800 The Graduate

[Dylan]

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdcompare/graduate.htm

According to the above comparison, the Momentum UK release of "The Graduate" is significantly better than the MGM disc. However, the more recent repressing of "The Graduate" from MGM (sans extras) isn't listed. How does that fare? Is the Momentum still the way to go?

[souvenir]

It's the same transfer as the old one so the Momentum is still the best. There was another release scheduled at Amazon for August 1st but it must have been nixed since it's no longer available. There was no indication that it would be anamorphic though. I'd hope that a new and improved R1 release will be coming soon given the MGM-Fox deal, but who knows.

[Gordon]

I haven't seen The Graduate in years, but recently, I have wanted to revisit it and the Momentum DVD is available for £4-5 ($7-8) and so I am tempted to go for it, but I suspect that a new R1 40th Anniversary SE will be released in mid-to-late 2007. Nichols' commentary with Soderbergh on Catch-22 is one of the most informative, humourous and exciting tracks I have ever heard - I have actually listened to it three times! The upcoming SE of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? will feature a Nichols-Soderbergh track (as well as a track by ace DP Haskell Wexler) so I'd see the same for The Graduate - and Carnal Knowledge. Nichols' films - the early ones at least - are all amazingly well shot and edited. If you haven't seen it or at least not in the last ten years, then you really ought to revisit Catch-22 as regardless as to how you feel about the adaptatation, it is one of the masterpieces of American film production of the 60s/70s era - David Watkins' cinematography is always mind-bogglingly brilliant, but here it is almost too good, especially the audacious night-bombing of the the base, lit only by the explosions. The front-projection shots of the missions were groundbreaking in their day and look nothing like the clunky back-projection stuff of the period; the sound design and editing were years, if not decades ahead of their time; and on top of that, you have scene after scene of strange, wonderous and poignant performances - the scene where Arkin's Yossarian has to pretend to be a dying soldier which then dissolves into the "I'm the bombardier" dream sequence is sublime, in my humble opinion. However you feel abut the overall film in relation to the monumental novel, this film contains a welter of great moments and technical bravura and it is one of my favourite films.

[Dylan]

Although his entire career is wildly inconsistent, I think that Mike Nichols is one of the greatest American filmmakers. Very, very few filmmakers make three ungodly masterpieces ("Carnal Knowledge," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," and "The Graduate"). I also loved "Closer," and "Catch 22" is very interesting.

"Carnal Knowledge" is one of my ten favorite films, and has been discussed on "The Graduate" thread. I recently revisited "The Graduate" again via the Momentum DVD (great transfer), and it's a wonderful film...I wouldn't wait, Gordon, check it out.

As for "Catch 22," I really enjoyed it. I hadn't read the novel, and I had no knowledge of it outside of its reputation, so maybe my experience with it was even stranger than most. The transitions between scenes are very creative, and the flashback structure and dream sequences cool, as are the many long, lingering camera moves that go from one wide and detailed composition to the next. I do think it does give the impression that the project as a whole was too dense and too ambitious for anybody; the cast is unevenly divided, half of the characters have minimally ten minutes of screentime (some less), which renders the absurd tragedies of a few inconsequential (at least two of the main deaths are of characters we hadn't really met)…however, I felt that this brought to the film a weird and interesting quality that I liked. I'd watch it again down the road, but not before revisiting "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", which I also recently saw for the first time, and which I believe to be one of the greatest films ever made.

[Galen Young]

...the sound design and editing were years, if not decades ahead of their time

I love all of Nichols pictures from the 60's and 70's -- have you read Sam O'Steen's book Cut to the Chase? He's got a bunch of great stories from working on Catch-22, The Graduate, Virginia Woolf, Carnal Knowledge -- not to mention Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, etc. It's really worth checking out.

[Dylan]

Galen,

That sounds like a really great book, thanks for the recommendation.

Speaking of which, has anybody here seen "The Fortune" in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1? I've never seen the film at all, and of course I'm waiting for a DVD release...it's the only Nichols I know of that's not on DVD yet.

