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An error has ocurred. Please try againIn order to make a point, let's look at the opposite of a natural looking film. Take for example Wes Anderson, whose movies I also love, his films usually strive for the complete opposite effect. His films usually take everyday naturalness and turn it into an almost stage-like appearance. Another director who is similar to this is Peter Greenaway. The real interesting thing about Greenaway is he usually takes Art (like classic paintings) and tries to stage them almost exactly into scenes in his movie, except using characters from the film's own (different ) story. And these stories usually contain real types of problems that everyday people deal with, but then he transforms it back into a very artistic almost museum exhibit type of style in film. Greenaway once gave a lecture at a college where he was promoting his film 'Rembrandt's J'Accuse' which is supposed to be a documentary about the artist. At the lecture he showed one of Rembrandt's most famous paintings 'Night Watch' on a projected screen and then tried to bring the painting to life as a story of mystery and murder using simple lighting and sounds effects. So, would it still be considered a painting? Or is it a movie? What is real, and what is imitation? Greenaway proposed the idea that the painting was actually an accusation of a crime, but that it was painted out for all to see. Is it art? Or is it reality posing as art?
It seems like maybe this should change?
It wasn't until the more care-free and prosperous 1920s that a noticeable distinction started to develop between the child and adult (God Bless Henry Ford!). The affordable automobile made it possible for a boy and girl to escape the watchful eye of mama and papa. It was no longer courting, it was dating. The motion pictures added fuel to the fire, because young people were inspired by the rebellious behavior they saw on screen.
Sadly, this age distinction would slowly recede back after the Great Depression and for most of World War II. It wasn't until the ending of the second world war that this distinction would return, and when it did - it would have a name: 'teen-age.'
Though the word 'teen-ager' appeared before the end of the war in a 1941 issue of "Popular Science" (coincidently in an article on 'Movie Making') it wasn't in the same connotation.
In a 1944 LIFE magazine article the word 'teen-age' was defined as: "There is a time in the life of every American girl when the most important thing in the world is to be one of a crowd of other girls and to act and speak and dress exactly as they do. This is the teen age." This definition made 'teen-ager' appear as a type of phase that a girl went through--not what a boy went through. It was as if the term 'bobby-soxer' had suddenly become synonymous with 'teen-ager.' In a December 20, 1948 LIFE magazine, the cover story is 'Teen-Agers'. The article is all about teen-agers and their 'customs.' What is different about this use of the word is the fact that it starts to include boys as well as girls.
Then, in a July 1950 issue of 'Boy's Life' we see it: "teenager" The word teenager is used without a hyphen!
We then see "Teen" Magazine (1954), "Seventeen" Magazine, "Teen Screen" Magazine, etc.
Starting in the 1950s, the media (mostly through films, Television, and music) transformed 'teenage' into the confusing and rebellious stage of adolescence that we associate with today. It wasn't really until the late 50s/early 60s, that teenage sexuality began to be explored in the scripts (notably 'Peyton Place', 'A Summer Place', 'Splendor in the Grass', 'Lolita'). Usually these story lines were more about sexual frustration, especially coming from the female character, which was still a pretty taboo thing at the time.
Reviews
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Wes Anderson goes darker and a little more graphic
It seems like Wes Anderson is getting more morbid with the content of his movies.
I noticed it in Moonrise Kingdom and now the grand Budapest hotel. I don't really don't mind morbidness, more than I mind graphicness. I mean, I liked Moonrise Kingdom, and I thought it was interesting that he broke away a little bit from his usual style in someways by making it a bit darker, but now we have yet another film (Budapest)...and it was a lot more graphic. And some of it was unnecessary if you ask me...why did it have to be so graphic?
