The Graduate

Much has been said about the success and aftershocks of the release of THE GRADUATE in 1967. Certainly its deadpan humor and the main character's palpable sense of unease resonated with audience members steeped in the rising counterculture movement. It stands as a document of an era. The lush soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel underscores a pervasive melancholy throughout the film, while also giving certain quiet moments an astounding serenity –- a marriage of pop music and film that influenced many later films.

Another way this movie is influential: The plot seems to build towards an energetic climax, but the actual closing moments are listless, providing little closure. This way of leaving a film open-ended and unsettled, above all else, influenced many of the cinematic treasures of the late 1960s and early 1970s, a period that most look back on as golden days of motion picture history.