[Gordon]

Yeah, that was a superb recommendation, Galen - I was looking at Sam O'Steen's filmography a few days ago and he certainly cut a few masterpieces. I also noticed that Mike Nichols has consistently worked with brilliant DPs. Haskell Wexler, Robert Surtees, David Watkin, Giuseppe Rotunno, William Fraker, Michael Balhaus and so on. Y'all need to check out Catch-22 again and study the lighting, camerawork and the general mise-en-scene, which is astounding. Watkin wrote a book in the late 90s called Why Is There Only One Word for Thesaurus?, which is said to be a great read, but is OOP, with a new updated edition being promised. Watkin is quite a character - he often used to sleep on the set during takes and on Catch-22, he only shot during 2pm-3pm for the desired effect. John Huston is still the granddaddy of laidback filmmakers, though - placing bets over the phone during takes, sitting in his trailer, he was something else!

I experienced The Graduate today - for the first time in its entirety and in full 2.35:1 - and I won't hesitate in saying that I feel that it is one of the most impressively photographed and edited films I have ever see, simply magnificent. The film also has an energy that is quite startling all these years later, as well as a wit and also seriousness that is perfectly balanced. It seems rather odd to me not to have appreciated this film until now, as it is striking as to how powerful a cultural landmark this film surely and evidently was in 1967. In any respects, it could be said that The Graduate was the first modern movie in a year of the shifting paradigm of American Cinema.

Is the ending ambiguous? Well, it would be naive to suggest that the couple lived "happily ever after" and their future would have be fraught with strife, problems and sadness - as all partnerships are - but all that really matters is the desire was achieved, stagnating conformity was trampled underfoot and the possibility of freedom was presented and that is why the film struck a powerful chord. It isn't a film that answers any questions, but it certainly raised a few in a very cunning and humorous way.

Equally audacious - perhaps even more so - cinematics were to come from Nichols in his next feature, when he teamed up with the father of modern cinematography, David Watkin.

[Dylan]

Gordon, I'm glad you sprung for the Momentum, and I'm even happier that you ended up really loving the film. Yes, the filmmaking, editing, and cinematography in "The Graduate" are exciting and exquisite. Robert Surtees was a brilliant cinematographer, following this with "The Last Picture Show" just a few years later.

As for the final scene, when they're on the bus and that initial look of excitement and triumph fades from both of their faces, I've always thought that they're collectively realizing they've made a big mistake.

[Gordon]

Yes, I enjoyed it immensely. The sense of shifting locations in the film is beautifully executed, too. But indeed it is odd that I waited so long to take this film on, as I am also a big fan of Simon and Garfunkel, but heel-dragging is one of specialities, it seems.

As for Surtees, he was the first DP to shoot a modern spherical 65mm (Todd-AO) film, the first to shoot anamorphic 65mm (MGM Camera, later Ultra Panavision) and also the first to shoot a black and white CinemaScope on the 1955 MGM film, The Trial, but Fox (proprietors of CinemaScope) demanded that the shooting stop and that spherical lenses be used - this was before the Regalscope productions. He had immense experience in all types of shooting considerations and conditions, apprenticing for Gregg Toland in the early days, but slowly working his way up to the top and shooting many prestigious films in the 50s and 60s, although I don't like the lighting on Ben Hur and The Sting, but what do I know.

MGM ought to get their act together next year and produce a definitive HD and NTSC transfer, plus a commentary by Nichols, feature-length docu, etc. Also, the original release was 4-track mag stereo - the Momentum is 2.0 stereo, it sounds to me and it's good, but a 4.0 would obviously be more welcome.

Despite the presence of Cher and to a lesser degree Meryl Streep, Silkwood has intrigued my mind of late and I am considering ordering the German DVD - it is the only anamorphic release - but at 131 minutes, I would imagine that such material would weigh itself down. Is it worth a go? How long is Cher onscreen?

[Dylan]

Robert Surtees also shot "The Bad and the Beautiful."