For example: in past Anderson films an animal usually always dies (like the dog in royal Tenenbaums) but they usually don't show the animals dead...but for some reason in Moonrise Kingdom and Grand Budapest they do choose to show this. Usually Anderson is not very graphic or disturbing, but then we have fingers getting cut off and decapitated heads in 'Budapest'. I also remember a bit of graphicness from Moonrise Kingdom. Why is he now suddenly deciding to add this kind of macabre to his films? And why is he doing it when it is really unnecessary? I mean, I know that there was a finger cut off in Royal Tenenbaums...but we didn't actually have a close up of a cut off finger, that is just gross and unnecessary! And I know that the royal Tenenbaums had the suicide with a razor scene, which was pretty graphic, but that actually WAS necessary in my opinion to show for the purpose of the story. Granted in the 'Budapest' the blood looked very fake...Ketchup obviously....but still it was disturbing. I know that Anderson is trying to be more like Peter Greenaway, but quite frankly I think Greenaway does it better.
I almost left the theater after this, and well....some other things bothered me like some choppy sloppy editing in certain transitions within some scenes...and also some real time period inaccuracies like the plated glass in the prison (this wasn't in prisons in those days) and CPR and mouth to mouth wasn't around in the 1930s. I also thought the casting was really bizarre for the bell boy and J. Murray Abraham as the older 'Zero.' I mean i like Abraham and he is a really good actor...but they could have at least tried to use some makeup or something to make him look like a darker skinned man. I thought the cinematography was amazing...and I thought there was an interesting meaningful story.....although it sort of confused me in the end.
But yeah...not sure I'm going to be able to say that I was a fan of this Anderson project...even though in the past I've been a fan of all the other Anderson movies...although Moonrise wasn't really a favorite of mine either... even though I did leave the theater feeling like I saw a good movie, it was a little too dark for me.
Frances Ha (2012)
A Time Capsule of the current 'Echo Boomer' culture
Frances is the kind of girl who was brought up by baby boomers. In case you aren't familiar with baby boomer parenting: (this is based on personal experience) baby boomers usually are the kind of parents that would tell you that you could be or do anything you ever wanted as a career 'as long as you set your mind to it' (think of the ending of 'Back to the Future'). So Frances probably tried to do everything and switched like 5 different career goals and then probably after watching 'Flashdance' for the first time she decided she wanted to be like Jennifer Beals character and be a dancer in a professional dance company. So her parents probably encouraged her to be a dancer...even though she was a mediocre dancer.
And so, because no one ever bothered to tell her this sad truth, she finds herself at 27 STILL not invited into the Dance Company that she has been apprenticing at for years. It then finally dawns on her that she isn't fit to be a professional dancer. Because Frances doesn't want to continue as a receptionist, the only job that is eventually offered to her at the dance company, she quits and joins the many disillusioned unemployed 20-somethings that roam the many late night loft parties of New York.
It then gets worse when her bestfriend/roommate decides to grow up and get married. Now she is really alone and confused.
I wont spoil the rest for those haven't seen it yet, but I will say that in the end Frances manages to find her true passion, as well as the missing letters from her last name 'Frances Ha------'.
I will warn you that some might leave this film feeling a bit melancholy. I actually saw this movie two times and on the third time it left me sort of depressed and wanting to get drunk.
Following Sean (2005)
Following a Culture
I think this is one of the best movies/documentaries that I've seen in my life. The cinematography was beautiful and the interviews were captivating. Ralph was about the same age I am right now when he journeyed out to San Francisco. I really identified with the feeling of wanting to get away and discover the "utopia" that supposedly exists in life; wanting to know what your place is in the world and not having a clue, and confusing trends and egoists with profound epiphanies and prophets.
How can you live ideally without hurting others around you? Is it possible to take a hedonistic 'free' ride as well as have the fulfilling family life? Can you really have both, or is that just a fantasy? The description of 'free spirit' came to mean something entirely different to me after seeing this. After I watched this movie I felt like Ralph indirectly answered some of these questions on life that many struggle with. Even with this sobering warning, sometimes you still want to believe in the fantasy, and even though we know it is foolish, many of us will still probably go on through life with unrealistic expectations only to discover the same thing that Ralph has uncovered.
