@@el-kiote Yes! A good and happy life should have plenty of 'living in the moment' moments, so to speak. It is what keeps you sane. Structure has it place of course but it is not the be all and end all - spontaneity needs to be liberally sprinkled into the mix too. The characters here just wanted to escape the monotony and rigidity of being told what to do and how to live their lives. The imagination can decide if it worked out for them or not. I was always told that regrets, if you have them, should only be about things you haven't done in life - not the things that you have.
@@el-kiote this man is asking the real questions. I doubt it it is. pro's and con's like everything in life, don't let anyone tell you differently. It's easy to play it off as " live the moment" / " tread carefully" when you're wired that way, that is why when people say " live the moment" it means fuck all for me
@@RobM1606 we are always living the moment, just that some are selfish pricks who never think ahead, never think of the consequences, never think of others, etc. it's a feature especially encountered in the generation that were teens in the 70' and 80' and 90' . worse generation ever, and totally responsible for the mess that my generation has to endure. now ALL OF YOU, get the hell out of my face, you make me sick.
I love how the scene goes on long enough for us to see the realization set in of what they had just done. Too many movies end while the main characters are still on their 'high', I think this adds a touch of reality to the whole scene.
Exactly. Too many stories have their protagonist/hero riding into the sunset, living "Happily Ever After". In reality, that's not how it works. Even if you get everything you want at the end of a certain chapter in your life, you still have to keep on living and moving on to the "next chapter".
@@RockSmithStudio Yep... it seems to me that too many people (especially nowadays) are bothered by ambiguity in the ending of a film or a TV show. Their definition of a "great ending" is one where everything is spelled out to the nth degree.
They're not confused, they love each other, they're just tired and accepting the choice they made which is the most difficult one and now they're thinking in the consequences and the responsability they have to accept for it, but they know they did the right choice, it's ridiculous what people think about this ending. It doesn't matter if the director didn't said cut, in the editing room they saw the scene and saw it was better that way, cinema is made with such scenes, improvisational scenes or "mistakes" that are better than the actual direction they wanted for the scene.
Bravo...good catch, he is flashing the same confused look in the final scene as when he was when he was landing at LAX in the opening scene. Then she gives him a good hard stare and wonders...what will come of them now.
Ah Heck Is he though? It seems that instead o carving out a path he wanted, he simply rebelled against what he didn’t want. But the path that the rebellion did carve out was not a path he wanted either. I don’t think the film was ever about the struggle of the protagonist overcoming adversity to gain freedom or happiness. Due to how we aren’t really shown his wants and desires other than wanting to escape a life he does not desire. But his desires are never framed because we don’t know what they are. All we know is that he fought to escape all those people and finally did. But it’s left in the air whether the road he’s going down now is even the one he wants. How can he, he doesn’t know where he’s going just that Elaine will be there the whole time. The story seems to be framed as a cautionary tale. That when young individuals are forced to conform to the desires and expectations of others, they will naturally want to rebel. But where that rebellion brings them might not be a place they want to be either.
The ending is so brilliant. She looks at him searching for confirmation and he ignores her, as he were about to say: "Don't blame me for what you have done. You made your choice!" That is what is life is really about. To make a choice and to stand for it.
@@ClaviHaze duh, he did it for their energy to naturally dissipate. I swear you types who look at the world through a literal fact only lense are insufferable.
@@memyselfi9576 I mean, of course? But the thing is that the comment I'm responding to says he purposefully ignores her and it's not like that. Talk about taking words literally
I find myself relating to this movie more and more. I feel that the ending is subjective to individual people. For me, it's the realization of how scary the real world is once you don't have someone making decisions for you.
Yeah, I don’t think it’s about their feelings for each other evaporating, necessarily. Their actions in the church essentially bound them together, like their own version of marriage vows. They know how they feel about each other and that’s the ONLY thing they’re certain of. Everything else is unknown. Where will they live now? Where can they go? They have no home, no money, no more connections, no car, no clothes other than those they’re wearing. Of course their smiles fade. They have a lot to figure out. But they’ll figure it out together.
I like the very ending so much. Their transition from overly happy enthusiastic couple, thinking ''yeah, we made it, its a wonderful romantic ending just like in movies'', to confused and maybe even scared faces thinking ''well ok, but what now? we screwed up...''
My interpretation is that it puts a realization on a lot of cliche dreams, particularly the marriage. One of the best things I heard about the trope is that when everyone lives happily ever after, that's usually the end of the story. Instead, The Graduate recognizes the inner fear of a minority of people in a wedding: what comes during the day after? There is always the day after a huge event like that, and leaving it open by facial expression reveals similar thoughts.
