Script to Screen: “The Graduate”

This memorable montage from the 1967 movie The Graduate, screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry, novel by Charles Webb.

Several things of note:

• The two Simon & Garfunkel songs accompanying the images: “Sounds of Silence” and “April, Come She Will”. Director Mike Nichols was insistent on integrating these and other Simon & Garfunkel songs into the movie.
• The repeated close-ups of Ben’s (Dustin Hoffman) face reinforce the question: What is going on inside his mind as this young man engages in an affair with Mrs. Robinson?
• The masterful use of visual-to-visual transitions: closing and opening doors; Ben’s face at home, Ben’s face in a hotel room; and the classic ending shot of Ben jumping out of the pool, cutting to Ben climaxing atop Mrs. Robinson.

If you think this was crafted in post-production, think again. The montage is right there in the script.

The montage speaks to the genius of Mike Nichols and is a fantastic reminder that movies are primarily a visual medium.

For more posts in the Script to Screen series, go here.