American Hustle (2013)
'Hustle' tells 70s/80s Abscam story
Director David Russell and writer Eric Singer come together to tell the true story of the Abscam sting operation that was set up by the FBI in the late 70s/early 80s. It led to the conviction of a lot of politicians in New Jersey.
Never heard of it? Neither had I before seeing this movie, but anyone living back then probably has heard of it since it was apparently national news headlines at the time. Born after 1980? Then yeah.....you probably will need to Wikipedia it.
Christian Bale plays Irving Rosenfeld, a N.J. con-artist who meets a retired stripper from New Mexico, Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) and together they form a partnership scam and a romantic relationship. Sydney Prosser pretends to be a British Lady Edith Greensly and together they run a fake loan office and sell forged paintings. While Irving is romantically involved with Sydney, he is actually married to a sharp tongued feisty woman named Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence). They live together with her son from a previous marriage, Danny , who Irving has adopted. We soon realize that the only reason Irving ever married Rosalyn was because he felt sorry for her having to raise a child alone. Irving doesn't want to go run off with Sydney because he is too attached to his son Danny and would feel terrible leaving him alone with his mother, who he feels is completely irresponsible as a parent. The other reason Irving stays: look the word 'manipulation' up in the dictionary and you should find a picture of Rosalyn underneath! As time goes on, Irving and Sydney get caught by Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) an FBI agent from Long Island. Richie gives them two choices: 1.jail time or 2. help the FBI in their sting operation uncovering corruption in the NJ politics; they agree to help the FBI. Surprisingly, agent DiMaso never discovered Sydney's true identity (apparently she had expert connections with getting records falsified), so she has to continue pretending she's British and talking with a terrible phony English accent throughout the majority of the film. Jeremy Renner plays the Camden N.J. Mayor Carmine Polito who is being targeted in the sting operation. Michael Pena plays Paco who is pretending to be an Arab Sheik Abdullah. Robert De Niro plays Victor Tellegio, a mafia boss. Louis C.K. plays Stoddard Thorsen, DiMaso's boss at the FBI.
Personally I felt some of the scenes with the heavy empty dialogue should have been edited down in the film ( I would say a good 30 minutes in total could have been cut). I'm talking about the kind of dialogue that you usually find in the very first unedited draft of a script, or at the first stage performance for an Improvisation Level A class. For example:
Bob: You know what I'm talking about?
Eddie: No, what are you talking about?
Bob: I think you know what I'm talking about.
Eddie: Really? Because I really don't think I do.
Bob: Oh c'mon. You know what I'm talking about!
Eddie: Bob, I don't know what you're talking about!
Bob:How many times do I have to tell you what I'm talking about?
Eddie:Maybe ten times.
Bob: Eddie! c'mon please...you know what I'm talking about, okay?
My mother also saw the film and she seemed to like it more than I did. She said she wouldn't have edited anything out and she didn't seem to feel it was too long. I, on the other hand, felt myself dozing off during the parts that didn't have Rosalyn. It could have been partly due to the fact that she instantly recognized the story from the 70s, while I didn't.
I thought all the actors did a great job, but I think Jennifer Lawrence's character is the one that kept me awake, although she was only in like 15-20 minutes in total of the film.
I thought that the Production Designer Judy Becker did an excellent job creating a New Jersey from the 1970s, together with great costume choices made by the Costume Designer Michael Wilkinson. I also liked the original score composed by Danny Elfman and the choice of songs for the soundtrack. I thought that Katherine Gordon, department head hair stylist and others working in her department did a nice job on the hair. They got the home perms for men, the comb-over, the long hair, the wild perm for Amy Adams that became more popular around the early 80s, and Jennifer Lawrence's swept bouffant (in the late 70s the Edwardian/Gibson girl style started to become very popular), and curled updos. and I thought that Evelyne Noraz, makeup department head and other working in the makeup department did a nice job with authentic 1970s makeup (they choice a very a natural look for makeup, lots of earth tones, very light---you can see this with Amy Adams -you can see all her freckles, any sun damaged skin, and every wrinkle through the light powder foundation which is very appropriate for the time. Her legs weren't airbrushed and they show her bruises on her legs (probably from her time as a stripper?). To get an idea of what i'm talking about with natural makeup, just watch the movie 'Five Easy Pieces' with Jack Nicholson from the early 70s. Also enjoyed the whole nail polish story, the rotten/sweet smell.