@@peppermintcookie5531 the director didn't call cut after all the acting was done, which left the actors confused since they have done all their instructions. This exact expression is what the director wanted to capture, as it reflects how the characters feel.
Katharine Ross is such an underrated actress. She managed to pour so much emotion into her voice while yelling at the top of her lungs, which is not easy to do.
harry cronos ending is "full of youth and romanticism"? not! did you stop watching before the getting to end? or were you blind? or is your comment ironic?
Those two made a brash move but the question is...when they no longer have their parents to pay their bills, what will they do and how will they feel then? Ben's parents might be a bit upset at him for banging Mrs. Robinson too.
@@sitting_nut No, it absolutely is full of youth and romanticism. The film just subverts the idea that this kind of thinking, this kind of ending, is always a good thing. Something can be full of youth and romance while also being _stupid._
I'd like to believe they ended up staying together, mainly because I'm a sucker for happy endings. I'd like to think that it was a hard fought battle, and they overcame every obstacle that got in their way. The ending is just brilliant. Amazing film!
Part of the point of this ending is that they have no other choice BUT to stay together. They effectively cut everyone else out of their lives and only have each other now, like it or not, love each other or no they're stuck with each other because of what they've done.
It seems that instead of carving out a path he wanted, he simply rebelled against what he didn’t want. But the path that the rebellion did carve out was not a path he wanted either. I don’t think the film was ever about the struggle of the protagonist overcoming adversity to gain freedom or happiness. Due to how we aren’t really shown his wants and desires other than wanting to escape a life he does not desire. But his desires are never framed because we don’t know what they are. All we know is that he fought to escape all those people and finally did. But it’s left in the air whether the road he’s going down now is even the one he wants. How can he, he doesn’t know where he’s going just that Elaine will be there the whole time. The story seems to be framed as a cautionary tale. That when young individuals are forced to conform to the desires and expectations of others, they will naturally want to rebel. But where that rebellion brings them might not be a place they want to be either.
They got married had a couple kids and then got a divorce 12 years later.
5 лет назад+13
Potential94: It did turn out good for them- in the sequel novel to the graduate theyve been married +10yrs. the book itself wasnt that good but anyways the plot involved them trying to get help from mrs robinson who's still mad
The changing in the characters' expressions is key. It starts out with all smiles and laughs, as if to say "haha, we sure stuck it to them. We're independent adults, not kids anymore. No one can tell us what to do. We followed our heart, not the whims of our repressive society." And then the staring off shows that uncertainty. She looks at him as if to say "OK, you got me now, I'm yours. What are you going to do with me" and he stares straight ahead as if to say "I don't know." And that's very much what it means to grow up. You eventually have to have an answer to "what are you going to do now" or else you're never going to do anything
Actually most of the time you dont have that answer and thats the beauty of it! That uncertainty is hard to embrace and takes a lot of maturity/humility to but it's well worth ❤
"She is yours. After a time, you may find that ‘having’ is not so pleasing a thing after all as ‘wanting.’ It is not logical, but it is often true.” - Mister Spock
I dunno dude. Katherine Ross? Pretty super fine. And hey look. She's been married to Sam Elliott for decades. She'd be the one. Verrrry easily. I wouldn't look back.
I love how the ending leaves you with the thought "Well now what??". Ben and Elaine finally broke away from their families and society and have made their own major life choice and rules. It looked like they (especially Elaine) was either questioning if their choice was too impulsive and foolish or were perhaps nervous about what the future holds now that they were on their own and have finally done something that wasn't decided from their families, but from their hearts. There's so much internal dialogue going on in that scene; a very golden ending to one of the most amazing films ever made in cinema history!
I like how this ending rips away the “we’re gonna run away together and be perfectly happy” fantasy. This is the very definition of being caught up in the moment and making irrational decisions. They just hopped on a random bus, heading to God-knows-where, they have no money, no plan, no car, no place to go, and no one to support them while they figure things out. The phrase “love is all you need” sounds all well and good, but once you remember that you need a way to actually survive, it becomes obvious just how shallow that statement is and how terrible this split-second decision was.
He saved her from a marriage to someone her parents approved of not one that she could embrace. That’s justification enough to run and hop on a bus and not look back.
