgun marriage and has not had sex with her husband for a long time, but she wants Ben, who is young and fit even though he doesn't look good, and she also seriously deviates from ethics.

“The Graduate” (c) Getty Images

There is a scene where you can see how brutal her days have been. When the topic of art comes up during a secret meeting with Ben, Robinson shows no interest in it. This was despite the fact that he had previously majored in art during his university days. She is one of many Americans who have traded their childhood dreams for a stable life. Therefore, Mrs. Robinson can be seen as the main character of the movie. That's why you see Anne Bancroft's name at the top of the credits instead of Dustin Hoffman.

Needless to say, Simon & Garfunkel 's harmonies match each shot with such high probability that it is hard to believe that it is an existing song (some of which is original). They left a bright mark on the American music scene until they ceased performing as a duo in 1970.

Why wasn't Robert Redford playing Ben?