The Graduate

New Books in Film

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to begin our descent into Los Angeles.” So begins The Graduate (1967), which everyone loves but which many of us loved for one reason when we were younger and one when we became a little more seasoned. “Plastics” is a great joke when you’re 20; how does it sound decades later? The movie hasn’t changed, but we have. It’s still terrific: Mike and Dan talk about the intelligence of the actors and the ways in which targets of the film’s satire (such as the cult of enthusiasm parents create around their kids) is even more pronounced today than when the film was made. They also talk about what many viewers seem to omit from their memories of the film’s famous ending.

Pictures at a Revolution, Mark Harris’s 2009 book, tells the story of the five Best Picture nominees in 1968, The Graduate among them. It’s a terrific read.

Follow us on X and Letterboxd–and let us know what you’d like us to watch! Incredible bumper music by John Deley. Also check out the new Substack site, Pages and Frames, for more film-related material.

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