@@SamuelBlack84 Maybe for a dog. Sure, its good to be spontaneous time to time, but planning for the future, for a family and its future, for the random hardships of nature, illness, etc is also life.... a responsible one, anyway
I disagree. If you look at their earlier scene, where he apologizes to her for his behavior (before it all hits the fan) and she accepts it, you see that they're happy, and enjoy each other's company, at least there's some sort of connection between them which neither of them have with anyone else.
This final scene is the reason this is my favorite movie. The story begins with the completion of a great accomplishment, and its conflict is the great question of "What's next?" Their expressions on the bus show that it ends the same way. They're initially elated with their achievement, but you can see it fades quickly now that they need a new direction. They grow solemn, but there are still flickers of happiness. It's like you see a time-elapsed version of the rest of their lives together.
I think there is more uncertainty to it, "I don't think this is going to be easily ... I hope it works." It has the joy of spontaneous rebellion but also the terror of chaotic unpredictability.
3:00 notice when the mother tells her “it’s too late” she’s referring to being with Ben and she has to marry the groom. And when Elaine says “Not for me!” She’s referring to her mom being in an unhappy marriage and wasting her life with her father. in a way, She’s Vowing she won’t make the same mistake her mother made.
It's true that it was improvised. But Nichols, the director, didn't call cut on purpose. Then while editing, he decided to keep the vague expressions as a more interpretative ending.
Jesus that ending shot says so much with zero dialogue. Arguably encapsulates the whole nature of being young and growing up. The fun, exhilaration and laughs but also the uncertainty and fear and the future.
What a great director, and I'm glad that he was able to create all that he did in his prosperous life. Rest in Peace, Mike Nichols. Thank You for the great accomplishments.
amazing acting. I love the way she looks at him like she wants someone to depend on. But he has no idea what he'd done and she realises it. Incredible acting with no dialogue.
The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy, Straw Dogs, Papillon, Lenny, All the President's Men, Kramer vs. Kramer, Tootsie, Rain Man, Sleepers, etc... He's in a lot of great movies and his acting is always great.
There's something oddly powerful about the way that the people just glare at Ben & Elaine on the bus. They give them these blank, emotionless stares. It's bone-chilling, actually.
Or maybe it’s the opposite. Perhaps they’re looking at them with a sense of jealousy, as they wish they had the courage to rebel like this young pair just did.
When she screamed "BEN" it was one of my favorite moments in movie history. After this movie, as a teenager, I had a crush on Katharine Ross for a couple years.
A comic masterpiece for the ages! Note that, once seated in the back of the bus, Ben lets out a yelp of exuberant laughter. After awhile, he reverts to the vacant, apathetic stare he had at the beginning of the film, as he stares into a fish tank. Superb acting - superb direction.
The music makes the scene even more haunting. This marked the beginning of ambiguous, not happy, endings in the movies that would continue for the next five or six years until Jaws and Star Wars ushered in the blockbuster era.
Everytime l see this movie l see something new. Such a good movie on so many levels...l really believe that Ben & Elaine have a long relationship having learned from their parents mistakes. Love it.
Nah Cathy, we all learn from our OWN experiences, not from others. There was an old quote posted on my college auditorium wall that read: 'No-one is born wise, wisdom comes from experience'. No truer words were ever written.
@johnnypastrana6727 I mean we learn from both. A lot of us grow up with people that we don't want to be like, so in our adulthood, we try to negate what we felt the adults in our lives did wrong.
I never watched their faces in those last few moments on the bus so closely before... beautifully acted, you can 'see' the thoughts going through their minds... beautiful cinematography.
When he closes his eyes after realizing he's too late, it's almost like his whole body shut down. But then he suddenly turns backs on and starts malfunctioning by repeatedly shouting Elaine's name. I love that scene so much. His love for her never died.
Perfect description of that moment … it seems as though he’s finally reached an insurmountable obstacle, yet looking down at her, he still can’t give up on her. The fact he got there too late isn’t enough to kill his love for her.
Katherine Ross was so beautiful, I always had a quiver for her, in all her pictures. The Stepford Wives, Butch Cassidy, and the Graduate, plus so many others. Those big brown eyes just made you crazy with desire.
@@johnnypastrana6727 Awe johnny pastrami you really are a bitter self loathing angry depressed person. Are you gay? I bet when women look at you they not only say he doesn't do it for me but he's plain ugly.
Death Larsen lmao i think you’re the bitter self loathing person. he literally just said that he doesn’t find her attractive. grow up. she’s in an actress from a 50+ year old movie. get a grip on yourself man
I like how they ended this movie without a happy or a sad ending, it gives the audience perspective on how the characters don't end happily all the time.
