Nichols manipulates each frame so that viewers can vicariously experience every wince and twinge of the young man's discomfort.
Video:
None of the press materials say that this has been remastered, but to my eye it looks slightly less grainy than the previous Special Edition release. Presented in 2.35:1 widescreen, "The Graduate" shows its age with colors that aren't as bright and fully saturated in exterior shots as they are in interior ones. You especially notice this with the clarity of those fish tank shots compared to the lawn party shots.
Audio:
Instead of the Stereo Surround soundtrack that we got on the Special Edition, this anniversary DVD gives both the original English Mono, French Mono, and a jazzed-up English Dolby Digital 5.1 with subtitles in English (CC) and Spanish.
Extras:
Two commentaries are provided, one featuring actors Hoffman and Ross, and the other with Nichols being interviewed by directing buddy Steven Soderbergh. By far the latter is the most interesting, with the two directors covering all sorts of ground, ranging from actors who weren't cast and behind-the-scenes problems to interpretations of the scenes and shooting locations. The actors' commentary is, by contrast, surprisingly dull. Maybe that's because we learn from Hoffman on a separate interview that he angered Ross by slapping her tushie during a difficult bedroom scene to try to lighten the mood. He says they're friends now, but you couldn't prove it by this commentary. There's about as much warmth between these two as there is between ex-spouses who are forced to spend two hours together. What's more, there just isn't enough said in between all of those awkward moments to make it worthwhile.
The interview Hoffman did for the Special Edition is included here, but the behind-the-scenes documentary has been replaced by three featurettes that cover some of the same ground and add retrospective elements that befit an anniversary edition: "Students of the Graduate," "The Seduction," and "The Graduate at 25."
I wasn't wo-wo- wowed by any of the features, but the best of the bunch was the Nichols/Soderbergh commentary.
For music lovers, there's that bonus CD with four Simon & Garfunkel tracks: "The Sound of Silence" (3:03), "Mrs. Robinson" (4:04), "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" (3:10), and "April Come She Will" (1:48).
Bottom Line:
Hoffman hits a home run in his first starring film role, and director Nichols manipulates each frame so that viewers can vicariously experience every wince and twinge of the young man's discomfort. It's that dead-on human element that makes "The Graduate" a timeless film, rather than a '60s artifact.
None of the press materials say that this has been remastered, but to my eye it looks slightly less grainy than the previous Special Edition release. Presented in 2.35:1 widescreen, "The Graduate" shows its age with colors that aren't as bright and fully saturated in exterior shots as they are in interior ones. You especially notice this with the clarity of those fish tank shots compared to the lawn party shots.
Audio:
Instead of the Stereo Surround soundtrack that we got on the Special Edition, this anniversary DVD gives both the original English Mono, French Mono, and a jazzed-up English Dolby Digital 5.1 with subtitles in English (CC) and Spanish.
Extras:
Two commentaries are provided, one featuring actors Hoffman and Ross, and the other with Nichols being interviewed by directing buddy Steven Soderbergh. By far the latter is the most interesting, with the two directors covering all sorts of ground, ranging from actors who weren't cast and behind-the-scenes problems to interpretations of the scenes and shooting locations. The actors' commentary is, by contrast, surprisingly dull. Maybe that's because we learn from Hoffman on a separate interview that he angered Ross by slapping her tushie during a difficult bedroom scene to try to lighten the mood. He says they're friends now, but you couldn't prove it by this commentary. There's about as much warmth between these two as there is between ex-spouses who are forced to spend two hours together. What's more, there just isn't enough said in between all of those awkward moments to make it worthwhile.
The interview Hoffman did for the Special Edition is included here, but the behind-the-scenes documentary has been replaced by three featurettes that cover some of the same ground and add retrospective elements that befit an anniversary edition: "Students of the Graduate," "The Seduction," and "The Graduate at 25."
I wasn't wo-wo- wowed by any of the features, but the best of the bunch was the Nichols/Soderbergh commentary.
For music lovers, there's that bonus CD with four Simon & Garfunkel tracks: "The Sound of Silence" (3:03), "Mrs. Robinson" (4:04), "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" (3:10), and "April Come She Will" (1:48).
Bottom Line:
Hoffman hits a home run in his first starring film role, and director Nichols manipulates each frame so that viewers can vicariously experience every wince and twinge of the young man's discomfort. It's that dead-on human element that makes "The Graduate" a timeless film, rather than a '60s artifact.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]21690[/release]