(B)adaptations Script: The Graduate

We will be discussing the film adaptation of the Charles Webb’s novel The Graduate.

Claire: Many people don’t know this, but The Graduate is actually a film based on a novel by the same title by the author Charles Webb. He published the story in 1963 at just 24 years old and it was adapted into a screenplay by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham in 1967. The book didn’t garner a lot of attention after its initial release whereas the film was a wildly successful box office hit and catapulted its leading man, Dustin Hoffman, into a long and promising career as a prominent actor in Hollywood.

Morgane: The film was nominated for several Oscars, including Best Picture, but Mike Nichols was the only one to receive an Oscar for his work as the film’s director.

Sophie: We should give our viewers some background information on the novel. Charles Webb came from an affluent family in California and found himself disillusioned with a life of privilege, wealth and societal expectations. His character, Benjamin Braddock, reflects a lot of what he was feeling himself at the time of writing it. Here’s a quote taken directly from the novel,: "The whole four years," he said, looking up at his father. "They were nothing. All the things I did were nothing. All the distinctions. The things I learned. All of a sudden none of it seems to be worth anything to me." This scene doesn’t take place in the film and yet, the director’s choice in casting Hoffman as a wayward, apathetic, unamused bored recent college grad emanates from every pore throughout the entire beginning of the film. The dialogue has become unnecessary, and allows us to feel more sympathetically towards Ben as a character, who, in the novel, comes off as a real jerk more often than not.

Claire: It’s important to note that the novel really didn’t become widely purchased until after the film’s release, which was really the catalyst for spurring a lot of the interest in Webb’s original work. Still, the novel lacks a sense of humor, and nuance is lost in long, inconclusive dialogue. While most of the dialogue in the film is essentially a cut and paste of the conversations from the novel, their delivery, the setting, the way Nichols manipulates his camera to add elements of humor, all make this adaptation a ‘goodaptation’ in my book. For instance, the clever choice to film Ben’s perspective from within the Scuba suit while his family and friends cheer him on like a birthday boy who just received a shiny new toy is both hilarious and accurately provides a visual representation of the solitude, isolation and detachment that Ben is feeling from the world that was once so familiar to him.

Sophie: Those are great points. We must reiterate how Ben is portrayed differently in the novel than in the film. In the film, the viewers are made to feel much more sympathetic towards him.

Sophie: Ben is directionless, which is perfectly exemplified in the opening sequence. The camera is tracking him as his body remains motionless on the moving walkway. It shows that life is moving quickly past him, while he has no direction. His facial expression is blank, which shows his lack of affect and emotion. His future is very unclear and he is not all that concerned. He is more than willing to go wherever life takes him.

Morgane: Exactly. His uncertain future is a metaphor for the cultural change in the late 60s. Despite his education and the opportunities provided for him by his parents, he is left confused and hopeless, which is reflective of his entire generation.

Sophie: An interesting topic to discuss is that Robert Redford wanted the role, but it was given to a lesser known Jewish stage actor, Dustin Hoffman. Redford’s acting and appearance would have changed the direction of the film. Another important piece of information about the film is that folk-rock duo, Simon & Garfunkel, wrote the soundtrack. Their music appealed to the generation that Benjamin embodied.

Claire: How does the soundtrack enhance the film?

Sophie: The Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack adds complex emotions to the film. The use of music enhances the dialogue to create similar feelings of aimlessness, sadness and isolation within the audience as seen in Benjamin. “Mrs. Robinson” reminds us of the mess that the older generations made in the world, artificialness. Mrs. Robinson is corrupting Ben and using him for her own benefit.

Sophie: Additionally, their song “Sound of Silence” offers a feeling of emptiness, which is the underlying tone of the whole film. The lyrics of the song, “hello darkness my old friend” are cryptic.

Morgane: Let’s discuss the issues of gender and generation in the film and the novel: How do the characters conform to or diverge from society’s expectations?

Claire: However, while the novel will never truly compare to the film, it is still vital to consider that the novel’s themes of generational gaps, disillusionment with society and a pre-feminist, fragile world were all created through Webb’s original story. It is a testament to the rejection of materialism and the mediocre, predictable, safe world of post-war suburbia. It spoke volumes for its time, and the story still continues to impact us today. It would be unfair to credit all of the film’s relevance and meaning to the the film alone. It is unfortunate to learn that Charles Webb only received $20,000 of what was to become a multi-million dollar phenomenon. This may have had something to do with his decision to distance himself from it, not only legally but also intellectually. Buck Henry has been quoted as saying that he (Charles Webb) should really take more credit for the film than he does. However, much like Ben Braddock, Charles Webb doesn’t really seem to give a damn about what other people think he should or shouldn’t do.

Sophie: Mrs. Robinson is comfortable with her sexuality and femininity, but also embodies the patriarchal structure that her society is founded on. She truly believes the suburban values by which she lives her life. She perfectly represents the gender struggles of the 1960s.

Regarding Bancroft’s performance, she brings Mrs. Robinson to life with her acting, her costumes and her countenance. The directors do not make her sympathetic or humanized at all. She is really just a force that changes Ben’s course in life. She is, however, much less calculating in the film than in the novel. She is not set out to ruin Ben’s life, she is looking to satisfy her own desires. She merely serves as a force meant to alter Ben’s life, whereas she ends up changing him forever and gravely endangering her own.

Morgane: Her character is problematic because she holds the control in their relationship, which shows the changing gender roles in society. On the other hand, her overt sexuality and dominance defines her as the predator in their relationship.

