The Graduate

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

In class we discussed modern expressionism. The different methods such as the
scenes cutting quite often, the use of sound overlapping connecting one scene to the next,
and overlapping actions that start in one scene and end in another are evident throughout
the entire film. In the scene early on in which Mrs. Robinson strips naked, the cutting and
jumping of the camera movement are extremely noticeable.
2) Find a related article and summarize the content. (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic
content, etc.) You can use the library or the internet.
This article reflects on the life of director Mike Nichols at the time of his death in 2014. Nichols came
to the United States at the age of 7 when his family escaped Nazi Germany. He went on to study medicine at
the University of Chicago in the 1950s, but he discovered his true calling in comedy and theatre. Because of his
great commitment to film throughout the years with films such as Working Girl, The Odd Couple,
Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf and The Graduate, he is one of the rare few to have won an Emmy, Tony,
Grammy, and Oscar. At the time of his death he was married to Diane Sawyer.
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/entertainment-icon-mike-nichols-died-age-83/story?id=27047342
3) Apply the article to the film screened in class. How did the article support or change the way you
thought about the film, director, content, etc.?
In addition to the article which gave a background story of Mike Nichols, there was a video which
accompanied it. In the video it is said that Nichols often spoke about the obstacles of young men and women
finding themselves. After learning about his career change to comedy while studying medicine I am not
surprised that he felt so strongly about the topic. As a member of a family which escaped from Nazi Germany I

can assume that the pressure was on him to make something of himself; preferably something high ranking in
the professional field. It would be my guess that his family was probably skeptical about theatre being his new
focus but he showed them that it was worth it. He is proof that your passion may not come to you until you are
going after something else, but it eventually will and you should go after it!
4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening,
class discussions, text material and the article. I am less interested in whether you liked or disliked a film,
(although that can be part of this) than I am in your understanding of its place in film history or the contributions
of the director.
In all I enjoyed the film. I especially liked Mike Nichols approach to modern expressionism with his
use of framing. In the beginning of the film Ben is timid, anxious, and nervous about everything so tight framing
is used to emphasize such characteristics. We see him sweating and blinking a lot during these frames. Once Ben
gains a little self-confidence after having sex with Mrs. Robinson the camera loosens up and he begins to do
things that he didnt do before like smoke and drink alcohol. The use of framing is ingenious and I completely
understand why Nichols is credited as one of the most creative and best directors of all time.

Image: https://www.google.com/search?
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CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) (*) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (*) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I
clearly explain that in the paper.
3) (*) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used
indentation and citation within the text.
4) (*) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the
bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) (*) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) (*) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another
way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) (*) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or
originality.
8) (*) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the
research and ideas used in my paper.