THE GRADUATE
The Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols. The film tells the story of 21-year-old Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), a recent college graduate with no well-defined aim in life, who is seduced by an older woman, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), and then proceeds to fall in love with her daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross). In 1996, The Graduate was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. With the figures adjusted for inflation, the film is number 22 on the list of highest-grossing films in the United States and Canada. When figures are adjusted for inflation, population and moviegoing trends (how many tickets the average American bought in the year of release), it is the second-most popular film of all time. (More from Wikipedia)
“The Sounds of Silence” began climbing the charts and was the #1 single in the country for the first three weeks of 1966 (sandwiched between a Dave Clark Five song and a Beatles song). Simon and Garfunkel began working together again and went on to have one of the most storied careers in American popular music. “The Sounds of Silence” is among several Simon and Garfunkel songs that were used in the 1967 film The Graduate; using existing songs in a soundtrack was unusual in those days, though it is commonplace now.
(June 2013/2)