I watched this movie when I was in Junior High in China. Can not believe that to watch it again as a single mom when my daughter is in Junior High now in the US. What a sweet timeless production.
No, because every movie can only be made once. Then it's made. But if you mean, They - whoever the fuck they are - aren't making movies that are funny and thought-provoking and sweet and sad, then you should watch more movies.
Indeed. Whether she stayed with Ben or not is irrelevant. She ditched a guy who would never make her happy and she had the courage to do what her mother could never do: defy society’s expectations and live life on her own terms.
I an interview with the film makers apparently they left the camera rolling after the film was supposed to have ended for a couple more minutes. And said" wow! Look at their expressions. Leave it like that. " The ending therefore,according to them,became serious. A slap in the face after all the preceding comedy
The vampire symbolism of Ben fighting the wedding crowd off with a cross and penning them up inside behind the cross was brilliant. They were in a sense vampires who would have sucked the life blood from Elaine if she had become one of them.
It's probably because they fully understand the depressing context of that ending. Can't blame them, the overall movie is just one huge shit take on the ideas of legacies and coming of age; especially for people who are about to actually graduate from college with no clear plans for the future.
me and my cousin were taken to this movie by our moms at the age of nine. our moms had no idea the adult subject matter. during the movie i could hear our moms whispering, omg! did not know this movie was this and that. but , as a young man this movie had an affect on me. i recall being hypnotized by the ben character. his passion, drive , etc.. and then to couple that with the sound track. it stayed with me all my life. i can't hear a song from this movie without drifting back
Well that was just kinda the look back then lol it was the popular haircut. You’ve seen multiple kids today with same haircut usually based off whatever the popular musicians or actors are doing with their hair. It was trendy back then because of the Beatles, and the beach boys.
This must have been so radical for moviegoers in 1967. Ruining a wedding, punching middle-aged Dad in a church, swinging a CROSS as a weapon, and using it to lock the doors. Genius.
In his appearance on Inside The Actors Studio in 1994, Nichols said the sobering look on their faces was due to the fact that he had just yelled at the two to laugh more in the scene. The actors were so scared that when they stopped laughing they got really nervous and afraid. Nichols liked it so much that he kept in the final cut.
What is true is that Nichols was a little stressed....The street was being held closed for the movie...and they were under time pressure to open the street and get the shot. But Dustin and Katherine kept getting on the bus happy and laughing...Not the tone he wanted for the scene. He barked at the actors...Which kinda upset them...So instead of seeing happiness on their faces you now see the stress of a director scaring two young actors...In some ways its less acting and more their genuine human reaction to what was going on with the director in that bus.
This film greatest trick is how it riled us up in anger, pitching us against the generation that came before. It's only at the very end that we realize how that feeling of emptiness and loss is nothing new at all. ("It's too late." "Not for me.") It's a cycle that our parents have already went through and could probably continue to our kids. Their void hasn't been fill in the end, from the act of pure defiance. It's something they have to continue to create and make sense of. That's what makes it bittersweet.
2:43 - 2:54 That was awesome! Especially at 2:53, I was dying of laughter. That was the most funny, epic, action packed sequence out any 60's drama movie I have ever scene in my life!
Katherine Ross was an extraordinary beauty, and Sam Elliot to have been married to her for all of these years, a very fortunate man. Iconic film with an unbelievable soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel.
This was my favourite movie for many years. Until it became clear that I would never get back 'my Elaine.' It also captured my own sense of alienation and futility. "You'll forgive me if I don't shake hands with you." lololol.
A classic movie scene of how real love wins and triumphs in the end, no matter what the odds or circumstances. If it is real and meant to be it can and will happen. Great line by Katherine Ross when she says to her mom in the movie. "its not too late for me"! Great moment of triumph.
Me too! That isn’t talked about enough. She had no reason to hold onto it but she did. That probably helped them when they got off the bus and needed money for shelter and food; she could’ve pawned her bouquet and gown.
Maybe i need to watch the movie more than once but my first impression of the ending was not necessarily uncertainty on their parts but relief that they got away from their overbearing controlling parents, even with nothing to their names they still got away and finally made their own decisions in life, also that last camera angle of the bus driving away gives me chills its so incredibly well filmed
He needs a moment to collect himself before gathering the energy to push himself away from the window and get back to running. He’s literally been running for miles and spent so much more energy yelling at the top of his lungs, all while dealing with heartbreak.
A true classic. Saw it years ago but am only now experiencing a similiar feeling to Hoffman and Ross' characters on the bus. Strange, strange uncertainty.
