Tag: Mike Nichols

THE GRADUATE Screens This Friday Night at Webster University

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“Oh no, Mrs. Robinson. I think, I think you’re the most attractive of all my parents’ friends. I mean that!”

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THE GRADUATE  will screen at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium Friday September 15th at 7:30pm.

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THE GRADUATE (1967), director Mike Nichols’ second feature after he debuted with WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLF? (1966), is still a delightful classic and a nostalgic piece of its time, to say the least. Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman, 30 years old at the time, convincingly playing someone a decade his junior) is fresh out of college, and comes back to his rich parents’ house in a California suburb. Bored and undecided about what to do with his life, Benjamin is seduced by a friend of the family, middle-aged Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft, who was actually only 36). When Mrs. Robinson’s daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross) shows up, Benjamin is forced to take her on a date. He hesitates at first and even tries to humiliate her by bringing her to a strip club, but he soon wants to marry her.

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THE GRADUATE’s witty screenplay (by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry, based on a novel by Charles Webb) and the unforgettable songs by Simon & Garfunkel are the perfect combination of joy & melancholy. Hoffman is terrific, Ross is charming, and Anne Bancroft is outstanding. I wouldn’t go as far as call Benjamin a true rebel – he’s way too passive for that. I’d argue Mrs. Robinson is more of a rebel than he is for most of the story, although she herself is trapped in a world of misery when Ben and her daughter decide to rebel together and give happiness, or at least freedom, a try. No matter how you judge this film today, THE GRADUATE still has the fresh smell of young alienation and passion intact. St. Louis-area movie lovers will get a chance to experience THE GRADUATE in all of its big screen glory when it screens this Friday, September 15th at 7:30 at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 E. Lockwood in Webster Groves).

Unless otherwise noted, admission is:

$6 for the general public
$5 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$4 for Webster University staff and faculty

Free for Webster students with proper I.D.

Advance tickets are available from the cashier before each screening or contact the Film Series office (314-246-7525) for more options. The Film Series can only accept cash or check.

Winifred Moore Auditorium (470 E. Lockwood, Webster Groves, MO 63119) :

Directions: Taking Highway 44 East, exit left on Elm Ave. Make a right on East Lockwood Ave. Immediately after passing Plymouth Ave., there will be a parking lot entrance to your right (lot B). Winifred Moore Auditorium is behind Webster Hall (Building 2 on map).

 

 

THE GRADUATE Screens Friday Night at Webster University

graduate-poster-1o5nepb

“Oh no, Mrs. Robinson. I think, I think you’re the most attractive of all my parents’ friends. I mean that!”

Graduate4

THE GRADUATE  will screen at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium Friday April 17th at 7:30pm.

Graduate1

THE GRADUATE (1967), director Mike Nichols’ second feature after he debuted with WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLF? (1966), is still a delightful classic and a nostalgic piece of its time, to say the least. Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman, 30 years old at the time, convincingly playing someone a decade his junior) is fresh out of college, and comes back to his rich parents’ house in a California suburb. Bored and undecided about what to do with his life, Benjamin is seduced by a friend of the family, middle-aged Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft, who was actually only 36). When Mrs. Robinson’s daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross) shows up, Benjamin is forced to take her on a date. He hesitates at first and even tries to humiliate her by bringing her to a strip club, but he soon wants to marry her.

Graduate
THE GRADUATE’s witty screenplay (by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry, based on a novel by Charles Webb) and the unforgettable songs by Simon & Garfunkel are the perfect combination of joy & melancholy. Hoffman is terrific, Ross is charming, and Anne Bancroft is outstanding. I wouldn’t go as far as call Benjamin a true rebel – he’s way too passive for that. I’d argue Mrs. Robinson is more of a rebel than he is for most of the story, although she herself is trapped in a world of misery when Ben and her daughter decide to rebel together and give happiness, or at least freedom, a try. No matter how you judge this film today, THE GRADUATE still has the fresh smell of young alienation and passion intact. St. Louis-area movie lovers will get a chance to experience THE GRADUATE in all of its big screen glory when it screens this Friday, April 17th at 7:30 at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 E. Lockwood in Webster Groves). It’s part of Webster University’s Centennial Film Series – a look at the Movies that Defined the Past 100 Years.

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Unless otherwise noted, admission is:

$6 for the general public
$5 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$4 for Webster University staff and faculty

Free for Webster students with proper I.D.

Advance tickets are available from the cashier before each screening or contact the Film Series office (314-246-7525) for more options. The Film Series can only accept cash or check.

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Winifred Moore Auditorium (470 E. Lockwood, Webster Groves, MO 63119) :

Directions: Taking Highway 44 East, exit left on Elm Ave. Make a right on East Lockwood Ave. Immediately after passing Plymouth Ave., there will be a parking lot entrance to your right (lot B). Winifred Moore Auditorium is behind Webster Hall (Building 2 on map).

 

 

Mike Nichols to remake Kurosawa’s ‘High and Low’

I think most people who read this site regularly are aware of my distaste for most remakes, but no one is perfect. There is an occasional remake project that surfaces that actually makes me sit up in my seat and say… “really?!?” It’s a strange, sometimes uncomfortable sensation of being both repulsed and excited at the same time. This recent news about a remake of Akira Kurosawa’a ‘High and Low’Â  is a great example.

Director Mike Nichols (‘Charlie Wilsons War’) is attached to direct a remake of Kurosawa’s ‘Tengoku to jikogu’,  known as ‘High and Low’  in the US, which is written by David Mamet (‘House of Games’) and will be produced by Scott Rudin (‘There Will Be Blood’). What’s even more fascinating than this powerhouse writer/director/producer combination is that Martin Scorsese had the idea to put this together and there’s a very good chance he will be executive producing the project.

The late-great Japanese cinematic master Akira Kurosawa went through a phase of making some great, gritty crime dramas that are technically film noir, but also maintain their own sort of appeal.   ‘High and Low’, based on Ed McBain’s novel  King’s Ransom,  is one of these films. Kurosawa’s 1963 film stars Toshiro Mifune as Kingo Gondo,  a businessman whose life and business  are destroyed after he pays a ransom demand to kidnappers who took his driver’s son. Gondo had just placed his entire life’s assets into an effort to gain control of his biggest competitor, but that same amount of wealth is needed to save the life of a young boy. Gondo must weigh the value of his success against the value of the boy’s life and determine which is the honorable path to follow.

[source: Variety.com]