The Graduate (40th Anniversary Collector's Edition)

Description

Nominated* for seven Academy AwardsÂ(r) and winner for Best Director, this ground breaking and "wildly hilarious" (The Boston Globe) social satire launched the career of two-time OscarÂ(r)-winner** Dustin Hoffman and cemented the reputation of acclaimed director Mike Nichols. Pulsating with the rebellious spirit of the '60s and a haunting score sung by Simon and Garfunkel, The Graduate is truly a "landmark film" (Leonard Maltin). Shy Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) returns home from college with an uncertain future. Then the wife of his father's business partner, the sexy Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), seduces him, and the affair only deepens his confusion. That is, until he meets the girl of his dreams (Katharine Ross). But there's one problem: she's Mrs. Robinson's daughter!

Customer Reviews:

Still a Funny, Perceptive Classic Forty Years Later and in a DVD Package Worthy of Its Reputation.......2007-09-13

If there is one film deserving of a full-blown renaissance, it is this seminal 1967 social alienation comedy, and this 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition DVD presents an especially pristine print, as well as several extras that will please die-hard fans. Based on the wry 1963 Charles Webb novel, the film itself holds a special affection among its original audience even now, the aging Vietnam War-era population who championed anarchy and the people who revise their personal histories, so they can think they were members of the now-fashionable counter-cultural movement. At the same time, it has a timeless quality for new generations simply because it's a consistently witty, observant piece of cinema targeted to anyone who has experienced that sense of post-academic confusion when the responsibilities of real life inevitably intrude.

This is an accomplished film for someone directing only his second film. But then again, judging from his subsequent work all the way to Angels in America and Closer, Mike Nichols seems to have come into filmmaking fully understanding the frailties of the human condition and knowing how to convey them in a way that audiences could empathize. It is a testament to Nichols and screenwriters Buck Henry and Calder Willingham that the social comedy aspects of this film do not seem at all dated. In fact, despite its provocative veneer, it's really old-fashioned in key ways from the protagonist's moralistic tendencies to his romantically compulsive motivations toward the end. Dustin Hoffman was pulled out of complete obscurity to play Benjamin, the alienated, recent college graduate drifting amid his parents' Southern California upper-middle class, swimming pool-centered ennui.

As Benjamin figures out what to do with his life and faces unwanted advice from his parents' friends, enter Mrs. Robinson, a bored, restless wife, a self-proclaimed alcoholic and about as sympathetic as Lady Macbeth. It's hard to imagine what the original choice, Doris Day, would have done with this role, as it takes Anne Bancroft's formidable arsenal of skills to bring this vituperative woman to life. She gives a masterful performance. The hotel sequence where Benjamin awkwardly asks Mrs. Robinson for a drink is shrewdly observed and downright hilarious - the suspicious hotel clerk (Henry, the film's co-screenwriter) eyeing Benjamin's every move; the reception line which Benjamin pretends to know (TV veterans Alice Ghostley and Marion Lorne, Esmeralda and Aunt Clara from Bewitched, make indelible marks here); and the predatory Mrs. Robinson's business-like approach to seduction.

Complicating matters exorbitantly is Mrs. Robinson's daughter, Elaine, played with relative nonchalance by Katharine Ross. The film then turns into a revenge comedy with Mrs. Robinson trying to prevent the inevitable coupling of Benjamin and Elaine. She almost succeeds but not before a series of revelations and dramatic encounters that lead to the classic ending aboard the public bus. Some of the comedy and characterizations seem a bit extreme, for example, Hoffman seems to amplify his character's nebbishness a few too many times, and Elaine's fiancée appears like a textbook 1960's TV stereotype. There are also a few forgivable geographic gaffes - most of the campus scenes are not filmed at Berkeley as portrayed in the film but at USC, and Benjamin crosses the Bay Bridge in the wrong direction to hunt for Elaine.

The 2007 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition DVD contains two separate commentary tracks, both insightful but for different reasons - the first is an anecdotal remembrance with Hoffman and Ross quite engaged with details of the filming (Hoffman apparently had quite a crush on Ross and still does), and the second has Nichols and director Steven Soderbergh discussing all aspects of the production from casting to camera set-ups within specific scenes. The main featurette is the new 25-minute "Students of `The Graduate'", which amounts to an extended appreciation of the film from Henry; producer Lawrence Turman; two film scholars; various directors (Harold Ramis, Marc Forster, Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton, David O. Russell); and film critics (Newsweek's David Ansen, Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman). The second new short, "The Seduction", is a nine-minute retrospective look at the famous scene where Mrs. Robinson nonchalantly pounces on Benjamin. The participants from the first featurette are involved here as well, and it provides a good dissection of not only the scene but the sexual mores prevalent at the time of filming.

There are two holdovers from the 1999 DVD release. The first is the 22-minute "'The Graduate' at 25" produced in 1992 for the laserdisc release. It has the advantage of participation from Hoffman and Ross but otherwise echoes the information presented in the newer retrospective featurette. The second is a 22-minute interview with Hoffman done in quick takes. He lends invaluable and often amusing insight into his selection for the role and the filmmaking experience. He also talks about the proposed sequel which one can assume eventually turned into 2005's execrable Rumor Has It.... Beyond the original theatrical trailer, the DVD contains a print of the film that makes it look as good as it did in its original release. There is a bonus soundtrack sampler CD with four of the distinctive Simon and Garfunkel songs featured in the movie - "The Sound of Silence", "Scarborough Fair/Canticle", "April Come She Will", and of course, "Mrs. Robinson". Lastly, there is a helpful six-page booklet that fills in the rest of the blanks on the production. This is a great package for a classic film.