Living in the moment and then reality hits you like a ton of bricks.
Better than never living in the moment
@@RobM1606 is it really?
@@el-kiote Yes! A good and happy life should have plenty of 'living in the moment' moments, so to speak. It is what keeps you sane. Structure has it place of course but it is not the be all and end all - spontaneity needs to be liberally sprinkled into the mix too. The characters here just wanted to escape the monotony and rigidity of being told what to do and how to live their lives. The imagination can decide if it worked out for them or not. I was always told that regrets, if you have them, should only be about things you haven't done in life - not the things that you have.
@@el-kiote this man is asking the real questions. I doubt it it is. pro's and con's like everything in life, don't let anyone tell you differently. It's easy to play it off as " live the moment" / " tread carefully" when you're wired that way, that is why when people say " live the moment" it means fuck all for me
@@RobM1606 we are always living the moment, just that some are selfish pricks who never think ahead, never think of the consequences, never think of others, etc. it's a feature especially encountered in the generation that were teens in the 70' and 80' and 90' . worse generation ever, and totally responsible for the mess that my generation has to endure.
now ALL OF YOU, get the hell out of my face, you make me sick.
I love how the scene goes on long enough for us to see the realization set in of what they had just done. Too many movies end while the main characters are still on their 'high', I think this adds a touch of reality to the whole scene.
ikr
It can be a reality either way though.
Exactly. Too many stories have their protagonist/hero riding into the sunset, living "Happily Ever After". In reality, that's not how it works. Even if you get everything you want at the end of a certain chapter in your life, you still have to keep on living and moving on to the "next chapter".
@@RockSmithStudio It doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen though.
@@RockSmithStudio Yep... it seems to me that too many people (especially nowadays) are bothered by ambiguity in the ending of a film or a TV show. Their definition of a "great ending" is one where everything is spelled out to the nth degree.
i love how they dont kiss at the end and just look so confused, like two children who had done mischief
jradetzky 💯
She knew the guy at the altar was wrong. Not sure about her future!
They're not acting here. The director forgot to yell cut so they're genuinely confused lol
They're not confused, they love each other, they're just tired and accepting the choice they made which is the most difficult one and now they're thinking in the consequences and the responsability they have to accept for it, but they know they did the right choice, it's ridiculous what people think about this ending. It doesn't matter if the director didn't said cut, in the editing room they saw the scene and saw it was better that way, cinema is made with such scenes, improvisational scenes or "mistakes" that are better than the actual direction they wanted for the scene.
@@BogusLionit’s like the last shot is giving looks that say “Now what?”
He's as confused and aimless in the last scene as he is in the first.
But one difference is: he is free. He can make his own life choices now.
Bravo...good catch, he is flashing the same confused look in the final scene as when he was when he was landing at LAX in the opening scene. Then she gives him a good hard stare and wonders...what will come of them now.
Ah Heck Is he though? It seems that instead o carving out a path he wanted, he simply rebelled against what he didn’t want. But the path that the rebellion did carve out was not a path he wanted either. I don’t think the film was ever about the struggle of the protagonist overcoming adversity to gain freedom or happiness. Due to how we aren’t really shown his wants and desires other than wanting to escape a life he does not desire. But his desires are never framed because we don’t know what they are. All we know is that he fought to escape all those people and finally did. But it’s left in the air whether the road he’s going down now is even the one he wants. How can he, he doesn’t know where he’s going just that Elaine will be there the whole time. The story seems to be framed as a cautionary tale. That when young individuals are forced to conform to the desires and expectations of others, they will naturally want to rebel. But where that rebellion brings them might not be a place they want to be either.
"I'm a little worried about my future."
Yeah. Same twist as the heartbreak kid
The ending is so brilliant. She looks at him searching for confirmation and he ignores her, as he were about to say: "Don't blame me for what you have done. You made your choice!" That is what is life is really about. To make a choice and to stand for it.
But was it a happy end ?
Not really, the director intentionally left the cameras rolling for too long, it was the actors wondering why there was no "cut" for a while
@@ClaviHaze duh, he did it for their energy to naturally dissipate. I swear you types who look at the world through a literal fact only lense are insufferable.
@@memyselfi9576 I mean, of course? But the thing is that the comment I'm responding to says he purposefully ignores her and it's not like that. Talk about taking words literally
@@ClaviHaze ?