I've never seen "Silkwood," but it definitely looks like one of Nichols' more "normal" films (ala "Regarding Henry"), but I also know that it has a Georges Delerue score, Miroslav Ondrícek cinematography (he shot a lot of Milos Forman's films, including "Amadeus"), and I like Meryl Streep. I don't plan on seeing it anytime soon, but if you do check it out, tell us what you think.

[exte]

MGM ought to get their act together next year and produce a definitive HD and NTSC transfer, plus a commentary by Nichols, feature-length docu, etc. Also, the original release was 4-track mag stereo - the Momentum is 2.0 stereo, it sounds to me and it's good, but a 4.0 would obviously be more welcome.

The criterion laserdisc commentary by Howard Suber is an absolute must listen to track. Absolutely fantastic, imo...

[jedgeco]

The criterion laserdisc commentary by Howard Suber is an absolute must listen to track. Absolutely fantastic, imo...

All of Suber's commentaries are great -- I have his Graduate commentary on CD it's so good you can listen to it on its own. Commentaries like this are what we lost when directors got into the game.

[jackson_browne]

"Carnal Knowledge" is one of my ten favorite films, and has been discussed on "The Graduate" thread. I recently revisited "The Graduate" again via the Momentum DVD (great transfer), and it's a wonderful film...I wouldn't wait, Gordon, check it out.

Good to see some love for Carnal Knowledge. If I remember correctly, this was the "adult" film Kevin Arnold and some of his friends snuck into on an episode of The Wonder Years (while Paul loses his virginity). I remembered seeing that episode when I was a kid and when I found out it was directed by Mike Nichols, I checked it out and was stunned. It is a really fantastic film.

[Dylan]

The Wonder Years. That takes me back. I always really liked that show. I never saw the Carnal Knowledge episode, though, but it sounds pretty fun.

And yes, Carnal Knowledge is absolutely one of the greatest films ever made, one of those films I can never seem to get out of my mind. It's just too excellent on too many levels. That part where they're on the verge of swapping the women just floors me, and how about the part where Nichsolson and Ann-Margret are at the dinner table and their table seems to be circling the entire restaurant. Also, as with The Graduate and Closer, there is the symbolism of water, when Nicholson's character constantly goes to take a shower to 'wash off' (I love "Nichols symbolism"...The Graduate is loaded with it as well).

And although his previous films all look exquisite, it was a particular stroke of genius for Nichols to employ Giuseppe Rotunno for his first English-language film, and it was the beginning of Rotunno's great career in America, along with being the DP of choice for Federico Fellini and others.

Just for others to see...



Awesome.

[Gordon]

I have had the Momentum edition of Carnal Knowledge for a few years and it's a fine transfer of a superbly photographed film - one of the great pieces of cinematography in 70s Cinema.

[HerrSchreck]

As for the final scene, when they're on the bus and that initial look of excitement and triumph fades from both of their faces, I've always thought that they're collectively realizing they've made a big mistake.

Just to throw in my own two cents on this most profound of endings:

I've seen GRADUATE a zillion times and never once saw the ending this way. What I see them experiencing there on the back of the bus is the ultimate sadness of life-- the great Mr Spock quote: "Sometimes captain, wanting is better than having.."

That doesn't mean they made a mistake -- just that, regardless of what you set out to do in life, the achieving process is always greater than the final Being. Marriages, stardom, riches, etc, never provide the Total Life and Soul Overhaul we think they will when we're young. We are still what we were when we set out to achieve or aquire something-- the interior life is still there, still fraught with human insecurity and endless doubt. This is why many celebrities long for their days just as they were experiencing the excitement of Just Starting To Become Famous... once you're there boredom kicks in all over again. Life is always going to keep on being life. The routes to pleasure will always be vague. This is Hoffman's "graduation" from youthful naive expectation to manhood.