Unlikely Tale of Immorality.......2007-09-12

This absurd film was a sensation like a million years because of its taboo content. But was it really good? No, it was like a train wreck, you looked at it anyhow. I've seen this nonsense on TV, and it is just BORING. An old crone like Mrs. Robinson who's interested in young men could certainly get something better than the little creep played by Dustin Hoffman. He looks like the following:

1. A playmate of Pee-Wee Herman.

2. A little nerd.

3. A no muscle little sissy boy.

4. A pathetic version of Jerry Lewis (the oily hair).

In conclusion, didn't old woman Robinson have a gardener or pool man to bother? Was she that desperate? I mean Dustin Hoffman, Jeez!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enhanced for Widescreen TV's ??? YES, YES, YES !!!.......2007-09-11

Get out the church key and crack open a can of Olympia beer. "It's the water" couldn't be a more appropriate title for the "Sounds of Silence"/"April Come She Will" sequence as Ben drifts between diving into the pool and diving onto Mrs. Robinson.

Los Angles and Berkeley have never looked better, now that The Graduate has finally been re-mastered in the anamorphic splendor that it deserves. Ben is still traveling from Los Angeles to Berkeley on Highway 101, by way of the upper deck of the Bay Bridge. However, he finally manages to find his way to the University.

Seeing old Telegraph Avenue landmarks, such as Print Mint and Moe's Books brings back memories. Ben is probably reading the latest issue of Zap Comix as he sips his Coors at the sidewalk cafe.

The Landmark Film - Done RIGHT!!!.......2007-08-31

The previous reviews posted here are all based on what the reviewers HOPED would be on the new 40th Anniversary and raised some questions. I can answer most of the concerns having watched the DVD this week.

As for how important this film is, let's just say it defined a generation in the 1970s. And nearly anyone in either high school or college (or a recent "graduate" entering the working world) when the film was released can quote verbatim important lines and whole scenes. Try "Are you trying to seduce me Mrs. Robinson?" or even the mention of one word ""Plastics!". I have only watched the film (on VHS) once since my original viewing on the big screen forty years ago. Of course I remember many of the great moments (the finale at the church, for one) and the Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack. (Dave Grusin wrote the incidental music.). I did not see the "25th Anniversary" reissue. So much of the supplemental material was new to me.

First off the transfer is great! It must have been remastered. And yes, it's in Wide Screen. It HAS to be. The hardest video to pan and scan was always this film as Director Mike Nichols spaced his characters at the far sides of the screen. I watched this on an 25 year old 26 in TV and it was still perfect.

Okay, now the bonus features. It's a 2 "disc" set because one disc is a CD of FOUR songs from the film. So it's really more of a CD single.", That's fine with me, but most of us have the music in our collection.

There are TWO commentary tracks: One is Hoffman and Ross talking. Since Ross doesn't even appear in the film until almost half way through, she has little to say for a while. And there are long periods where Hoffman says nothing so you get to hear the soundtrack dialogue at that point. The second commentary is with Director Mike Nichols and Director Stephen Soderburgh. It more that SS is interviewing Nichols. And Nichols is very outgoing here. Where I found a small problem is that the conversation often does not match what is on the screen. During the "Seduction" scene I expected to hear details about the set up. But Nichols was talking about Screen Tests or something else. I have not made it all the way through the commentaries. Too much other good stuff here.

There is a NEW 25-minute documentary: "Students of the Graduate" which has interviews with young directors who learned techniques from Nichols direction. The Directors of "Little Miss Sunshine" were ones I remember. It's interesting. There is a short 8-minute one on "the Seduction" as well. This appears to be new.

The other featurettes are from the 25th Anniversary release. One is obvious as it's title is "The Graduate at 25". You can see from the excerpted scenes how poor the 25th Anniversary print was. And - what I found MOST interesting was a "One on One" featurette with Dustin Hoffman which runs 22 minutes. It was recorded for the 25th - similar comments appear in the "Graduate at 25" feature - but Hoffman tells GREAT stories and I was on the floor laughing!

ONE of the tywo screen tests that Ross did - with Charles Grodin - is included in the "at 25" featurette but the announced "two screen tests with introduction" are not on the final DVD. NEITHER is the "Coming of Age: The Making of the Graduate" one.

So there is lots to watch here and moments to remember. I, for one, loved this set and the special featurettes - which rarely, though sometimes, repeat themselves - briefing out things you missed and make you want to playback some scenes.

This should be a hot release for September!

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

Enhanced for Widescreen TV's ???.......2007-08-21

There is no confirmation anywhere on the web that this new edition DVD is anamorphic or "enhanced" for widescreen TV's. The universal absence of this information makes me wonder whether it is. Especially since the previous transfers were so awful. This information needs to be available for prospective buyers. I will hold off on purchasing until this is confirmed and I would recommend to others that they do the same.

This is a great movie that deserves 5 stars and a first class transfer.