And it's true that all the best nail polishes have something nasty in them!
side note: I found it ironic that when I got home from the theater and turned on the TV, the news was about N.J. Gov. Chris Christie and the Fort Lee Scandal.
6/10
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
It did make me laugh, but at certain moments it really disappointed
First off I'm going to tell anyone reading this who is already an Anchorman fan, and has already been on the edge of their seat waiting in anticipation to see the sequel, to just go and see it; if not in the theater, preferably a netflix subscription. You WILL get some enjoyment (laughter) from this film and to me that makes it worth it.
Okay, moving on....
My expectations were mixed for Anchorman 2 because many times sequels have disappointed me. I also kept thinking about what happened with another ex-SNL cast member Mike Myers and his movie career with 'Austin Powers.' For those who never saw the Austin Powers series (Austin Powers international man of mystery (1), Austin Powers: the spy who shagged me (2), and Austin Powers Goldmember (3), the 3rd installment became one of the most over-commercialized movies of all time and had so much product placement that it was barely ever shown on cable TV because all of the product placement jokes have to be blurred out due to the fact that the cable channels felt like they were not being compensated for additional advertisements. Not to mention the fact that Goldmember had so many pop culture references that it quickly became out of date (aka 'The Osbournes' cameos). Then came Mike Myers' last movie (I think that was his last....) 'The Guru' and well....that's a whole other sad story which I don't have time to get into.
So I was met with some intrepidness when entering the theater. I got my buttery popcorn and coca-cola which I thought might ease the pain in case the movie sucked.
The film was about 2 hours long, so I would say that the first hour and a half were pretty great- except for Kristen Wiig's character and I would have also cut out the whole black girlfriend story because it kept reminding me of all the cliché sequels that just HAVE to squeeze in a black character in order to get black people to see the movie OR to seem less racist or something. I mean, why is it always in the sequels that a black person has to be squeezed in? Why couldn't they have just made Veronica Corningstone a black woman? Why didn't they have a black person in the first movie? On my one hand I can start naming some cliché sequels with the black person tossed in: Goldmember, Sex and the City (sort of a sequel to the original TV show), Miss Congeniality 2, Legally Blonde 2, Rocky II, Brady Bunch 2, etc. As for Kristen Wiig's character, I just hated it. Let me just say that before I saw the movie I saw a lot of reviews that were slamming Wiig's performance and I dismissed them because I thought they were just men who hated seeing confident women in comedy (aka Bridesmaids, which I actually enjoyed and own on DVD) but they were actually right about Wiig in this performance. I HATED her character, I hated the weird 'love story' between her and Brick....(Let's face it, Brick probably couldn't even find a vagina with a flashlight and GPS directions to lead him). There was also this very awkward and gross makeout scene between Steve Carrell and Wiig with her wearing what looked like old yellow stained man underwear slamming her butt up against a window. I almost went blind watching it and the whole theater (which was packed btw) went dead silent and I could hear the guy two seats down from me mutter "eeewww."
Also I was excited to see how the fight scene would turn out and the cameos....and it was stupid. It wasn't funny and it had a very bizarre moment where a low flying plane crashed and burned (the scene was supposed to be in Manhattan so the whole plane crash exploding thing gave me a 9/11 flashback). awkward choice....