The cross locking the people in the church ..awesome symbolism
yeah, like if he was fighting against vampires
And Dustin Hoffman is Jewish lol
@@IndyDefense imagine him doing something like this ruclips.net/video/mNFEf0R35-c/видео.html at 3:17
@@IndyDefense so it should resonate even more! 🤔
Fighting off demons
I find myself relating to this movie more and more. I feel that the ending is subjective to individual people. For me, it's the realization of how scary the real world is once you don't have someone making decisions for you.
You've got to kick asses
Kate P wow
You need someone to make decisions for you?
If you think you can relate to this movie now just wait till you become Mrs Robinson with only Jesus left to love you.
@@thatanimepfpguy ❤❤❤ Great comment!
The last scene is the definition of *“I’ve won, but at what cost”*
I like to think there was difficulty and struggle, but they built a life together.
Yeah, I don’t think it’s about their feelings for each other evaporating, necessarily. Their actions in the church essentially bound them together, like their own version of marriage vows. They know how they feel about each other and that’s the ONLY thing they’re certain of. Everything else is unknown. Where will they live now? Where can they go? They have no home, no money, no more connections, no car, no clothes other than those they’re wearing. Of course their smiles fade. They have a lot to figure out. But they’ll figure it out together.
I like the very ending so much. Their transition from overly happy enthusiastic couple, thinking ''yeah, we made it, its a wonderful romantic ending just like in movies'', to confused and maybe even scared faces thinking ''well ok, but what now? we screwed up...''
misteraxl1 what does this ending mean?
My interpretation is that it puts a realization on a lot of cliche dreams, particularly the marriage.
One of the best things I heard about the trope is that when everyone lives happily ever after, that's usually the end of the story. Instead, The Graduate recognizes the inner fear of a minority of people in a wedding: what comes during the day after? There is always the day after a huge event like that, and leaving it open by facial expression reveals similar thoughts.
Hope is excitement. Hope is also scary. Hope is unpredictable. That's the beauty of the ending. It's real life.
there's shades of the ending from "long good friday" there
@@peppermintcookie5531 the director didn't call cut after all the acting was done, which left the actors confused since they have done all their instructions. This exact expression is what the director wanted to capture, as it reflects how the characters feel.
3:55 Look at what we did! By 4:18 it was "Look at what we did". Two different emotions. Just brilliant acting and with no words. Great great movie.
i love how the ending is kinda like: "so... what now?"
Same with The Florida Project
That level of uncertainty at the end has been haunting us for years....decades.
The way Elaine calls out "BEN!" always made my heart stop. It was full of such passion!! Ah I love it.
Katharine Ross is such an underrated actress. She managed to pour so much emotion into her voice while yelling at the top of her lungs, which is not easy to do.
I find it very funny :D First we hear Ben screaming repeatedly like an animal during mating season. And then female answers!
The movie's climax.
"It's too late!"
"Not for me!"
That line has always stuck with me, I love it.
Then she slapped her
crab mentality
@@jerrygil1965 probably not the first time that happened
"NOT FOR ME" She said in the deadest face ever.😂
i can only imagine elaine has been abused by her and mr robinson plenty a time
The ending is just insane. Full of youth and romanticism. I love it
I think you didn't get it :/
harry cronos You watched the ending, right? yeah, I don't think you got the point.
harry cronos ending is "full of youth and romanticism"? not! did you stop watching before the getting to end? or were you blind? or is your comment ironic?
Those two made a brash move but the question is...when they no longer have their parents to pay their bills, what will they do and how will they feel then? Ben's parents might be a bit upset at him for banging Mrs. Robinson too.
@@sitting_nut No, it absolutely is full of youth and romanticism. The film just subverts the idea that this kind of thinking, this kind of ending, is always a good thing.
Something can be full of youth and romance while also being _stupid._
Love the scene where he traps everyone in the church by using the cross.
christ the defender of love
Edmund Michel literally.
The Cross , a weapon against the evil
He stole it from Wayne’s World 2
when he swung the cross like a madman was funny too
I'd like to believe they ended up staying together, mainly because I'm a sucker for happy endings. I'd like to think that it was a hard fought battle, and they overcame every obstacle that got in their way. The ending is just brilliant. Amazing film!
Part of the point of this ending is that they have no other choice BUT to stay together. They effectively cut everyone else out of their lives and only have each other now, like it or not, love each other or no they're stuck with each other because of what they've done.