Average customer rating:

Growing up on two wheels
It is o.k.
Breaking Away
IU nostalgia
Buon giorno, Papa!

Breaking Away
Starring: John Ashton , Barbara Barrie , David K. Blace , Hart Bochner , and Dennis Christopher
Director: Peter Yates
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: B00003CX96
Release Date: 2002-01-29

Product Description

This charming, Academy Award® winner (1979, Best Screenplay) cycles high on comedy as four friends come to terms with life after high school. When top-notch cyclist Dave (Dennis Christopher) learns that the world's bicycling champions are always Italian, he attempts to turn himself into an Italian, driving his parents (Barbara Barrie, Paul Dooley) crazy. But everything changes after he meets the Italian racing team - an encounter that ultimately leads him and his friends (Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley) to challenge the local college boys in the town's annual bike race.

System Requirements:

Running Time 100 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Peter Yates's flag-waving film stands with To Kill a Mockingbird and American Graffiti as one of the best films about small-town Americana. Steve Tesich won an Oscar for his semi-biographical screenplay about four 19-year-olds who don't know what to do after high school. Dave Stohler (Dennis Christopher) and his three friends--ex-football star Mike (Dennis Quaid), wily comedian Cyril (Daniel Stern), and tough kid Moocher (Jackie Earle Haley)--are doomed to live in the college town of Bloomington, Indiana, where the local kids (nicknamed "Cutters"--a derogatory reference to quarry workers and their blue-collar families) are looked down on by the uppity students of nearby Indiana University.

Stohler escapes into a world of Italian bicycling, picking up the lingo, the accent, and a good share of the talent of his heroes. He is also the scourge of his father's life. The used-car salesman (Paul Dooley) doesn't understand his son's affection for bicycling or, for that matter, his pride in being a "Cutter."

Breaking Away rehabilitates the word heartwarming as Tesich's uncommonly intelligent script gives us well-rounded characters and a potent sense of place. The grandstanding finale--the real life "Little 500" bike race--gives the film a perfect, crowd-pleasing end. However, the film never sacrifices the development of characters for the action. Dooley is especially effective in one of those once-in-a-lifetime roles. The lifelong character actor's place in film history is established with this indispensable performance. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

Growing up on two wheels.......2007-08-12

I bought this movie after my purchase of a Walz cycling cap caused my wife to say, "You really need to see breaking away."

Ostensibly a cycling film, the story is centered on four friends who've made a pledge to waste their lives together after high school. The lure of the real world is too strong, though, and they must choose between rising to the various challenges they face or falling back into a life of obscurity and regret. It's all about the journey for these four young men.

But don't worry, cyclists: In addition to all the heavy stuff in the preceding paragraph, Breaking Away also features lots of fun on two wheels, plus an edge-of-your-seat bicycle race or two. All in all, a fantastic movie.

It is o.k........2007-08-05

This is an o.k. movie for a Sunday afternoon while it is raining. It is not a thriller or a super cyclist film in my opinion. It is somewhat entertaining, but I do not get the hype about it.

Breaking Away.......2007-07-03

Peter Yates's heartfelt, life-affirming movie will prove a winner for older kids and adults. Christopher is appealingly quirky in the central role and the film showcases the budding talents of future stars Quaid and Stern as two of Dave's buddies. Paul Dooley is outstanding as Dave's bewildered father, a solid Middle American you might actually buy a used car from. Don't miss this one.

IU nostalgia.......2007-05-13

I attended IU and I very much enjoy watching this movie again and again. It was a well written screenplay and adapted well to a movie version.

Buon giorno, Papa! .......2007-04-23

I just watched this movie for the first time in many years, and was just as captivated by it now as I was when I first saw it shortly after its release in theaters. Those who have grown up in small town America will find elements in the film that will take them back in time! I watched the film with my 12 year old, and both of us connected with the story, the characters, and the humor in it. This is indeed a real charmer of a film. I gotta have the DVD for my collection!

Average customer rating:

Growing up on two wheels
It is o.k.
Breaking Away
IU nostalgia
Buon giorno, Papa!

Breaking Away (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Dennis Christopher , Dennis Quaid , Daniel Stern , Jackie Earle Haley , and Barbara Barrie
Director: Peter Yates
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009HLD0K
Release Date: 2002-01-29

Amazon.com

Description

This charming, Academy Award winner (1979, Screenplay) cycles high on comedy as four friends come to terms with life after high school. When top-notch cyclist Dave (Dennis Christopher) learns that the world's bicycling champions are always Italian, he attempts to turn himself into an Italian, driving his parents (Barbara Barrie, Paul Dooley) crazy. But everything changes after he meets the Italian racing team-an encounter that ultimately leads him and his friends (Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley) to challenge the local college boys in the town's annual bike race.

Customer Reviews:

Growing up on two wheels.......2007-08-12

It is o.k........2007-08-05

This is an o.k. movie for a Sunday afternoon while it is raining. It is not a thriller or a super cyclist film in my opinion. It is somewhat entertaining, but I do not get the hype about it.

Breaking Away.......2007-07-03

IU nostalgia.......2007-05-13

I attended IU and I very much enjoy watching this movie again and again. It was a well written screenplay and adapted well to a movie version.

