 MGM // Buy from Amazon.comNominated for seven Academy AwardsГ‚(r) and winner for Best Director, this ground breaking 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! While I was very familiar with the premise, the famous "You're trying to seduce me line" and, of course, the immortal song "Mrs. Robinson" (although, admittedly, I first heard the cover version by the Lemonheads before realizing that Simon & Garfunkel wrote it originally), I'd never actually seen "The Graduate" before. Due in part to my strict belief that no good movies were made prior to 1972 or so (save for maybe "Gone with the Wind" and a few James Bond flicks), and also in part to how much Dustin Hoffman annoys me, I'd just never bothered to check this one out. Well, the review copy beckoned, and I obliged... ... and, maybe not too surprisingly, I enjoyed it! This is probably no watershed statement for the majority of people out there, but this is a really, really good movie. It's incredibly well shot, with beautiful composition and truly impressive cinematography. It's very well acted - much like a young Al Pacino, Hoffman hadn't settled into his annoying ways as a young actor, so he's still pretty fresh (and talented) here. Of course, the soundtrack is a classic. Mix all of that together, and you have a very good film that holds is own, even 40 years later (and even for a viewer such as myself, with all the baggage that comes along with my biases.) MGM has put together a very nice anniversary package for this film, with superb quality throughout. I'm impressed, and may end up making this film part of my regular rotation of films to cycle through every few years! (that's saying a lot...) Video The film is presented in its original 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio, and I have to say that I was very, very impressed with the quality of this one. Despite it's age, this is a flawless looking print, with rich coloring and sharp detail from start to finish - unbelievable. Audio Surprisingly enough, they threw in a DTS 5.1 surround mix here, and it sounds fantastic - compare it against the original mono mix and you'll be even more impressed with the job they did remixing thisone. Extras Closing Thoughts True classic + 2nd disc of goodies = excellent anniversary edition for this beloved film Labels: review |
