The Graduate

I thought the music choice for this movie, The Graduate, was very interesting. I found that the song called “The Song of Silence” was played multiple times throughout the movie, several times in a row. I noticed that it was played when the main character, Benjamin, was unsure of what to do. One of the times it played was at the end of the film when Benjamin & Elaine left the wedding which was a time of peace for the both of them, particularly Benjamin. I think this song represented the times of peace of him because not only did it play then in the final scene, but it also played when he was in his pool and there no other outside noise and Benjamin was unsure of what to do. Even though I was not a fan of the song and repetition in it, I found the meaning behind it interesting. I also found it interesting how the movie began with a close up on his face, to establish that he was the main character, and then the camera zoomed out to reveal that he was on a plane blending in with emotionless people. The following shot was has Benjamin emotionless while standing on a moving walkway – this shows that not only is he surrounded by emotionless people, but he, too, is emotionless. His facial expression is so emotionless it is almost robotic. I find it interesting how this is how his character is established in the beginning, but he completely changes by the end of the movie.