I couldn't understand why in the heck they chose the motive for the fight scene. In the first movie the fight scene had a good back story (the news stations were very competitive for ratings) but in the second movie the Burgundy news team (working for GNN) was fighting with MTV VJs, BBC news, Canadian News, and some other people I can't remember. The cameos weren't really that funny. Why would the GNN news be fighting with news stations from other countries? Most Americans weren't even able to watch the BBC from American TVs at that time!! It would have made more sense for the GNN team to fight with the local news stations because that would have been more true to the story and historical parody. The only cameo in the fight scene that I actually did enjoy was Vince Vaughn's.
Despite some of the disappointments, there were some very funny moments in the film (mostly in the first half of the movie), especially in the beginning with Harrison Ford and Christina Applegate and their son, Corningstone's new boyfriend who looked like a parody of the character Ray from the movie 'High Fidelity', and Baxter. I just recommend getting it on netflix and fast forwarding through the Kristen Wiig Scenes and some of the black girlfriend scenes, and also the fight scene. (of course, you probably won't take my advice of fast-forwarding through the fight scene because curiosity will get the best out of you).
Another couple of compliments I would give to the film: the soundtrack kicked ass! I also appreciated the fact that Will Ferrell chose to do all sponsors, and product placements outside of the film and only during promotion- NOT in the film. There were like zero product placements that I noticed in the film which was such a relief!!! (except for his red and white tight 70s underwear!)
The Great Gatsby (2013)
Luhrmann opts for Visualization over Narration in his version of 'Gatsby'
--What I DID enjoy--
Luhrmann has a certain cinematic style that is instantly identifiable in all of his movies. It's almost dream-like and misty; reminds me sort of the style of directors like Adrian Lyne, who used certain colors, fog machines, lighting, camera angles, and lens effects to create an atmosphere on screen that would become almost a trademark. Luhrmann's style is reminiscent of a children's pop-up book.
I love the fact that this movie acted out scenes that other Gatsby films neglected. For example, Daisy's wedding. Every time I would read this scene in the book, or hear Mia Farrow's monologue (from the 1974 version) about how the letter fell to pieces in the bathwater 'like snow,' I would try to visualize Daisy in her wedding dress, on her wedding day, drunk as hell and crying; and now, I was able to actually see this. Baz's choice to include this scene brought different layers to Daisy's character. It showed that perhaps she really did love Gatsby, but she was conflicted. I think if you don't see this, and it is instead only narrated in film, you almost wonder if this is just a story made up by Daisy to keep Gatsby under her love-spell. Acting out the scene humanized Daisy a bit more, and wins more sympathy from the audience; at least, for a short period of time until we see more undesirable traits surface later in the story!
Another moment from the book I was happy to see come to life was Gatsby's past and how he came to be rich. This was a real treat for me, not to mention the cinematography was really beautiful with the horizon in the sky and Gatsby on the boat.
I also loved the scenes that showed Gatsby courting Daisy in their younger years; this was something I always wanted to see.
I loved DiCaprio's Gatsby. I know a few people who thought otherwise, like my mother who said Leo was too old for this. I'm sorry mom, but I found Leonardo very attractive as Gatsby and I didn't find it hard to believe. (Leo is 38, Gatsby was 32). When you see Dicaprio on screen, you can tell that this was the role that he had been waiting to play. You could see him transform into this character. He showed us the character's obsession, delusion, anxiety, fear. He also brilliantly gave us a taste of Gatsby's volcanic anger that had been bubbling beneath the cool exterior of a man who would otherwise be described by Daisy as always looking 'cool', mellow and transparent like the "advertisement of a man."
--What I DIDN'T enjoy--
The first scene in which we see Gatsby driving Nick around in the Yellow car; bring your motion sickness pills!
I didn't like that they were trying to infer that Gatsby had taken Daisy's virginity. That didn't happen, in fact, I'm not sure Daisy EVER actually had sex with Gatsby. Daisy was supposed to be a delicate flower, the 'golden girl,' the débutante.