Sophie: These are the complexities of gender relations in the New Hollywood movement because the industry was controlled by the same people that controlled it before this movement. While Mrs. Robinson is in charge of their relationship, and it is she who seduces him, she is still objectified by the camera. The camera functions to dismember her naked body through the lens in the scene when Benjamin first sees her naked. Additionally, in the scene where she seduces him and is dressed in animal print, the setting is essentially meant to recreate the jungle. She is the predatory figure; she is animalistic, and it shows that she has no true identity other than Mrs. in Benjamin’s eyes.

Morgane: As for the movie’s aesthetics, it’s important to notice how many of the scenes feature a “blandness” that fits Ben’s awkward, directionless self. He’s stuck in limbo, or a gray area that this blandness fits perfectly with, until he’s with Mrs. Robinson. For example, when Ben thinks Mrs. Robinson is trying to seduce him, they’re standing in a very white, innocent-looking bedroom. He is in plain gray and black clothing and the only true pop of color comes from Mrs. Robinson’s animal print bra, which can represent animalistic needs and desires. Filmmakers purposefully put more of the daring shots and styles with Mrs. Robinson to show how much she contrasted with him. It was as if she was a tiger going after her prey. I should add here also that this type of film representation was not common in Hollywood. Leading men weren’t supposed to be awkward, submissive types. They were supposed to be the Marlon Brandos and Warren Beattys that swept women off their feet with confidence. Seeing a guy like Ben being portrayed as a woman’s toy was never heard of in Hollywood and caused shock.

Claire: She is the object of our pity until she becomes a monster.

Sophie: Of course, the women in the film are trapped under society’s heavy hand, but the focus of the gender oppression is on Benjamin. He is forced to conform to the traditional expectations that men are supposed to abide by. He is expected to “become a man”, with a traditional job and a wife, however he defies these expectations.

Morgane: He defies his parents’ expectations of him through his relationship with Mrs. Robinson. Their affair is his first act of rebellion. His sexual relations with Mrs. Robinson expose his inner conflict of being a man versus a boy. She makes him feel like a boy. His second act of rebellion, when he disrupts Elaine’s wedding, is what gives him a better understanding of himself as a man. However, as we will discuss later, this understanding is only temporary. We see in the end that his image of himself is not yet complete.

Sophie: To add a different perspective, Elaine also breaks from her expectations. While the focus of the film is not entirely on her, it’s interesting to note that she, as Benjamin, wants to appease her parents and the suburban society by marrying a man she does not love, but she comes to better understand herself as a woman. She realizes that marriage does not necessarily mean fulfillment, as was taught to women.

Sophie: The final scene of the film is where the film and the novel most significantly diverge in their narratives. Ben disrupts Elaine’s wedding ceremony before they finish the proceedings. In the film, it is only after the bride and groom kiss does Ben interrupt the ceremony. The end result is the same: Elaine, the bride, leaves with Ben. This elevates the film to another level and shows that Elaine and Ben are defying society’s expectations of them to live our their true desires. Their excitement as they are running away quickly fades.

Claire: I saw it similarly when I watched the film. Once they are on the bus, Elaine is in her wedding gown, which contrasts with Ben’s dirty street clothing. At first, they are proud of their behavior, they turn to look at what they are leaving behind them, but as the bus moves further away, they do not embrace and their fears become apparent. Even though they are physically next to one another, they are still sitting worlds apart from each other.

Morgane: Looking at their blank, almost fearful facial expressions shows that even though they took control of their own futures, they still remain uncertain of what is to come. “The Sound of Silence” plays and the credits roll. The ending is cryptic. It seems that Ben and Elaine are left unsatisfied. After the initial excitement, they are left feeling not too optimistic of their future.

Sophie: This ending best explains Ben’s dissatisfaction with life. It can be difficult to express a character’s emotions through prose, and in seeing Ben and Elaine’s facial expressions, it leaves the viewer with a similar sentiment. It is the greatest advantage that a film has over a novel.

Claire: Why was this such a game changer for Hollywood?

Morgane: The Graduate allowed Hollywood the freedom to film movies about more taboo topics. They broke barriers showing that women do have sexual desires, have adulterous relationships, and even hate their husbands and married life. Women aren’t confined to one stereotype, especially the one that the traditional Post-War Era ideals gave. Mrs. Robinson, as bad as she was, opened doors for women to be themselves and allowed them to not be restricted with unreasonable expectations. I actually explained this in my essay. Mrs. Robinson could be seen as a spokesperson for the modern woman of the 1960’s that wanted to be independent. She was confident, stylish, and dangerous. She did the things that women wished they could do but were too scared to.

Sophie: Compare Mrs. Robinson here to someone like, Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Breakfast at Tiffany’s was a hugely successful movie but because Audrey Hepburn’s part as Holly ended up being the damsel in distress at the end. We couldn’t help but feel bad for her but also envious because she got the happy ending we all can only dream of. Mrs. Robinson wasn’t about the happy endings. She was looking for an escape and got it through sex. Holly Golightly wanted someone to save her because she was supposed to be portrayed as being too weak and damaged to save herself.

Morgane: The same thing happens with 1968’s Rosemary’s Baby. While it is a bit different than the other two since it is a horror movie, Mia Farrow is portrayed as a complete imbecile while her husband controls her and passive aggressively belittles her. She’s not allowed to have her own thoughts and because she’s supposed to just be the pretty little housewife, she ends up getting hurt. I would take being a Mrs. Robinson over the damsel in distress any day.