1) In class we discussed The Graduate, which was directed by Mike Nichols. After production of the movie, he became the biggest director of his time. Nichols also did a number of other very popular films including Catch 22, Silkwood, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Remains of the Day, Birdcage, Working Girl, Closer, Angels in America, and Charlie Wilson’s War. He also happens to be married to very successful and famous ABC tv anchor, Diane Sawyer. The Graduate was nominated for the following Academy Awards: Best director, Best picture, Best actor, Best Actress, Best supporting actress, Best screenplay, and Best black and white cinematography.
The Graduate was written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham and it grossed $40 million dollars. Robert Surtees did the cinematography which was characterized by long takes stylized lighting, and framing. It was one of the first true youth rebellions that caught the temper of the country. The ending of the movie seemed “triumphant” to many different audiences. Lastly, we talked about the modern expressionist themes of the Graduate.
Mike Nichols was originally born as Michael Igor Peschkowsky, in Berlin, Germany in 1931 to his Jewish parents, Brigitte and Paul Peschkowsky. Michael and his 3-year old brother were sent to America to meet up with their father after the Nazi’s were arresting Jews in Berlin. His mother escaped to join the rest of their family 2 years later in 1940. Coincidently, Albert Einstein also happens to be Mike’s cousin.
3) Mike Nichols has been one of America’s leading directors for more than 30 years. His productions’ focuses on the absurdities of modern life. He first began his career in improvisational comedy and eventually went on to direct Broadway plays. His first film was “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf” which was then followed by “The Graduate”. Mike Nichols happens to be one of only twelve people to have one all of the major American Entertainment awards, which means he won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony award. In 2001, Mike Nichols was also awarded the National Medal of Arts. In addition, he received the Life Achievement award from the American Film Institute last year.\
4) The Graduate was a really good movie. Despite the fact that it was the first color movie that we watched all semester, I was fairly pleased with the outcome of the movie. It did a good job of keeping my attention and I can honestly say that it kept me interested throughout the entire movie. The storyline was very easy to follow and it dealt with problems that we could all actually relate to, unlike a lot of the other films we watched. However, what I thought was most interesting was the conflict between Ben and Mrs. Robinson. It was so funny to see him deal with the awkward situations. In conclusion, I really enjoyed the way that the movie ended. Ben had the ideal “win-win” situation. Despite all of his struggles throughout the movie, he got the girl, they got away, and he also hit it off with her mom!
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