Outside Looking In – Alienation and The Graduate

Paper by Michaela Pluskovich. Viewed on DVD.

During a time of war, feminism, the civil rights movement, and baby boom in the 1960s, the difference of opinion between generations seemed to be ubiquitous – and this was also the case with regards to movies. In 1967 a whole generation of new cinema-goers emerged again after the decline of Hollywood, when movies like Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate were released. The latter, a film adaption of the book by the same name by Charles Webb, stood number one in the top ten ranking list of 1967 with a rental income of 44 million dollars (Kramer 105). This is due to the young generation, who was waiting for the arrival of a movie like this depicting nudity, starring an actor who looks more like you and me than Fred Astaire and featuring a soundtrack that didn’t ask the protagonists to burst out in “spontaneous songs” of the traditional musicals (Celeste). Director Mike Nichols, a Jewish-Russian immigrant from Berlin with more of a background in theater and improvised comedy than in the film industry, brought his unconventional ideas to the screen and achieved a film that introduced the viewer to an era which is now named with the ambiguous term of New Hollywood. The Graduate received 7 Oscar Nominations, but only one was picked up by Nichols for Best Directing (Kashner). The film follows the protagonist Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), a recent college graduate who has achieved success academically, but struggles to find direction in his life. Taking the chance of becoming intimate with the beautiful and fierce Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), which at first seems alluring to the inexperienced Benjamin, he soon again finds himself alienated and controlled by his older generation. Benjamin’s coming-of-age story directly relates to the Hollywood industry of that time, and the film exemplifies the change from classical traditions to new approaches in form and style. The scene which depicts the relationship between Benjamin and Mrs. Robinson, framed by the main protagonist at the pool, emphasizes Ben’s alienation as an individual, which draws through the movie as a whole. The theme of alienation within a confining society is supported by the challenging approach of editing, sound, mis-en-scène, as well as acting, and can be exemplified with the selected scene.

The scene, illustrating Benjamin’s relationship with Mrs. Robinson over the summer, stands at the beginning of his own formation in the narrative progression, but at the same time emphasizes his mental state of alienation. Benjamin’s seclusion contrasts the world of the older generation, which has control over his life even now that he stands eye-to-eye with the older Mrs. Robinson, who is his only focus at this time. The viewer sees Ben drifting on his inflatable raft in the pool, until he decides to flee from his parents back into the house. It is here that the montage begins, jumping back and forth between his sexual affair in the Taft Hotel and his parents house. The seemingly bored and dissatisfied Benjamin wanders around between routine intimate events and emptiness at home until he is brought back to the pool by his father’s voice. The scene ends with a confrontation, where he not only has to face his controlling father’s impatience but also the controlling Mrs. Robinson, both of which are not to his comfort.

The succession of each shot in this scene is mainly important for the explanation of Benjamin’s inner state and personal development. The depiction of Ben’s and Mrs. Robinson’s relationship is framed by the shots at the pool, where the viewer is confronted by a complete new Benjamin, who has changed from the up-tight insecure boy in his comical suits to a careless, cool and tanned young man who is enjoying life without worrying about the future. This implies that the sexual relationship with the older woman is a determining factor for his personal growth, although the actual portrayal of the affair implies that it has not fulfilled him completely. Starting with the shot in which Benjamin leaves to get away from his parents in the garden, the editing achieves a feeling of mechanical routine by matching shots of different places and time together so they appear to be the same action. Therefore, it achieves is a continuity between the shots, but simultaneously it also creates a disorientation and confusion of the place and time. The editing, complemented by Hoffman’s acting, depicts a Benjamin who is almost floating through time and space, while shutting himself off from the outside world. The only reaction by Benjamin to the outside world is addressed to his parents, as he continuously tries to exclude them from his life by closing the door to seclude himself completely. The portrayal of his relationship with Mrs. Robinson ends with a disorienting and even disturbing shot where Ben’s father, Mr. Braddock (William Daniels), pretty much interrupts this intimate affair. In particular, the shot of Benjamin’s and Mrs. Robinson’s sexual contact in the Taft Hotel is broken up by Mr. Braddock’s despairing question of what Ben is doing. As Ben is reacting in this shot, right before we jump to the next shot of Mr. Braddock in the garden next to Ben in the pool, it is suggested that Benjamin has been reflecting these sexual events as a flashback while lying in the pool. Benjamin with his slow movements and cocky answers to his father is visibly bothered by his father’s suggestions and advice for his life. The following and concluding shots of this scene include an uncomfortable situation between Ben and Mrs. Robinson, the latter of who has just arrived with her husband to visit Benjamin’s parents, ending with shot-reverse shot close-ups between them to demonstrate their intimate relationship.

