The Graduate; 1967; Run time: 1 hour, 46 minutes; Rating: PG; Screening format: DCP of digitally remastered film
Recent college graduate, Benjamin Braddock, is disillusioned with the choices his life has to offer. His lack of direction leads him into an unlikely affair with a neglected wife, Mrs. Robinson, and this mistake comes back to haunt him when Ben finds himself falling in love with Mrs. Robinson’s daughter, Elaine. Tormented by the past and uncertain about the future, Benjamin and Elaine eventually wave goodbye to conventional expectations and head off together into a new uncertain era.
This film was Dustin Hoffman’s breakthrough role, launching a career that would include an amazing array of films, including Midnight Cowboy, Tootsie, and Rain Man. This year marks the 50th anniversary of The Graduate, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards and received the Oscar for Best Director. It was also nominated for seven Golden Globes and received five awards. In 1996, The Graduate was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Initially, the film was placed at number 7 on AFI’s “100 Years…100 Movies” list in 1998.