The Graduate
This is Benjamin. He’s a little worried about his future.
The Graduate (1967)
Budget
$3 000 000
Revenue
$104 978 912
Director
Scenario
Charles Webb
Author
Producer
Actors
Dustin Hoffman
Ben Braddock
Anne Bancroft
Mrs. Robinson
Katharine Ross
Elaine Robinson
William Daniels
Mr. Braddock
Murray Hamilton
Mr. Robinson
Elizabeth Wilson
Mrs. Braddock
Buck Henry
Room Clerk
Brian Avery
Carl Smith
Short description
Benjamin Braddock has just finished college and returned to his parents' home, unsure what to do with his life. At a party held in his honor, he meets Mrs. Robinson, a friend of his parents, and the two begin an affair. The situation grows complicated when Benjamin meets her daughter Elaine, whom his parents encourage him to date, and he falls for the young woman despite Mrs. Robinson's opposition.
Mike Nichols directed the film, the second of the eighteen features listed for him in chronological order, following Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and preceding Catch-22. Buck Henry and Calder Willingham wrote the screenplay, and Lawrence Turman produced. Dustin Hoffman plays Ben, with Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson, Katharine Ross as Elaine, and William Daniels, Murray Hamilton and Elizabeth Wilson as the parents. The credited cast numbers 49.
Made for 3 million dollars, the film took in about 105 million worldwide, a return that made it one of the most commercially successful releases of its era. On IMDb it holds 8 out of 10 from roughly 302,000 votes, while on TMDB it has 7.6 from around 3,800 votes; the larger, older sample on IMDb reflects the film's long-standing place in the popular canon. A critics' rating of 9.1 from 94 reviews places critical assessment noticeably above both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film is based on Charles Webb's novel "The Graduate" (1963).
- Lee Stanley auditioned for the role of Benjamin.
- When Benjamin and Mrs. Robinson first meet at the hotel, Anne Bancroft was unaware that Dustin Hoffman was going to grab her chest. During the first take, Mike Nichols, the film's director, began to laugh loudly. Hoffman also burst out laughing, but to avoid disrupting the filming, he turned away from the camera and walked over to a wall, which he began to bang his head against. This very take made it into the final cut of the film.
- Some scenes set in Berkeley were actually filmed at the University of California and the University of Southern California.
- Mike Nichols initially wanted Jeanne Moreau to play Mrs. Robinson. He also offered the role to Ava Gardner.
- On the film poster, Dustin Hoffman is in the background, while Mrs. Robinson's leg is in the foreground. However, Linda Gray's legs were specifically photographed for the poster, not Anne Bancroft's, who played Mrs. Robinson. Later, Linda would play the lead role in a musical based on this film.
- Grayson Hall was considered for the role of Mrs. Robinson.
- According to the 2007 'American Film Institute' ranking, the film ranked 17th on the list of '100 Greatest Films of All Time'.
- In 'Premiere' magazine's 2007 ranking of '100 Greatest Movie Quotes,' the line 'Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?' ranked 5th.
- In the scene where Benjamin knocks on the glass in the church, his hands are raised and spread apart. Many critics interpreted this scene as an allusion to the image of Christ. In reality, the head of the church, seeing Dustin Hoffman knocking on the glass with his fists, threatened to break the agreement with the producers regarding the filming. As a result of the compromise reached, Dustin hit the glass with his palms.
- Judy Garland was considered for the role of Mrs. Robinson.
- Patricia Neal was originally intended to play Mrs. Robinson.
- The film employs two interesting shooting techniques. In the scene where Benjamin is running, we see him at a slight distance, running directly towards the camera. However, thanks to the ingenuity of the cinematographer, it creates the impression that he remains stationary and does not move. In another scene, Benjamin walks from the right side of the screen to the left, while everyone else moves from left to right. In Western culture, things moving from left to right seem natural, while movement from right to left is perceived as moving in the wrong direction. These visual choices resonate with the film's themes: throughout his life, Benjamin doesn't know what to do next or if he’s moving in the wrong direction.
- Bert Ward declined the offer to play Benjamin.
- According to Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman was supposed to play Mr. Robinson, but was fired a few weeks after filming began.
- The role of Elaine Robinson was offered to Patty Duke.
- Ronald Reagan was considered for the role of Mr. Braddock.
- The names of the older characters are never mentioned in the film; the audience only knows the names of the young protagonists – Benjamin, Elaine, and Carl – which further emphasizes the generational gap.
- During the audition for the role, Dustin Hoffman constantly mumbled his lines and felt extremely insecure. He thought he had failed the audition, but Mike Nichols saw in Dustin's indecisiveness exactly what he was looking for for the image of Benjamin.
- Jack Nicholson was considered for the role of Benjamin Braddock.
- Sally Field auditioned for the role of Elaine.
- Anne Bancroft (Mrs. Robinson) is only six years older than Dustin Hoffman (Benjamin) and eight years older than Katharine Ross (Elaine).
- Benjamin's car is a '1967 Alfa Romeo Spider 1600'.
- Initially, the role of Mrs. Robinson was offered to Susan Hayward. After she declined, the role was offered to Doris Day and Patricia Neal, but they also refused to participate in the film. Only after that did Mike Nichols suggest Anne Bancroft play Mrs. Robinson.
- During the casting for "The Graduate," Dustin Hoffman had already been cast in one of the roles in "The Producers" (1968). He asked Mel Brooks for permission to audition for the lead role in "The Graduate." Brooks knew well what the film would be about, as his wife, Anne Bancroft, had already been cast as Mrs. Robinson. Therefore, he gave his consent, absolutely confident that Hoffman would never get the role of Benjamin.
- In 1998, it was included in the National Film Registry of the United States.
- Robert Redford and Lee Stanley auditioned for the role of Benjamin Bradstock.
- Charles Grodin was cast as Benjamin, but never appeared in the film due to disagreements with the producers over his fee.
- When Elaine screams in Ben's room, several tenants gather near the door. One of them says: “Should we call the police? I’ll call the police…” That’s Richard Dreyfuss.
- Paul Simon wrote two songs for the film that were rejected by Mike Nichols: “A Hazy Shade of Winter” and “Punky’s Dilemma.” The song “Mrs. Robinson” was not specifically written for the film. It was one of the working titles of a composition Simon was working on at the time. Originally, the song was to be called “Mrs. Roosevelt.”
- According to the American Film Institute, the phrase “Plastics” ranked 42nd on the list of “100 Greatest Movie Quotes.”
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Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
