The weekend of great films continues.
This film is another classic in American cinema and with good reason. Just Mike Nichol's second film, this was likewise daring and revolutionary for its day.
Everyone knows the plot, but upon re-watching it, the beginning scene when Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) insists that Benjamin (Dustin Hoffman) drives her home, she makes him incredibly uncommon, basically she harasses him and he acts shell-shocked as one would. Yet, he has the affair, out of boredom more than anything before falling head over heels in love with the Robinson daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross) so naturally, things get complicated real quick.
The acting in this film is top-notch and Hoffman (in one of his first films) delivers a performance that rightfully made him a star and Bancroft deserved an Oscar solely for her looks that could kill. Ross is also brilliant in her smaller role. And with the unique camera and sound work, from the snorkel point of view to the edits which jump between different events, this film is beyond worth remembering, not to mention the score and songs are all top-notch. Grade: A
Side Notes:
-Benjamin gets really lucky, rescuing Elaine from her wedding at the first church he tries, though how he manipulates people to get this is more than suspect.
-Ben absolutely stalks Elaine when he arrives at Berkeley.
-It is heavily implied that Elaine is pregnant and her wedding to Carl Smith (Brian Avery) is a shotgun wedding.
-Ben's dad is none other than William Daniels, aka Mr. Feeny from Boy Meets World.
-One word: Plastics.
-Ben might not have any plan for his future but his life in college was rather successful, winning several awards and everything.
-While Mrs. Robinson conceived Elaine out of wedlock, and informs her daughter that its too late to leave with Benjamin, Elaine snaps back that it isn't, at least not for her.
-For an alcoholic, Mrs. Robinson certainly drinks a lot.
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