Our Favorite Montages: The Graduate
Filed under: Classics, Comedy, Fandom, Trailers and Clips
When Cinematical staff first discussed the "Montages We Love" series, the image that popped into my head was a classic: the from-bed-to-pool montage in the 1967 film The Graduate. This is my favorite part of the Mike Nichols-directed movie -- yes, even better than the "plastics" line and the bit with Buck Henry and that iconic scene at the end.
The montage is a triumph of clever editing, thanks to Nichols and editor Sam O'Steen, whose other credits include Cool Hand Luke, Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown. It begins with Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) lazing in his parents' swimming pool, then as he leaves the pool and pulls on a shirt, he's revealed to be in a hotel room with Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft). Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" and then "April, Come She Will" play in the background as Ben shifts from his bed to the pool to the hotel, drinking beer and looking passive and bored, or with his expression masked by sunglasses. The scene ends with Ben pushing himself off the pool's raft -- and into Mrs. Robinson's arms on the hotel bed.
This sequence in The Graduate perfectly captures Ben's mood at the time -- he's just drifting, as he tells his parents shortly thereafter in the film. None of these things mean anything to him, which sets the movie up perfectly for his date with Elaine, and the events that follow. Unfortunately, the whole montage isn't available online, so you'll have to find a DVD of The Graduate to watch it. If you want to whet your curiosity, however, here's the first part.
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