The Graduate

For other uses, see The Graduate (disambiguation).

The Graduate
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMike Nichols
Screenplay by
Based onThe Graduate
by Charles Webb
Produced byLawrence Turman
Starring
CinematographyRobert Surtees
Edited bySam O'Steen
Music by
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Lawrence Turman Productions
Distributed by
Release dates
  • December 20, 1967 (1967-12-20) (premiere)
  • December 21, 1967 (1967-12-21) (United States)[3]
Running time
106 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3 million
Box office
  • $104.9 million (North America)[4]
  • $85 million (worldwide rentals)[5]

The Graduate is a 1967 American independent[6] romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols[7] and written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham,[8] based on the 1963 novella by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The film tells the story of 21-year-old Benjamin Braddock, a recent college graduate with no well-defined aim in life who is seduced by an older married woman, Mrs. Robinson, but then falls for her daughter, Elaine.

The Graduate was released December 21, 1967, to critical and commercial success, grossing $104.9 million in the United States and Canada, making it the highest-grossing film of 1967 in North America. Adjusted for inflation (as of 2021), the film's gross is $857 million, making it the 22nd highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada, with inflation taken into account.[9]

It received seven nominations at the 40th Academy Awards, including for Best Picture and Best Director, the latter being the film's sole win.[10] In 1996, The Graduate was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[11][12] It is currently (as of the 2007 rankings) ranked by the American Film Institute as the 17th greatest American film of all time, having been ranked 7th in 1997. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films of all time.

  1. ^ a b "The Graduate (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. July 1, 1970. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  2. ^ "The Graduate (16mm)". Australian Classification Board. August 30, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  3. ^ The Graduate at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  4. ^ "The Graduate, Box Office Information". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  5. ^ Denisoff, R. Serge; Romanowski, William D. (1991). Risky Business: Rock in Film. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 9780887388439.
    • The Graduate: p. 167 Archived June 5, 2019, at the Wayback Machine. "World net rental was estimated at more than $85 million by January 1971."
  6. ^ Sayre, Will (September 24, 2023). "The 20 Most Timeless Indie Movies". MovieWeb.
  7. ^ Kaplan (December 20, 1967). Variety's Film Reviews. Garland Pub. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-8240-5210-2.
  8. ^ Crowther, Bosley (December 31, 1967). "Graduating With Honors; 'The Graduate'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 8, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  9. ^ "Domestic Grosses, Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  10. ^ Mike Nichols winning the Oscar® for Directing - Oscars on YouTube
  11. ^ Stern, Christopher (December 3, 1996). "National Film Registry taps 25 more pix". Variety. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference LOC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).