Buon giorno, Papa! .......2007-04-23

Average customer rating:

More Dangers from Being Around Poets
Toby Stephens Fans - save your money
Beautiful version of the book
...meh.
A Film For Those Who Believe In "The One True Love"

Possession
Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow , Aaron Eckhart , Jeremy Northam , Jennifer Ehle , and Lena Headey
Director: Neil LaBute
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005JKKY
Release Date: 2003-02-11

Amazon.com

Modern love and classic romantic passion meet in this lush adaptation of A.S. Byatt's brilliant novel. Academics Roland Michell (Aaron Eckhart) and Maud Bailey (Gwyneth Paltrow) are experts on the work of two different Victorian poets. As they pursue a possible connection between their subjects, the two sleuths begin to stumble toward a romance of their own. Though it necessarily loses some of the depth of Byatt's original, Possession is a worthy adaptation, faithful to the book in both story and spirit. Director Neil LaBute uses clever and visually elegant methods of switching back and forth between time periods, subtly contrasting the prickly moderns and the swoony Victorians without making either pair seem unappealing. The movie also does an excellent job of capturing the exhilaration (and the politics) of intellectual discovery, and feels truly romantic without ever getting icky. Though Paltrow and Eckhart both succeed as the modern leads, the real standouts are Jeremy Northam as Randolph Henry Ash and Jennifer Ehle as Christabel LaMotte. Their passion gives the movie its romantic core and makes the whole search worthwhile. --Ali Davis

Customer Reviews:

More Dangers from Being Around Poets.......2007-05-14

This movie is an emotional "roller coaster" ride dealing with what can happen to you from getting into research and especially into poetry.
The final scene in the movie, however, is worth the price by itself.
A warning: poetry is very dangerous stuff; be careful!

Toby Stephens Fans - save your money.......2007-04-19

Toby Stephens barely appears in this film. He's supposed to be a villian but you see so little of him he hardly registers.

The film itself is well-plotted, well-shot, well-acted but very poorly written. It's about poets (a take-off on the Brownings' story), but none of the characters says anything remotely poetical or memorable. You would have to care about the characters to swallow the fantastical story, and unfortunately the characters are such stereotypes that it just doesn't hold together. If you're hungry for romance read the Brownings' letters -- pure sugar cane as opposed to this way over-processed stuff.

Beautiful version of the book.......2007-03-30

Ever read a book and missed something... it happened for me with Possession...

It was one of those books that just leapt out at me... I'm not usually into this type of book but the cover and the write up had me intrigued.

I read the book over the summer and absolutely loved the romance... slightly dark... but very real!

Then we get a wait of about 7 years! And I see the adverts for the film... and it's got Gwyneth in it!!

So first time I see it is on a flight to the US... oh my god I cried... discretely... but god it's a heart wrenching film...

And I picked up the the epilogue bit which I had never read or didn't remember from the book! That one floored me! A very perfect ending to such a beautiful book and film.

Acting is superb and really brings the book to life without losing any of the qualities of the book.

Highly recommended!!! Jeremy Northam and Jennifer Ehle make such a fantastic couple with lots of natural chemistry... and Aaron Eckhart and Gwyneth make a great couple too... both irresistably drawn to one another!

Favourite lines... 'you take my breath away madam' and 'I just had to see your face'... both delivered with perfect timing...

...meh........2007-02-28

Possession (Neil LaBute, 2002)

There are two types of adaptations: the good and the not-so-good. They can be broken down, of course, into subcategories (brilliant novels adapted into brilliant films vs. mediocre novels adapted into brilliant films, etc.), but the basics are the good and the not-so-good. Possession had all the promise of being a good adaptation-- a fine novel, a solid director, a fantastic cast. What we got is, well, not-so-good.

Roland Michell (LaBute regular Aaron Eckhart), an American grad student, is studying the work of Victorian poet Randolph Henry Ash (Jeremy Northam, recently of The Statement). While doing research for his advisor, he stumbles upon something that may change the face of Ash scholarship entirely-- a possible affair with contemporary feminist Christabel LaMotte (Sunshine's Jennifer Ehle). In order to further research the possible link, he contacts Maud Bailey (Gwyneth Paltrow), the foremost scholar on LaMotte, and the two of them start digging deeper into their literary mystery.

It's a very pretty movie, more Merchant-Ivory than Your Friends and Neighbors, but it seemed to be missing something. Unfortunately, I don't know the novel well at all, and so I can't quite put my finger on what, exactly, it is that's missing. One doesn't have to be a Possession scholar, however, to note something of a lack of chemistry between Paltrow and Eckhart, especially when juxtaposed with Northam and Ehle, who sizzle every time they're together on the screen (and often when they're not). It's not a bad movie, mind you, it just seems like it could have been a good deal more than it is. ** ½

A Film For Those Who Believe In "The One True Love".......2006-08-25

To appreciate this story, you have to believe that two people can meet and quickly fall forever into forbidden love. That is what is at the heart of this film. If you can't accept that premise, the movie simply does not work. And what makes it throb with life for me are the excellent performances of Jeremy Northam and Jennifer Ehle whose mutual passion sweeps us along. Paltrow and Eckhart are a secondary love story here, but you never feel that they really care for one another. Worth your time if you are a romantic. OK, I'm a romantic. Sue me!