I didn't like the choice in music. Usually I love Baz Luhrmann's choice for his soundtracks. His "Romeo + Juliet" used modern music--but that was because it was 'Romeo & Juliet' set in modern times-- and his "Moulin Rouge" also successfully used modern music, but with "The Great Gatsby" this didn't work at all for me. It just felt awkwardly out of place. I came to the movies to escape modernity! To be brought back to the time of the roaring twenties! And why didn't they include the "Ain't we got fun" song? That was a song actually specifically mentioned in the book, and it served a purpose to the story! Also, I didn't like the film's choice for the character of Klipspringer....he looked too much like a hippie version of Kenny G.
Baz did what no director should EVER try to do: attempt to change Great Classic American Literature. Luhrmann went beyond taking creative liberties when he made Nick Carraway the author of "The Great Gatsby", writing it out at a sanitarium for alcoholics. M'kay. We all know it was F.Scott Fitzgerald who wrote the book...... and as F.Scott once wrote in a letter to Hollywood director/producer Joseph Mankiewicz: "For nineteen years, I have written best-selling entertainment and my dialogue is supposedly right up at the top, but I learned from the script that you've suddenly decided it isn't good. Oh Joe, can't producers ever be wrong? I'm a good writer——honest!" - F.Scott Fitzgerald. I agree with F.Scott, leave the storytelling to him!
I didn't like Daisy's hairstyle, I think it should have been a finger-waved bob. There were a couple dresses she wore that I thought were the wrong choice, but there were also many costumes she wore that I liked.
I thought whoever was in charge of makeup fell short. One thing that really bothered me were the scenes involving Myrtle's death. When they pulled the cover off of Myrtle, the injuries (cuts, bruises etc) looked so fake to me; it looked like the work of a high school drama production. Another place where I saw makeup issues was with Myrtle's sister where there was a close up on her face and her lipstick was flaking off of her chapped lips, and then in the next frame it would disappear.
Continuity errors, for example: when Gatsby arrives at the cottage doors he is completely soaked from head to toe from the rain. Then suddenly we see him sitting in the chair and he is completely dry.
We never get to see Jay's father Mr. Gatz come after Gatsby dies.
The Go-Getter (2007)
Journey of Life Lessons
The Go-Getter is a modern-day 'Easy Rider' with a 'Huckleberry Finn' edge. Our protagonist is an unlikely criminal. Mercer (Lou Taylor Pucci) is a shy 19 year old boy from the local Eugene, OR High School. He is a dreamer and a lost soul, with a brother whose shady past seems to have ruined his own reputation more than his. It starts out with Mercer committing grand theft auto. Little does he realize that fate has brought him to this car. Like an Alice and Wonderland picture book, this story comes across some colorful characters along the way: stoner pottery hippies, a narcissistic slut (Jena Malone), a porno director, pet shop owners doing community service in a Sgt. Pepperesque band, gay hillbillies, a black cowboy, a perverted Spanish-speaking hotel night auditor, the criminal brother, and last but not least a philosophical, hopeless romantic, heroine (played by Zooey Deschanel). This story is about finding that long-lost road companion. The soundtrack alone makes this movie worth watching (includes M.Ward, the Black Keys, Animal Collective, The Replacements, Elliott Smith) . And if that doesn't do it for you, you can think of it as a warning not to leave your keys in the car if you step out while someone fills your tank of gas!
The Graduate (1967)
The Graduate: A Tale Almost as Tragic as Shakespeare
The Graduate was a defining motion picture at the time it was released in 1967. The film was based off of the novel by Charles Webb. It made quite an impression on the generation at the time.
As Keith Lofthouse says, "this was the film that became a symbol for youthful rebellion, which not only exposed the generation gap, but widened it." A lot of people can relate to it in their own way. To me, it's a story about a young-adult learning the intimidating reality of life, love, and society.
