Sun 23 Mar 2008
If ever a perfect film was made, this is it. I was disappointed to see that it had moved down 10 spots on the AFI 100 Years…100 Movies-10th Anniversary Edition, because I think it deserves a place in the top 10 (if it was left up to me, the top 5–and I have seen the majority of the films on the list). Nichols is obviously an outstanding director, and Hoffman and Bancroft are impeccable in their acting, as is Katharine Ross. The cinematography was revolutionary at that time, and still holds up today. But this film goes beyond the surface: it is the plea of a young man who wants to do something different with his life. He wants to avoid the “plastics” of the world; he feels that his life has been wasted and wants to do something about it. So begins the relationship between Ben and Mrs. Robinson. The musical soundtrack of haunting songs by Simon and Garfunkel is perfectly suited to this film, though only one of the songs was actually composed for it (”Mrs. Robinson”). This made the soundtrack also revolutionary; it was not the custom at the time to use previously-recorded music in films, something which is quite commonplace today. This movie was underappreciated when it came out, losing the Oscar to “In the Heat of the Night” and is still, in my opinion, underappreciated today. It is a true masterpiece and one of the best films in all of American cinema. 