The theme of alienation is mostly created by it’s form rather than narrative plot, as are most of the meanings within this scene. For example, the mis-en-scène provides many new elements that suggest reasons for the change in Benjamin’s personality when he is lying at by the pool. Contrasting from the old Benjamin in his grey suit, he is now portrayed in the colorful light of the sun which is reflecting off the water. The lighting makes the protagonists look fresh and confident, which is strengthened by his sunglasses that let him easily hide his secret affair and give him a relaxed aura. The sunglasses, and the fact that Benjamin is lying alone either on the inflatable raft or the diving board, already hints to his alienation and is further explored when we get to the shots of his sexual relationship. There, the mis-en-scène’s main eye-catch are the colors and shapes which convey a depressing and claustrophobic atmosphere and therefore influences how the viewer reacts to the scene. The colors, white and black, which are prevalent in the hotel room and also in his parents house, seem cold and sterile. This tone suggests that the intimate encounters with Mrs. Robinson are everything else than passionate, but on the contrary, it seems to be impersonal and alien. However, other elements of the mis-en-scène, suggest that Mrs. Robinson must feel an alienation of the same kind, and we can also find parallels between Benjamin and herself. The clothing of Mrs. Robinson, which repetitively shows pattern of animal skin, refers to her wild nature which is confined by society, and like a panther in the zoo she is living in her little “plastic” world, alienated from the outside. This alienation is also amplified by the jungle-like plants that we have seen earlier in the Robinson’s household, and which in this scene occur in regard to Benjamin’s confinement from society. Further alienation is created by the furniture and other details of the interior design, e.g. the headboard of the hotel bed is framing Benjamin with a black background which secludes him from Mrs. Robinson no matter how close they are on screen.

Helpful in this aspect is the work of the cinematographer Robert Surtees, who through still camera and little movement expresses Benjamin’s inner state of alienation. The 2.35 : 1 aspect ratio gives enough space on the screen to arrange the props and actors in a manner that allows for the to use of long takes and slow movement of the camera without compensating any narrative or stylistic information. Therefore, the scene can depict the inner state of Benjamin, which is at the beginning is relaxed and thoughtful at the pool, and depressing and claustrophobic during the montage of the affair. The claustrophobic and alienating effect of the cinematography is mainly created through the zooming, which underlines the effect of the mis-en-scène. The transition between many shots are often created with a close-up of Benjamin’s face, and fortified by the black color in the background the viewer gets a claustrophobic impression of the situation, created by the narrowing framing of the shot. Besides the theme of alienation, the cinematography also shows the dispersion of power which clearly lies in Mrs. Robinson’s character. The already great difference of power between the two generations, created by Benjamin lying on the inflatable raft in the pool and the older generation standing next to him and looking down, is heightened by the close-up of Mrs. Robinson from an extreme low angle. As the viewer knows from the shots before, the close-up is a POV shot of Benjamin and therefore creates the effect of an empowered Mrs. Robinson who is in absolute control of Benjamin.

The sound, or more noticeable often the lack of sound, also helps to support the theme through an unconventional use of non-diegetic music and diegetic sound. Dialogue and diegetic sound often takes a back seat in the scene in order to reflect Benjamin’s inner state of mind and his feelings. Besides the two famous songs by Simon & Garfunkel the filmmakers decided to provide the viewer only with the “sound of silence.” Occasionally we hear the sound of the water in which Benjamin is jumping into, to elevate the metaphor of it, but throughout the grand majority of the scene there is no sound at all implemented. Indeed, the songs entrap the viewer into the deep thoughts of Benjamin. This use of music is revolutionary of that time, as it stands in contrast to the traditional and popular musicals of the classical Hollywood (Celeste). Everything his parents and their friends aren’t asking him, and everything that Benjamin doesn’t have the words for to say is expressed by the songs. In fact, Benjamin is turning off everything else around him and the sound in the film provides the viewer with the same experience as he is going through. The viewer resides in Ben’s mind and is, therefore, able to emphasize with him. Most noticeable is this at the transitional shots from the relationship with Mrs. Robinson leading to the confrontation with his father at the pool. The transition from his mind back to reality actually happens within two succeeding shots. The viewer is able to live through the stage of Benjamin slowly coming back to reality, as we hear his father’s voice during the implied sex-scene with Mrs. Robinson. After that we see a reaction of Benjamin and a jump-cut to his father outside in the sun. Only at the beginning of this shot we slowly hear the noises which we are used to hear outdoors: a little breeze blowing through the tree branches and the sound of a few birds. The sound mirrors the perception of Benjamin who was probably dreaming or sleeping, and needs a few moments to react.

Acting is another interesting aspect in this scene which conveys the theme and creates continuity within the characters. Although we don’t have many dialogues, besides the one in the end of the scene, Dusting Hoffman is able to express Benjamin’s inner state with ease. Already in the beginning of the scene the viewer gets the sensation that the character has changed. While the mis-en-scène, cinematography and editing is supporting this, the actor’s attribution should not be ignored. Every movement of Dustin Hoffman conveys a mood and the protagonist’s inner state, and his relaxed and careless attitude could not differ more from his earlier appearances. Where there was a inhibited and insecure Benjamin in earlier scenes, the viewer now is confronted with a young man who has one smart and cocky answer for his father after another. Although we experience a character who changes throughout the movie, the underlying narrative story and Hoffman’s subtlety of conveying the character’s mood creates a continuity and therefore, makes the character’s actions and development believable even if he reacts in a surprising or unknown way.

