The Graduate
Doug Noll
Instructor Derrick
Art 105, Film as Art
October 5, 2009
Critique 1
The Graduate
"The Graduate" is a great film, with Dustin Hoffman, playing Benjamin (Ben) Braddock, the epitome of the confused and isolated young adult male. Ben is confused about where his life is heading, he fumbles for an answer whenever one of his parents' friends asks him "what are you going to do next?" He stares mournfully into his fish tank, perhaps likening himself to the fish dwelling within it. He is trapped in this glass cube. This movie is for anyone who’s ever wondered what he or she are going to do with their future. Not a classic love story, “The Graduate” is a coming of age film. You can see that by the different types of love portrayed in the film, love of self, parental love, lust and finally near the end of the film, romantic love. We see self-love through out the film but heavily in the opening act. One example is when Ben is in his upstairs bedroom in his parents' home. He sits in his room staring blankly ahead, looking into his aquarium tank (while observing its occupants) and wanting to be alone with his thoughts. At the bottom of the aquarium tank is a model of a diver, symbolizing Ben's "drowning." He is thinking about his future and what to do. Ben tells us as much when his father comes in and notices Ben staring at the tank. He guesses Ben is worried and asks him if he is worried and what of. Ben replies “I guess about my future” and when pressed he says he wants it to be “different.” Clearly Ben is thinking only of himself at this time, he has graduated and now must decide what to do next, coming of age, Ben is unsure where he is going next. But Ben’s father is there for another reason, to get his son downstairs for his graduation party. At the graduation party we see another form of love, that of parental love and part of coming of age is to stretch your wings and move out from under your parents total control. Ben’s father insists Ben come down
Instructor Derrick
Art 105, Film as Art
October 5, 2009
Critique 1
The Graduate
"The Graduate" is a great film, with Dustin Hoffman, playing Benjamin (Ben) Braddock, the epitome of the confused and isolated young adult male. Ben is confused about where his life is heading, he fumbles for an answer whenever one of his parents' friends asks him "what are you going to do next?" He stares mournfully into his fish tank, perhaps likening himself to the fish dwelling within it. He is trapped in this glass cube. This movie is for anyone who’s ever wondered what he or she are going to do with their future. Not a classic love story, “The Graduate” is a coming of age film. You can see that by the different types of love portrayed in the film, love of self, parental love, lust and finally near the end of the film, romantic love. We see self-love through out the film but heavily in the opening act. One example is when Ben is in his upstairs bedroom in his parents' home. He sits in his room staring blankly ahead, looking into his aquarium tank (while observing its occupants) and wanting to be alone with his thoughts. At the bottom of the aquarium tank is a model of a diver, symbolizing Ben's "drowning." He is thinking about his future and what to do. Ben tells us as much when his father comes in and notices Ben staring at the tank. He guesses Ben is worried and asks him if he is worried and what of. Ben replies “I guess about my future” and when pressed he says he wants it to be “different.” Clearly Ben is thinking only of himself at this time, he has graduated and now must decide what to do next, coming of age, Ben is unsure where he is going next. But Ben’s father is there for another reason, to get his son downstairs for his graduation party. At the graduation party we see another form of love, that of parental love and part of coming of age is to stretch your wings and move out from under your parents total control. Ben’s father insists Ben come down
Cited: O’Conner, Flannery. “A Good Man Is Hard To Find.” Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. 5th Ed. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Wadsworth, 2004. 302-313. ---. “Good Country People.” Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. 5th Ed. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Wadsworth, 2004. 714-727.