This is the road to necessary equanimity that these two youngsters are getting aquainted with there on the back of that bus... that there is no Be All & End All experience. It's a shocking wisdom most humans must get aquainted with-- leading one to find happiness in the healthy, repeatable small strokes, not fallible & impersonal big ones-- that sends some fragile souls sailing off rooftops, unable to deal.

At least in my opinion.

[Dylan]

Schreck,

Thank you for your thoughts, and I think we almost see eye to eye, though I do see it as more defeatist than you do. An important stroke of the ending is specifically Ben's face, which is the same expression of empty disappointment he had after his failed attempts at rebellion earlier. By "mistake," I mean that Ben didn't realize until on the bus that obtaining Elaine was exactly what he needed to do to solidify his place in bourgeois society, which all throughout the film he's tried to escape, and by the end he's slowly realizing that this solidification is exactly what he has done, and he's pretty much trapped.

I think Elaine's feelings in the final scene may correspond more specifically to what you're taking about...the feeling and hunger to achieve, and the sort of "Now what?" attitude that follows after you've achieved it (I think most people read the entire ending as this). Either that, or she has realized that running away from her wedding with Ben was a mistake of spontanaety. It is important to note that they do have strong feelings for one another, so I'm not saying the ending is entirely hopeless, but there are deeper moods and emotions to consider than that surface. I don't think either of them are getting what they want when the film fades out.

There is so much going on in this film, and it's also transcendently designed with the symbolism and the use of colors and water (which, as I said above, also runs through Carnal Knowledge and Closer).

Gordon,

The Momentum Carnal Knowledge is the same transfer as the MGM, but it also includes a short trailer (the Momentum also doesn't offer as an option what I'm assuming is an appalling pan/scan version).

The film is indeed one of great works of cinematography, period, as everything by Rotunno is. His lighting and photography is awe-inspiring.

These early Nichols films get me excited.

[jackson_browne]

These early Nichols films get me excited.

So what happened to him? His last few films have been good (Wit, Angels in America, Closer), but are there any films in the period from Silkwood to What Planet Are You From that come close to the brilliance of his early work?

[life_boy]

All of Suber's commentaries are great -- I have his Graduate commentary on CD it's so good you can listen to it on its own.

How did you manage that? I've never heard a Suber commentary and now I'm intrigued.

[exte]

All of Suber's commentaries are great -- I have his Graduate commentary on CD it's so good you can listen to it on its own.

How did you manage that? I've never heard a Suber commentary and now I'm intrigued.

Record analog to computer. Rip into mp3 track, or multiple audio cds. I have DVDs of this stuff...

[jedgeco]

Yeah, that's pretty much it. I've backed up most of my (decent) OOP LD commentaries this way in case of laserrot. I recorded The Graduate commentary, though, with a laptop at a local university library.

[Jeff]

In the latest post on the Criterion blog, producer Kim Hendrickson talks about her work with Steven Soderbergh for the new The Third Man disc. At the end of the post, she mentions that Soderbergh was going to team up with Mike Nichols later that day to record a commentary for a non-Criterion 40th Anniversary Edition of The Graduate.

[Person]

Soderbergh was going to team up with Mike Nichols later that day to record a commentary for a non-Criterion 40th Anniversary Edition of The Graduate.

Joy!

[exte]

I would agree with you wholeheartedly if Howard Suber's criterion laserdisc commentary is included as well. It's a stunning track, a practical education squeezed into two hours...

[Jeff]

The Graduate: 40th Anniversary Edition
Available 9-11-07

Features:
* Commentary by Actors Dustin Hoffman and Katherine Ross
* Commentary by Mike Nichols and Steven Soderbergh
* Screen Tests with Video Introductions
* Coming of Age: The Making of The Graduate
* Would You Like Me to Seduce You?: The Seduction Scene Revisted
* One on One with Dustin Hoffman
* Behind the Scenes Documentary
* Original Theatrical Trailer
* Simon and Garfunkel CD

Audio:
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Mono
ENGLISH: DTS 5.1
FRENCH: Dolby Digital Mono

Subtitles:
English, Spanish, French