The Graduate is about a young man, Benjamin Braddock, who has just graduated from college. He comes home feeling stressed out about not knowing what he wants to do with his future. To top it off, everyone (his parents' and their annoying wealthy friends) keep asking him what his plans are. Lost and overwhelmed, he suddenly finds temporary solace when seduced by the wife of his father's business partner, Mrs. Robinson: a married, lonely, alcoholic woman, who seems to share only two similarities with her husband: a daughter, and a love of bourbon. Benjamin and Mrs. Robinson start off their affair by sneaking off to a hotel--- a ritual for them that will continue for the next few months. But the situation soon gets stickier than expected, when Benjamin finds himself forced by his parents to take out Mrs. Robinson's beautiful and witty daughter, Elaine. Mrs. Robinson makes Benjamin swear to her that he will never EVER take Elaine out---but under the continued pressure of his parents', Benjamin caves, and agrees to take Elaine out. After conjuring up the perfect date-from-hell to scare Elaine off, Benjamin's plan backfires, and instead of her breaking out the pepper-spray, she breaks down crying--- and if there's anything worse than pepper-spray, it's a woman crying. Being the real softy he is at heart, Benjamin ends up trying to stop her crying by kissing her, and then falls madly, head-over-heels, in-love with her---and here is where the real trouble begins!
Dustin Hoffman delivers a spectacular performance as the nervous and confused Benjamin Braddock. He never failed to break character, and his continued sweating, jittering, and whimpering was converted into absolute hilarity. He also had a certain chemistry with Anne Bancroft that made their scenes together an absolute riot. Anne Bancroft was perfect for the role of the seducer who manipulates her way into Ben's life. Frankly, I could never see Doris Day playing that character, so let us 'thank God' she turned the role down. It's quite amazing that there was only a six-year age gap between Bancroft and Hoffman. It's really hard to tell because Bancroft appears significantly more mature than Hoffman in the film. Her mannerisms were perfect and those famous lines--- "Do you want me to seduce you? Is that it? "---was spoken so smoothly, so coolly...as if she was a snake slithering her way up Benjamin's pant leg! Katherine Ross (Elaine) is incredibly beautiful, but she wasn't considered the best actress by many critics and members of the crew. She had problems onset like not being able to cry on cue, so they had to blur the film in some scenes (Nesbit). "She's a good screamer though," said Nesbit. The entire three were nominated for an academy award that year--- along with Mike Nichols,who won for best director.
For photography, there was use of clever techniques with angles and lighting. Some say that these techniques were used without much purpose, but when you see it on screen you don't recognize any inconsistency; you only notice how incredibly beautiful it is. Cameras frequently zoom in on faces to show emotion, and follow Benjamin Braddock wherever he goes. At the beginning of the film, we follow Benjamin on an escalator at the airport. The camera continues to stay on him for almost two minutes, and then switches its focus over to a suitcase on a luggage carousel. Normally, watching something as mundane as this would be boring, but it ends up being captivating and bringing about the mood of the film.
The music for the film was almost entirely created from the artists Simon & Garfunkel who had been a huge hit at the time. The songs had already been released on album, but the movie increased the popularity of the songs. David Grusin, who composed the jazzy score for the film, created special compositions that included several variations of the Simon and Garfunkel songs.
Many critics, such as Nesbit, argue that 'The Graduate' is not only an out-dated film, but also a film that lacks reality. Nebit complains, "How many can believe, that it's reasonable for a young man to pursue the daughter of a married woman-- who he's just had an affair with--and believe that the daughter would forgive him instantly without further communication?! And all of this after a single night's date!--- with Dustin Hoffman, no less!" Even though I probably wouldn't do the same thing that Elaine does, I can still find the story reasonable. After all, normal people do things that don't make sense all the time. Is Nesbit now going to start to question the reasonableness of a classic like William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet because they got married after one date? The main purpose of this film was to break the rules of normality in society, although it embraces some of the same old themes of classic Shakespeare. It would be wrong to call 'The Graduate' a "Romantic film", because it ends as much a tragedy as 'Romeo and Juliet,'though in a less obvious way--watch the last scene of this film closely and you will realize this.
**fun fact: The run to the church scene was a takeoff on the 1924 silent film "Girl Shy" starring Harold Lloyd, and Lloyd actually attended the filming of the scene to assist Mike Nichols.