Tradition Never Graduates: A Season Inside Notre Dame Football

Average customer rating:

Tradition Never Graduates: A Season Inside Notre Dame Football
Starring: Tradition Never Graduates-Inside Notre Dame Footba
Manufacturer: Bombo
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000Q7ZL2E
Release Date: 2007-08-21

Description

What makes Notre Dame special? Those on the inside can't explain it and those on the outside can't understand it - TRADITION NEVER GRADUATES bridges that gap to explain and understand Notre Dame Football. For the first time ever, take a behind the scenes ride with Charlie Weiss, his 2006 Notre Dame team and the biggest fans as they experience the ups and downs of their march to re-establish Notre Dame to its position atop the world of College Football. Live the Notre Dame Football experience through a complete season. From the practice field to the sideline, from the student section to the reserve seats go inside the huddle to reveal why there is only one team whose relevance always matters.

Average customer rating:

Finally, a deluxe edition
The Graduate
INTERESTING LOVE STORY FOR CRAZY ERA
Akwardness Excellence
GREAT MOVIE ABOUT AN INDIVIDUALIST

The Graduate
Starring: Anne Bancroft , Dustin Hoffman , Katharine Ross , William Daniels , and Murray Hamilton
Director: Mike Nichols
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
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ASIN: B00079Z9VO
Release Date: 2005-04-05

Amazon.com essential video

Few films have defined a generation as The Graduate did. 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 chicness 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

Description

Nominated* for seven Academy Awards® and winner for Best Director, this groundbreaking and "wildly hilarious" (The Boston Globe) social satire launched the career of two-time Oscar®-winner** Dustin Hoffman and cemented the reputation of acclaimed director Mike Nichols. Pulsating with the rebellious spirit of the '60s and a haunting score sung by Simon and Garfunkel, The Graduate is truly a "landmark film" (Leonard Maltin). Shy Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) returns home from college with an uncertain future. Then the wife of his father's business partner, the sexy Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), seduces him, and the affair only deepens his confusion. That is, until he meets the girl of his dreams (Katharine Ross). But there's one problem: she's Mrs. Robinson's daughter!

*1967: Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actress (Katharine Ross), Cinematography and Adapted Screenplay

**1988: Actor, Rain Man; 1979: Actor, Kramer vs. Kramer

Customer Reviews:

Finally, a deluxe edition.......2007-08-23

a great film-this is 2-disc remastered and anamorphic release-and the specail bonus- the Simon and Garfunkle soundtrack disc, the only one of their catalog until now, not yet remastered.

The Graduate.......2007-06-28

One of the signature films of the 1960s, this feature introduced the world to Hoffman and gave Bancroft a racy role she played with marvelous feline cunning. This sublime black comedy transcends its period, speaking to new generations of alienated youth beginning to navigate a discordant, dysfunctional adult world. The supporting cast, including deft character players William Daniels and Murray Hamilton, are note-perfect, and that Simon & Garfunkel score still stirs the soul. A must for repeat viewings.

INTERESTING LOVE STORY FOR CRAZY ERA.......2007-06-09

The film boosted the profile of folk-rock duo Simon and Garfunkel, whose soundtrack album (The Graduate Original Soundtrack), on the strength of the hit single "Mrs. Robinson", rose to the top of the charts in 1968 (knocking off The Beatles' White Album).

The theme song of the movie, "The Sounds of Silence" is a melodramatic, slightly mournful tune. It manages to give the movie a sort of tension, which it demonstrates in other arenas. The generational gap is one of these themes which plays out throughout the movie. The songs seem to mainly play during moments of this particular tension, such as the scene when Ben is forced into the pool by his parents in his scuba outfit. The music gives the film a certain quality, without which it would be vastly different. Simon and Garfunkel were referred to as the "voice of a generation," and this is exactly what they provide in the movie for Benjamin and Elaine.

According to a Variety article by Peter Bart in the 15 May 2005 issue, Nichols had become obsessed with Simon & Garfunkel's music while shooting the film. Lawrence Turman, his producer, made a deal for Simon to write three new songs for the movie. By the time they were nearly finished editing the film, Simon had only written one new song. Nichols begged him for more but Simon, who was touring constantly, told him he didn't have the time. He did play him a few notes of a new song he had been working on; "It's not for the movie... it's a song about times past -- about Mrs. Roosevelt and Joe DiMaggio and stuff." Nichols advised Simon, "It's now about Mrs. Robinson, not Mrs. Roosevelt."

Noel Serrano
Gala Foundation

Akwardness Excellence.......2007-05-31

The Graduate is a classic. This is probably Dustin Hoffman's greatest performance. Never have I felt for such an awkward character. The cinetamography and directing is amazing. The ending is perfect. A most buy!

GREAT MOVIE ABOUT AN INDIVIDUALIST.......2007-03-15

Without giving spoilers away, I immediately see parallels that can be drawn between Groundhog Day and The Graduate. The main characters are individuals who, in their own way, are seeking happiness. Unlike Bill Murray's character in Groundhog Day, Hoffmann's Benjamin Braddock does not have the predicament or fortune, depending on how you look at it, of facing a "nine lives" way of living and reliving the exact same calendar day until he gets his life squared up and in order.

