How does Cinematography in the Film The Graduate Establish Character? essay

It is known that the screenplay for the film The Graduate is an adaptation of Charles Webb’s novel, but cinematography in this film uses more effective methods to establish the main character Benjamin Braddock, including music that helps to advance the story, camera work, sound, etc. Camera positioning and movement and the overlapping sound, which begins at the end of one scene, and then is carried over to the next scene, help to establish the character. The camera singles out the main character in many scenes, while other characters remain out of focus. Taking into consideration the character’s significant moments in the film, it is possible to conclude that cinematography in the film The Graduate is based on selective focus. Let’s take, for example, the following scene: Benjamin becomes very nervous because Mrs. Robinson, the wife of his father’s companion, tells him that she finds him very attractive and wants to indulge in an affair with him. Due to the effective camera work, sound and music, the emotional state of the main character is shown in a proper way. One more scene in the film which helps to establish the main character is one of the last scenes: Benjamin makes a decision to stop Elaine’s wedding in the church. The young people (Elaine and Benjamin) escape the ceremony by means of a wooden cross which they fix on the double chapel doors, and take a bus. They find seats at the back of the bus, Elaine in her beautiful white wedding dress and Benjamin in his tattered clothes, both of them are in ecstatic state. However, in a few minutes, their exhilaration is lost, and the facial expressions of both Elaine and Benjamin are changed. Due to effective cinematography, viewers realize that Benjamin and Elaine are the representatives of the younger generation, and they have their own attitude towards love, life and interpersonal relationships.  Cinematographers use selective focus in order to reinforce Benjamin’s alienation.

To sum up, cinematography uses focus to capture the attention of the viewers. In the film The Graduate, the main character seems to be alienated from other characters, as if he exists in his own world.