The Graduate is one of those films that touched our lives as young people and immediately entered into our collective memories and into our collective psyches. I was 13 years old on December 22, 1967 when this film was released and I will never forget how I felt when I saw this movie. I had a huge crush at the time on my “super old” 30 – something (heaven forbid 40?) year- old school teacher and this movie made me feel both good and badly at the same time. I wonder how many of us Baby Boomers remember this movie and how it made us feel when it was released 56 years ago. How we felt (and feel?) every time that we hear Simon and Garfunkel’s song “Mrs. Robinson.” Can that possibly be? Can it be that this movie of our childhoods was released 56 YEARS AGO??!
For those of us who may not fully remember (and for the rare few of us who did not see the movie) here is the plot of the movie (as best I could gather from Wikipedia). Our hero, Ben Braddock has recently graduated from a small Eastern college and has returned home to a suburb of Los Angeles. Benjamin, visibly uncomfortable as his parents deliver accolades and neighborhood friends ask him about his future plans, evades those who try to congratulate him. Mrs. Robinson enters his room, asking him strange questions and probing into his life. After he drives her home, Mrs. Robinson attempts to seduce him. Benjamin rebuffs her and quickly goes downstairs as he hears Mr. Robinson arriving home.
A week after his 21st birthday, Benjamin begins his affair with Mrs. Robinson and meets her at the Taft Hotel. In mid-September, Benjamin spends the time drifting around in the pool by day, purposefully neglecting to select a graduate school, and seeing Mrs. Robinson at the hotel by night. One evening, Mrs. Robinson reveals that she is in a loveless marriage, because in the 1940s, she became pregnant with her daughter, Elaine, dropped out of college, and married to avoid scandal.
After being increasingly pressured by his parents and Mr. Robinson to go on a date with Elaine, he takes her out but deliberately sabotages the date by driving recklessly and taking her to two clubs and a strip show. Benjamin discovers that he likes Elaine and decides to tell her everything. Elaine is furious and returns to Berkley where she is a student at the university.
Several months later, Benjamin goes to Berkeley and moves into a rooming house near Elaine’s dormitory. Elaine is uneasy in his presence and tells him that she has started dating Carl Smith, a medical student. Elaine accuses him of taking advantage of her mother’s drunken state and raping her, refusing to believe that it was her mother who initiated the affair. Elaine eventually realizes that her mother was lying, and makes Benjamin promise to not leave Berkeley until he has definite plans.
When Benjamin proposes marriage, Elaine says she is concerned about graduating from college and her relationship with her parents if she continues to see him. Benjamin receives a telegram from Mrs. Robinson, telling him to get out of town immediately. Mr. Robinson arrives at the college and tells Benjamin that he is divorcing his wife and terminating his partnership with Mr. Braddock. Robinson forces his daughter to drop out of school and takes her away, warning Benjamin against further contact. Benjamin returns to his hometown and sneaks into the Robinsons’ home but encounters both Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, who call the police and claim that a man has broken into their house. He escapes from the house and returns to Berkeley to find Elaine.
In San Francisco, he learns that Carl will marry Elaine that very morning. Benjamin takes a plane to Santa Barbara, finds the church, and interrupts the ceremony. He runs downstairs to the sanctuary, punches Mr. Robinson, and fights Carl off using a cross as a weapon. Together, Benjamin and Elaine flee the church and ride off on the nearest bus to elope. I don’t know about you, but remembering this film and how it made me feel is one of the cherished memories of my youth. Enjoy. PhotoMem.