It seems that instead of carving out a path he wanted, he simply rebelled against what he didn’t want. But the path that the rebellion did carve out was not a path he wanted either. I don’t think the film was ever about the struggle of the protagonist overcoming adversity to gain freedom or happiness. Due to how we aren’t really shown his wants and desires other than wanting to escape a life he does not desire. But his desires are never framed because we don’t know what they are. All we know is that he fought to escape all those people and finally did. But it’s left in the air whether the road he’s going down now is even the one he wants. How can he, he doesn’t know where he’s going just that Elaine will be there the whole time. The story seems to be framed as a cautionary tale. That when young individuals are forced to conform to the desires and expectations of others, they will naturally want to rebel. But where that rebellion brings them might not be a place they want to be either.
They got married had a couple kids and then got a divorce 12 years later.
Potential94: It did turn out good for them- in the sequel novel to the graduate theyve been married +10yrs. the book itself wasnt that good but anyways the plot involved them trying to get help from mrs robinson who's still mad
Don’t watch la la land then
The changing in the characters' expressions is key. It starts out with all smiles and laughs, as if to say "haha, we sure stuck it to them. We're independent adults, not kids anymore. No one can tell us what to do. We followed our heart, not the whims of our repressive society." And then the staring off shows that uncertainty. She looks at him as if to say "OK, you got me now, I'm yours. What are you going to do with me" and he stares straight ahead as if to say "I don't know." And that's very much what it means to grow up. You eventually have to have an answer to "what are you going to do now" or else you're never going to do anything
Dave Mack wow
Actually most of the time you dont have that answer and thats the beauty of it!
That uncertainty is hard to embrace and takes a lot of maturity/humility to but it's well worth ❤
Yeah, they are gona end up dealing crack in some ghetto neighborhood to support themselves if that guy doesn't come up with a fully baked plan.
"She is yours. After a time, you may find that ‘having’ is not so pleasing a thing after all as ‘wanting.’ It is not logical, but it is often true.” - Mister Spock
Correct. Quite a fact actually
I dunno dude. Katherine Ross? Pretty super fine. And hey look. She's been married to Sam Elliott for decades. She'd be the one. Verrrry easily. I wouldn't look back.
I love how the ending leaves you with the thought "Well now what??". Ben and Elaine finally broke away from their families and society and have made their own major life choice and rules. It looked like they (especially Elaine) was either questioning if their choice was too impulsive and foolish or were perhaps nervous about what the future holds now that they were on their own and have finally done something that wasn't decided from their families, but from their hearts. There's so much internal dialogue going on in that scene; a very golden ending to one of the most amazing films ever made in cinema history!
I like how this ending rips away the “we’re gonna run away together and be perfectly happy” fantasy. This is the very definition of being caught up in the moment and making irrational decisions. They just hopped on a random bus, heading to God-knows-where, they have no money, no plan, no car, no place to go, and no one to support them while they figure things out. The phrase “love is all you need” sounds all well and good, but once you remember that you need a way to actually survive, it becomes obvious just how shallow that statement is and how terrible this split-second decision was.
He saved her from a marriage to someone her parents approved of not one that she could embrace. That’s justification enough to run and hop on a bus and not look back.
@@integralsun Exactly. They’re certainly in for some hardship- but she was in for misery either way. Would’ve ended up just like Mrs. Robinson.
Life is all about not having a clue what to do next
@@SamuelBlack84 Maybe for a dog. Sure, its good to be spontaneous time to time, but planning for the future, for a family and its future, for the random hardships of nature, illness, etc is also life.... a responsible one, anyway
@@flukislucas Raising a family isn't always a requirement
They don't love each other, they just love being rebellious. BRILLIANT :D
Yeah, I think so too...it felt good to say eff you...but now they will live in the real world...and then go on bended knee back to their parents.
.🤔😑🖕.
@Xeino .🤔😑🖕
.
@@johnnypastrana6727 .🤔😑🖕
.
I disagree. If you look at their earlier scene, where he apologizes to her for his behavior (before it all hits the fan) and she accepts it, you see that they're happy, and enjoy each other's company, at least there's some sort of connection between them which neither of them have with anyone else.
This final scene is the reason this is my favorite movie. The story begins with the completion of a great accomplishment, and its conflict is the great question of "What's next?" Their expressions on the bus show that it ends the same way. They're initially elated with their achievement, but you can see it fades quickly now that they need a new direction. They grow solemn, but there are still flickers of happiness. It's like you see a time-elapsed version of the rest of their lives together.
just one of the best movie endings ever.
To me, their faces have always said,
"It's not gonna be easy...we'll make it work"
I think there is more uncertainty to it, "I don't think this is going to be easily ... I hope it works." It has the joy of spontaneous rebellion but also the terror of chaotic unpredictability.