In both movies, there is plenty of stumbling and bumbling and repetitive, aimless wandering reminiscent of La Dolce Vita. Braddock is faced with several obstacles in his pursuit of happiness. He has just graduated from college and is expected to get a job and live out a life that is prescribed or envisioned by his parents and nearby locals.

Though he is a bit of an egoist and an egotist, Benjamin Braddock is willing to go against the grain to sort things out in his life and determine what his underlying sources of happiness truly are. This type of searching often puts him at odds with others, in fact, practically everyone else, and perhaps rightfully so, but the viewer almost cannot help but admire the "It ain't over 'til it's over" perseverance that comes to define this character.

In sum, after having also read and done a review of Ayn Rand's novel, We the Living, a book about a girl who is willing to sacrifice her personal safety in pursuit of her dreams, I conclude that The Graduate is a 1960's movie adaptation of this work but in a Western society with much fewer societal perils. A great character study is truly contained in this motion picture in a way that is not quite equalled forty years after the fact.

Five diplomas out of five for this movie!

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Well Done, Could Not Have Benn Made Better, Excellent
Movie
Compelling portrayal surrounding the decison of abortion
3 women,3 eras,1 choice,and a house that knows it all!
HBO Rocks

If These Walls Could Talk
Starring: Vaughn Armstrong , Dena Burton , Kevin Cooney , Marie DeCicco , and Tim DeKay
Director: Savoca, Nancy
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 0783116896
Release Date: 2000-03-21

Amazon.com

Virtually no one is ambivalent about abortion; the issue polarizes people like no other. HBO tackles the subject head-on with a trilogy of shorts, and, regardless of your opinion on the topic, If These Walls Could Talk is a bold and provocative examination of how the laws and attitudes about abortion in the United States have both changed drastically and remained so much the same.

Three women, three time periods, one house: each finds herself in trouble and must face the overwhelming decision about what to do with the unwanted pregnancy. The first segment is the most powerful, featuring Demi Moore as a young, recently widowed nurse in 1952. With no one to turn to and limited financial means, her options are few. Catherine Keener costars as her harshly judgmental sister-in-law. The next piece occurs in 1974, as Sissy Spacek, a mother of four who is trying to earn a college degree, discovers she's pregnant with her fifth child. Her utterly modern feminist daughter encourages Spacek to get a newly legal abortion, but it's a complex decision. In the final segment, college student Anne Heche becomes pregnant by her married professor. Her best friend, played by Jada Pinkett, is resolutely against abortion and the two wrangle over right and wrong. As the young woman tries to learn about her options, she finds herself enmeshed in the pro-life demonstrations outside the abortion clinic. Cher, who directs this segment (the other two are directed by Nancy Savoca), costars as a doctor at the clinic.

While trying to be evenhanded and demonstrating the different choices different women make, the film does have a decidedly pro-choice leaning. Yet the power of the movie is undeniable and it raises significant questions on both sides of the abortion debate, making it an important film for women (and men) everywhere to watch and talk about. --Jenny Brown

Customer Reviews:

Well Done, Could Not Have Benn Made Better, Excellent.......2007-08-12

Not just having such profound stars, in this film they were stunning. I know it's about the house, and the people connected to the house,....it told unbelievable stories, are are easily connected to the times of today. Worth watching over and over again, one catches so many different times, each time you watch it.

Movie.......2007-03-22

I have not watched this movie as of yet. But, I can't wait to watch it.

Compelling portrayal surrounding the decison of abortion.......2007-03-09

There is not enough to say about this film, the timeline sequence was great. The challenges that these women and men face was a honest portrayal. I wish that it had touched on the expereinces that women of color endured too. Their stories often are overlooked. Walls is a brilliant piece for activists for this issue.

3 women,3 eras,1 choice,and a house that knows it all!.......2007-02-04

HBO was daring enough in 1996 to brutally and frankly set forth the plight of three different women who in different times in this country inhabited the same house and confronted the same issue-what to do about an unexpected and unplanned pregnancy.Each episode is 30 minutes in length,and is very briskly paced.In 2007 this film will gender just as much if not more controversy than it did back then.Passionate issues make for passionate films and WALLS will challenge your views on the abortion issue no matter where you might stand.
Hollywood greats Demi Moore,Sissy Spacek and Anne Heche play the three women in turmoil.Each of their situations are unique,but each is faced with the gut-wrenching decision of to abort or to continue with the pregnancy.Moore 's character is a recent War widow who ,in a moment of "weakness",has a moment with her her brother-in-law,thus leaving her with her decision in an era when abortions were sought undercover and at great peril and risk to all parties.Forward 22 years.Abortion is now newly legal,but still in it's early stages. Spacek is a married mother of four children.She is finally pursuing a school degree and must wrestle with her choices that also involve household finances, her children and her husband.Fast forward another 20 years and Anne Heche is an unwed college student who has become pregnant from an affair with a professor. Her decision must be made in the midst of much anti-abortion protest at a nearby Family Health Center and at the protestation of her best friend.
HBO clearly and poignently explores the complex nature of the plight of these women in and extremely challenging and brutally frank yet still tastefully considerate way.Each episode explores,also, the prevailing mood of the time which very cleverly puts each ladies' turmoil into a proper perspective.Each portrait is quite intimate and unique,and each will shock and inform .
Men will benefit greatly by watching this film.It is essential viewing in helping to understand much more clearly the plight of women throughout the years.Suggested companion movies would be IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK 2, ROE VS.WADE,THE MAGDALENE SISTERS, VERA DRAKE , DECEMBER BRIDE and more loosely THE HOURS and FAR FROM HEAVEN.

