Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross, Murray Hamilton, William Daniels, Walter Brooke, Richard Dreyfuss, Norman Fell, Buck Henry, Harry Holcombe, Elizabeth Wilson, Alice Ghostley, Richard Dreyfuss, Richard Dreyfuss, Brian Avery, Elisabeth Fraser, Eddra Gale, Jonathan Hole, Marion Lorne, Lainie Miller

Director: Mike Nichols

Summary: A college graduate becomes involved with with his girlfriend's mother. Soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel.

Director Mike Nichols's THE GRADUATE is the satirical coming-of-age comedy that became an emotional touchstone for an entire generation. In the late 1960s, Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), a confused college graduate, is pulled in myriad directions by family, friends, and associates just days after receiving his degree. Seduced by Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), an older friend of the family, Ben carries on an affair with the married woman even as he falls for her daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross). However, Ben and Elaine's attempts at romance are threatened by the spiteful rage of Mrs. Robinson, who proceeds to hastily arrange Elaine's marriage to another boy, leading up to one of the most memorable endings in cinema history.
With its striking photography and clever editing, THE GRADUATE established Nichols as a major director. The film also made a star out of young Hoffman, who gives an understated portrayal of the perplexed Ben--the actor's first role in a Hollywood film, which he almost didn't get because he wasn't Waspy enough. Outstanding performances by the rest of the cast are highlighted by Bancroft's sexy, embittered turn as Mrs. Robinson and Ross's endearing presence as the gorgeous yet innocent Elaine. The film's impact on popular culture is immeasurable: "Plastics" will live on eternally as depressing but solid career advice, and older women will never eye younger men without fear of becoming a "Mrs. Robinson." Buck Henry (who appears briefly in the film) cowrote the influential screenplay, based on the novel by Charles Webb, and the soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel remains a movie classic.

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Few films have defined a generation as much as The Graduatedid. The alienation, the nonconformity, the intergenerational romance, the blissful Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack--they all served to lob a cultural grenade smack into the middle of 1967 America, ultimately making the film the third most profitable up to that time. Seen from a later perspective, its radical chic has dimmed a bit, yet it's still a joy to see Dustin Hoffman's bemused Benjamin and Anne Bancroft's deliciously decadent, sardonic Mrs Robinson. The script by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham is still offbeat and dryly funny and Mike Nichols, who won an Oscar for his direction, has just the right, light touch. --Anne Hurley, Amazon.com

Aspect Ratio:	2.35 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Original Theatrical Trailer, Picture Gallery, Scene Access
Subtitles:	English, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish
Year:	1967
Release Date:	March 26, 2001
Runtime:	101 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	M P 043 D
Label:	Director's Chair Collection
Keywords:	General, Graduate, Romantic, Drama
Genre:	Drama