With all these stylistic factors in mind we can see that they all work together to convey a mood to the audience that supports the film’s theme of alienation. The last element which supports the intended theme, and gives meaning to each shot by combining it with others, is the editing. Besides the mis-en-scène, cinematography, sound, and acting, The Graduate also offers a great amount of details in the work of editing. Supported by all the other elements, the editing creates continuity to develop a narrative progression, but at the same time it draws attention to itself through its unconventional approach. The editing is not only a tool to compress time and space, but furthermore it implies meaning to a sequence of shots that would be impossible without it. The beginning of the scene, for example, suggests that Benjamin is in a phase of transition, which is solely implied by the repetitive dissolving of the alternating shots of water and Benjamin drifting on his pool raft. The slow dissolving creates a superimposition of the two shots and makes Benjamin seem trapped underneath it. This can also be related to his relationship with Mrs. Robinson, which might have saved him from the “tank” in which he was thrown into with his diving suit. However, as the viewer will later find out, Benjamin has just thrown himself into the next confining trap of Mrs. Robinson and has not overcome his alienation.

The scene and its themes of alienation, confinement and disillusion can also be applied to the rest of the film which are presented in similar and repetitive patterns of stylistic elements. This notion can be seen in the first scene of the film, where we first are presented with a close-up of Benjamin’s face not letting us identify where exactly he is. As the camera zooms out to show us Benjamin’s alienation, as the sound of the pilot pronounce the directions, as if telling Benjamin what to do. As Benjamin stands on the moving walkway and the voice over the loud speaker in the airport again details the directions, we are reminded of Ben being lead like on the inflatable raft in the pool. The element of water, which Nichols uses in his film’s to associate the character with social drowning and suffocation is repetitive in the scene, as well as in the rest of the film, first being introduced in the form of the fish tank in Benjamin’s room at the beginning of the film. Inside the fish tank we can see a little toy figure, which is a strong graphic match to the later scene where Benjamin himself dives into the pool in his new diving suit. The water is not only a symbol of drowning, but also for alienation and confinement as it is combined with cinematography that repetitively is associated with these themes. When Benjamin gets involved with Mrs. Robinson it could be an indication that Benjamin will be able to break out of this confinement, which his parents and society have built around him. However, as soon as we come to the selected scene, where shots of water of the pool and Benjamin lying in the sun dissolve into each other, it is implied that he probably just entered a new fish tank. Only when Benjamin decides to break the rules set out by Mrs. Robinson and tell Elaine about the affair we see him in wet clothes, indicating that he has broken out of the fish tank.

The scene itself lies at the beginning of the second Act where we can see how the first turning point, Benjamin starting the affair with Mrs. Robinson, has changed his character. As the film is more focused on the character development of Benjamin within his surrounding rather than a a certain story line, the character’s goal is unclear at some times and changes throughout the plot. Though Benjamin pursues his goals of heterosexual romance, as well as personal fulfillment, its narrative structure deviates to some degree and both goals are ambiguous until the third act. Even at the end of the film, where the viewer expects denouement, only the pursuit of the romance is reached. Benjamin’s dissatisfaction with life, and the theme of alienation for each individual is not resolved, but further questioned by the last shots driven mainly by the ambiguous meaning derived from the acting of the main protagonists. Besides the unfulfilled and unclear goals of the characters, the movie follows many aspects of the Classical Hollywood Narrative. Especially in the second part of the film, the story provides the viewer with the pursuit of the main character’s goal, which becomes more complicated to achieve due to Mrs. Robinson’s and Mr. Robinson’s dissent, leading to a deadline. However, the deadline cannot be fulfilled as Elaine and Carl have already gotten married by the time Benjamin reaches the church. Hence, Nichols is questioning the rules and institutions of society in general, and in this regard the meaning of the selected scene is applicable and important for the broader theme of the film, incorporating essential formal elements as well as narrative relevance.

As one of the most influential movies of the 1960’s, the themes of alienation and disillusionment with the established order in The Graduate spoke loudly to the rapidly changing younger generation of the times. The particular evaluation of Benjamin, from fresh college graduate through confusion and dissatisfaction to revelation represents the feelings that many of the youth in the 1960’s were coping with. The chosen theme straddles the moment when Benjamin emerges himself in his parents generation and emerges emboldened, both foreshadowing and establishing Benjamin’s plan of action for the rest of the film. As the moment when Benjamin breaks free from his post-college personality and redefines who he is going to be, it is perhaps the key scene in Benjamin’s personal development in the film, and one that has a deep and personal connection with many adolescents continuing even today.

Works Cited

Celeste, Reni. “The Sound of Silence: Film Music and Lament.” Quarterly Review of Film & Video 22.2 (Apr-Jun 2005) Academic Search Premier. 24 March 2011.

Kashner, Sam. “Here’s to You, Mr. Nichols.” Vanity Fair 571 (Mar 2008) Academic Search Premier. 24 March 2011.

Kraemer, Peter. The New Hollywood. From Bonnie and Clyde to Star Wars. London: Wallflower Press, 2005.

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Published:
04.26.11 / 1pm
Category:
Academic Papers, DVD, Films