HBO Rocks.......2007-01-14

This HBO original movie premiered in 1996. It follows three women, Demi Moore in 1952, Sissy Spacek in 1974, and Anne Heche in 1996, who must decide whether to have an abortion. This movie was very touching and shows the strugles women go through, even when abortion is legal.

Average customer rating:

Finally, a deluxe edition
The Graduate
INTERESTING LOVE STORY FOR CRAZY ERA
Akwardness Excellence
GREAT MOVIE ABOUT AN INDIVIDUALIST

The Graduate (Special Edition)
Starring: Anne Bancroft , Dustin Hoffman , Katharine Ross , William Daniels , and Murray Hamilton
Director: Mike Nichols
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000K0DS
Release Date: 1999-12-07

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Finally, a deluxe edition.......2007-08-23

a great film-this is 2-disc remastered and anamorphic release-and the specail bonus- the Simon and Garfunkle soundtrack disc, the only one of their catalog until now, not yet remastered.

The Graduate.......2007-06-28

INTERESTING LOVE STORY FOR CRAZY ERA.......2007-06-09

Akwardness Excellence.......2007-05-31

GREAT MOVIE ABOUT AN INDIVIDUALIST.......2007-03-15

Average customer rating:

FHH
Funny as in Peculiar
Andrew Bujalski's first feature is like a fresh breeze of freshness
winning independent feature
One of my favorite movies

Funny Ha Ha
Starring: Mark Capraro , Jonathan Clermont , Kate Dollenmayer , Sheila Dubman , and Thomas Hansen (II)
Manufacturer: Fox Lorber
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0009Y25ZU
Release Date: 2005-08-16

Description

When you graduate college you easily sashay into the world of adulthood, start a career and get serious, right? Wrong! Marnie has left college, but not her drinking habits and her bad taste in men. After being fired from her job, 23 year-old recent college-graduate Marnie tries to maintain her humor and dignity. Drifting through a series of temp jobs and men, hanging out with her friends, Marnie just can't seem to get it together…it would be sad if it weren't so funny. This heartfelt, intelligent look at real life has made director Andrew Bujalski, winner of the Someone to Watch Award at the Independent Spirit Awards, a filmmaker to expect great things from

Customer Reviews:

FHH.......2007-03-19

Andrew Bujalski's quietly impressive "Funny Ha Ha" uses the uncertain future of a smart but shy, post-graduate Boston woman as the launching pad for a beautifully observant and wholly unpretentious film with roots more in Cassavetes than Sundance-style showbiz. Made under the sway of the DIY (Do It Yourself) art movement, pic is a deliberate throwback to a much earlier American indie period, when filmmakers shot on 16mm, recorded in mono and didn't bother with a production company moniker.

"Funny Ha Ha" serves as a memorable debut for first-time thesp Kate Dollenmayer, whose Marnie becomes unselfconsciously emblematic of an entire generation of over-educated, under-employed American youth.

Marnie is first seen drunk at a tattoo parlor, but she's hardly some "bad girl"; rather, she seems to take each step through life gingerly, not quite sure where to walk next. Randomness seems to rule her existence: She runs into friends Dave and Rachel (Myles Paige, Jennifer L. Schaper) and tags along with them to dinner, where she admits to Rachel that she has a crush on Alex (Christian Rudder) but instinctively -- and, it eventually turns out, correctly -- senses that it will go nowhere.

Film introduces characters and situations, and then allows them to percolate naturally to the surface. At her new temp office job, Marnie is seated alongside nice but ultra-nebbishy Mitchell (Bujalski), whose awkward way of showing interest in her doesn't emerge until his desperation move on her during her last day on the job.

The subsequent dates between Marnie and Mitchell surely rank among the most painfully awkward and real encounters between the sexes in recent movies, culminating in the sort of thoughtless and spontaneous behavior that goes on all the time in real life, but almost never on screen.

Bujalski's improv approach is gracefully married with a style that is not overly-dramatic, and therefore seems just a hair short of pure documentary. Even unexpected encounters that other directors may have exploited for intense dramatic effect, such as a drunk Dave suddenly kissing Marnie in a car, play out and then fade away with the natural pulse of everyday life.

Just as underplayed are myriad character details, such as Marnie's evident interest in religion, that are gently observed but never underlined.

The non-pro cast appears inspired from the first frame, none more so than Dollenmayer, who invests Marnie with a genuine expression of innocence concealing a certain adult wisdom that keeps her out of serious trouble. Dollenmayer is uncommonly attuned to Marnie's moment-by-moment responses --and knack for confused and confusing conversations, the film's constant source of wit.

Tech package couldn't be less slick, and this becomes the movie's true badge of honor.

