Mike Nichols' superb coming-of-age tale The Graduate concludes on an unexpectedly ambiguous note, as Ben (Dustin Hoffman) rescues Elaine (Katharine Ross) from her arranged marriage and whisks her onto a bus, where they leave her family behind and drive off into the unknown. Though their expressions at first are of joy and relief, they soon change to something more oblique, of fear, uncertainty and sadness. Even ignoring the movie's existential tones, the image is incredibly powerful: here we have a woman sat in a wedding dress, on what is supposed to be "the happiest day of her life", yet she appears more confused, and the man she's with appears deep in thought rather than paying attention to his "bride". It's a perfect summation of life: no matter how great and well-planned things might seem, we're always going to have the fear of an unknown future to contend with, often even when we're with the one we love. Rather ingeniously, Nichols managed to give audiences a crowd-pleasing romantic ending but also one that was coloured with the subtle inflections of its two lead actors, creating a brilliantly thought-provoking final statement on life.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
