The Graduate: a cinematic journey about Ben finding his guts

How The Graduate tells you Ben is a pushover… Without telling you he’s a pushover!

"Oh no Mrs. Robinson, I find you very desirable. I think you are the most desirable of all my parents' friends."

The Graduate (1967, directed by Mike Nichols) is a timeless classic under many many aspects. The naivety of Ben, mixed with the psychological domination of Mrs. Robinson and the tenderness of Elaine, create an explosive mix that is funny and unforgettable. However, I believe it’s even more impressive how, without ever hearing a word of dialogue about Ben starting off as a gutless pushover, we get that impression from him. Although fundamental, Dustin Hoffman’s impeccably expressive acting is not the only aspect that makes us feel uncomfortable for him. Every aspect of this film’s cinematography is working, behind more evident elements of the mise-en-scène, on making us feel the sense of being unable to escape that Ben feels right after his graduation.

For this analysis, largely taught to me by prof. Richard Ollis, mentor and friend, at Cal State Northridge Film School, I am going to consider two important parts of the film: the introduction of our hero, and when he finally overcomes his weakness and starts making his own decisions, although hard.

The Graduate - Credits

The Graduate - Party Scene

The Graduate - Elaine learns the truth

This article contains spoilers, so if you haven’t seen The Graduate do yourself a favor and watch it first. I can assure you that one viewing won’t be enough to fully grasp it anyways. The first shot we see in the movie is an extremely tight close-up on Ben’s face, he is looking off screen, in deep thought. The white background gives us no indication as to where he is. Only by zooming out, we get clues about where he’s sitting. While in the first part of the shot he’s not centered, as the zoom goes back Ben moves more and more to the front. Now, an important digression: one of the most important rules of photography is without doubt the rule of thirds. We can imagine a picture, but also a frame, divided as follows:

The lines create four points in which they cross: these are the most important spots of the frame, the ones that make a frame interesting. If a character hits at least two of the spots, then he/she is visually solid and dominating the frame. At the end of the first frame of the movie, Ben is in dead center, a very weak spot of the frame: therefore, he’s a weak character, visually speaking. Also, he becomes smaller and smaller, more and more lost in the crowd of people, and this makes us understand how he’s feeling: small, lost, weak.

Second shot, there’s no need to describe, as it is one of the most famous shots of film history. Ben is moving forward (perhaps in his life?), but on the frame he isn’t going anywhere. He’s stuck in a sort of visual spell, keeping him moving yet still. Simon and Garfunkel’s Sound of Silence show us a melancholic, lost young soul. However, here’s an insight that gives us more clues about the character: people cross nonchalantly in front of the camera, but he doesn’t seem to notice them. He only turns for one person: a woman. Boom, he’s straight and in search for love. All you need to know about Ben, in two shots.

He leaves the airport and goes home. His first shot at home may not seem unusual, but think about it: the fish tank describes the world he lives in right now, it’s a setup for the scuba diving scene but in miniature. In how many ways can you combine a young man and a fish tank in the same space? He could be looking at the tank and reflecting on how his life feels as if he’s drowning, but he doesn’t - he’s not even looking at the tank to begin with! He’s not thinking about the tank, he’s in it (once again, center of the frame!), the tank is all we see behind him. This gives us the idea that he’s not even fully aware of his situation, yet. Isn’t that what Mrs. Robinson is for? Make him aware of his own situation? So far, we’ve seen Ben alone and we’re unconsciously aware of his personal situation, we know he feels lost.

His first relationship with another person comes into this exact shot. His dad, entering his room, is completely unaware of his thoughts. Even more, he absolutely doesn’t care about what Ben thinks. He crosses frame and sits right between the camera and Ben, blocking the view of his son’s face. The dad, by entering two of the four spots, is entirely dominating the scene. In this moment, he’s the one in charge. When the mom comes in, the whole frame goes out of focus: she cares even less. In his interpersonal relations in the party scene, this is where we find out that Ben is a complete pushover. Apart from not letting him speak pretty much throughout the entire scene, everyone keeps crossing frame, obscuring him and keeping him in the middle. A shaky handheld camera makes us feel lack of balance, almost making us seasick. In the two-dimensional universe of the screen, the other characters are literally squishing him and not letting him breathe. The tight camera on extreme close-ups is another element that makes us feel Ben’s anxiety as he can’t speak for himself. There’s not even space for his shoulders in the scene, let alone his opinions! When he goes back to his room, he goes back to dominating the frame, so he’s finally sure about something: he just wants to be left alone.

To see how the choices of DoP Robert Surtees are far from casual, let’s see the opposite situation, when Ben gains his courage back and wins against Mrs. Robinson, the icon of his lack of spine. Right after he tells Elaine the truth about his affair with her mom, with a slow rack focus that shows her slow but decisive understanding of the situation, Ben is no longer framed in an extreme close-up, but we start seeing his shoulders. The truth sets you free, and just as much as he can now breathe (don’t get me wrong, he’s still in a lot of trouble!) so can the frame. Usually, between two shots, there should be a change of about 30° or it will result in a jump-cut (“30° rule”), but here the framing is almost the same except for this detail, just to show us the difference more evidently. He now fully fills up the interesting points of the frame, and is now fully in control of his decisions. Even more interesting, but perhaps less subtle is the framing of Mrs. Robinson. Extreme close-up, dead center on a contrast free wall (just like Ben in the first shot of the movie?), then we zoom out to show her as small, centered, weak and defeated.

In the end, on the back of the school-bus, Ben is happy as a clam, and so is his framing. He shares the frame with his beloved Elaine, both of them take all the four spots of the frame, and, if considered they’re on a moving bus, the frame is pretty still: he’s finally found balance in his life!

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Cite this article!

Duggan, Margaret. “The Graduate: a Cinematic Journey about Ben Finding His Guts.” Deep Views, Margaret Duggan, 24 Apr. 2020, margaretaduggan.wixsite.com/deepviews.