Funny as in Peculiar.......2007-03-01

"Funny Ha Ha" was not a film which made me laugh. It made me nervous. The characters seemed uncomfortable with themselves. They twitched and reached out toward their desires and then as quickly pulled their hands away. My favorite character was Jennifer L. Schaper's Rachel who seemed to be a hippie, comfortable with herself and her relationship with Dave. While she wasn't movie-star gorgeous by any means, she seemed to be the girl next door that you hoped would live nearby. The low production values of the film make you want to root for it. But a funny -- not funny as in humorous, but more funny like peculiar -- thing happens about halfway through the movie. You wonder if anything is ever going to actually happen. We see Kate Dollenmayer's Marnie plodding through various employment situations and trying on relationships like gloves that don't fit too well. I was tired; so I fast-forwarded through the rest of the film to see if something happened. It didn't seem like it, but I decided to return the next day and actually finish watching the movie, just so I could say I'd done it. I did it. Why, I don't know. Filmmaker Andrew Bujalski has a nervous Woody Allen-like style that would be more appealing if he also had a sense of humor. Christian Rudder as Alex looked like he could be a romantic interest, but then he maybe got married to a girl without having a ceremony. Myles Paige's Dave drunkenly puts the moves on Marnie in an automobile and then leaves without cashing in. Kate Dollenmayer won the Best Actress Runner Up Award of the National Society of Film Critics for this in 2005. I'm not sure what she ran up to, or why they wanted to recognize this. I didn't find a great artistic statement in this movie. If you're looking to cheer about this, it's boy gets 16 mm camera, boy shoots movie, boy gets it on DVD and makes a second film. Nothing in the movie itself grabbed me. In the end, I wished I rented a different movie. "Boring Snore Snore" would have been a better title. Taxi.

Andrew Bujalski's first feature is like a fresh breeze of freshness.......2007-01-04

I saw director Andrew Bujalski's second feature film "Mutual Appreciation" a year ago at the Rotterdam Film Festival and totally fell in love with it. The film depicted 30-somethings and their relationships in what I considered a fresh and new way. It almost felt like the characters were filmed in secret, like it was real.

Naturally I wanted to see his first feature, "Funny Ha Ha", as well, and I was not disappointed. That same freshness was there, too. The characters act like people I know (sometimes like myself, too): they are funny and sympathetic and you want them to do well but at the same time they are annoyingly incompetent in handling their relationships or life in general. And you feel relieved cause you know that you are, too, and you know that you are not alone.

The film starts from the middle of nowhere and ends in media res but it feels like a coherent whole nonetheless. It's entertaining and thought-provoking. Imagine a film made by a forty years younger Woody Allen or a feature-length episode of "Friends" that is not made for idiots.

A special note should also be made on the music which is by Bishop Allen (the band's Justin Rice plays a minor role in "Funny Ha Ha" and one of the leads in "Mutual Appreciation"). The songs are witty and catchy, and perfectly set the tone for the film.

winning independent feature.......2006-12-17

First time filmmaker Andrew Bujalski's extremely low-budget feature "Funny Ha Ha" has many of the hallmarks of an early John Cassavetes film: grainy camerawork, minimalist storytelling, and naturalistic, ad lib performances.

Bujalski's cast of characters is made up entirely of white urban youth in their early to mid 20's - that awkward period in life after an individual has finished college yet before he has moved on to building his own career and family. Given what appears to be their first real taste of freedom and independence, the characters do little but sit around, get drunk, and talk about their romantic relationships, but Bujalski observes all this without hysteria and judgment, thereby lending the film the aura of real life being caught on film.

The focal point is an attractive young woman named Marnie (Kate Dollenmayer) who drinks a bit too much, seems vaguely directionless and lacking in energy, and is somewhat inexperienced in the ways of love, but who, nevertheless, seems reasonably well grounded and knows her own limits as a person.

"Funny Ha Ha," despite its occasional raggedness and self-indulgence, is blessedly free of contrivance and melodramatics. These may not be the most goal-oriented or socially-conscious youth we've ever encountered in the movies, but neither are they the most troubled or self-destructive. They seem like pretty ordinary kids living in the moment and only vaguely aware that there's a world outside of themselves that they are destined to become a part of in the very near future.

The beauty of the dialogue rests in its ability to capture with uncanny accuracy the way people in the real world actually speak. The characters interact in ways that are genuine and believable, and life just seems to be unfolding as we watch it on screen. This is due in small measure to the fine performances from a cast of virtual unknowns who know how to appear relaxed, honest and natural in front of the camera.

With its improvisational and off-the-cuff filmmaking style and its abrupt, the-camera-just-ran-out-of-film ending, "Funny Ha Ha" makes us feel as if we are eavesdropping on the daily lives of a handful of relative strangers. Lucky for us, they turn out to be people in whom we can see something of ourselves reflected, and with whom we enjoy spending our time.

One of my favorite movies.......2006-11-20

I had to write this review to balance out the one calling it the "worst movie ever". In the other direction, I'm going on record with calling this one of the Best movies, ever. The writing, acting, filming, everything is perfect. The greatness of this film blows me away. I could watch this over and over for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy.

Just go see it. Rent it off Netflix, anything. Bujalski is one of the greats, and in ten years he will be known as one of the finest American filmmakers.

Average customer rating:

Remember most reviews....
thought provoking
Labute at his best
She loves me (not)
Time To Shape Up

The Shape Of Things
Starring: Gretchen Mol , Paul Rudd , Rachel Weisz , and Fred Weller
Director: Neil LaBute
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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