More like..."it finally happen...I hope it'll work cause if not, fuck "😂
One of the best movies ever, great cinematography and a movie that launched the career of of the one of the best actors ever, Dustin Hoffman.
Absolutely
3:04 THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU
jgonascar 😂😂😂😂
jgonascar he he
AND BINDS YOU 3:13
I know this is 5 years old but I cant stop laughing
With the holy words of "OoOoOhHhGg!"
3:00 notice when the mother tells her “it’s too late” she’s referring to being with Ben and she has to marry the groom. And when Elaine says “Not for me!” She’s referring to her mom being in an unhappy marriage and wasting her life with her father. in a way, She’s Vowing she won’t make the same mistake her mother made.
Then she slaps her
Yes indeed.
That's the part that got me ...her defiance of her mother when she said "not for me" in which her mother proceeded to slap the shit out of her....🤣🤣🤣
I read somewhere that they forgot yell 'cut' so the actors were sitting in the bus seat just staring
That’s how this became the most classic scene in the movie.
Lol that's such bullshit
I've heard that too, but there's no way this wasn't intentional.
It's true that it was improvised. But Nichols, the director, didn't call cut on purpose. Then while editing, he decided to keep the vague expressions as a more interpretative ending.
@@Beeevaaa The editor, director and actors, admitted it was unintentional 😂
Gosh I remembered this differently! When I saw the ending as a kid I thought it was the cutest thing ever. Now there's so much I didn't notice 😅😅
Elaine looks like an angel in her wedding dress.
Especially at 3:24, she literally GLIDES past the camera. So graceful.
Jesus that ending shot says so much with zero dialogue. Arguably encapsulates the whole nature of being young and growing up. The fun, exhilaration and laughs but also the uncertainty and fear and the future.
this movie holds a special place in my heart since the passing of my Dad on January 5, 2014...I miss you Dad forever.
may his soul rest in peace
What a great director, and I'm glad that he was able to create all that he did in his prosperous life. Rest in Peace, Mike Nichols. Thank You for the great accomplishments.
amazing acting. I love the way she looks at him like she wants someone to depend on. But he has no idea what he'd done and she realises it. Incredible acting with no dialogue.
She realises she could have chosen better
Katharine Ross is wonderful. And the Simon and Garfunkle songs added so much to this movie.
"Don't let anyone ever make you feel like you don't deserve what you want" - Heath Ledger as Patrick Verona.
Dustin is one of THE actors in movie history.
He's done so many great roles well.
The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy, Straw Dogs, Papillon, Lenny, All the President's Men, Kramer vs. Kramer, Tootsie, Rain Man, Sleepers, etc... He's in a lot of great movies and his acting is always great.
One of the greatest scenes in cinematic history.
Great movie! Great scene! Great songs! The triumph of Love! Enjoying this film endless times..
Always thought that ending scene suggests their relationship won't last, but they had a blast. Fits into the time.
This is a good and impressive film,making me,the man of mid 60s,absorbed in the memory of the past youth days.
There's something oddly powerful about the way that the people just glare at Ben & Elaine on the bus.
They give them these blank, emotionless stares. It's bone-chilling, actually.
Maybe because they're old and they've been there. They know the mistake that just happened
Or maybe it’s the opposite. Perhaps they’re looking at them with a sense of jealousy, as they wish they had the courage to rebel like this young pair just did.
When she screamed "BEN" it was one of my favorite moments in movie history. After this movie, as a teenager, I had a crush on Katharine Ross for a couple years.
Best four minutes of any movie that ever existed ever. Ever.
Wow, looks like I found another gem to watch for the first time. Much obliged.
Did you watch it?
A comic masterpiece for the ages! Note that, once seated in the back of the bus, Ben lets out a yelp of exuberant laughter. After awhile, he reverts to the vacant, apathetic stare he had at the beginning of the film, as he stares into a fish tank. Superb acting - superb direction.
I saw this movie at a drive in. I think I was about 15. I’ll never forget it. Later I was a runaway in NYC when Midnight Cowboy was filming.
This was filmed in my home town, in the church across the street from my high school
dude, that's cool. but i wonder if you are still alive after 8 years
Nice.
Cool
The music makes the scene even more haunting. This marked the beginning of ambiguous, not happy, endings in the movies that would continue for the next five or six years until Jaws and Star Wars ushered in the blockbuster era.
I hope Ben gets his car back
Considering that his parents bought it for him, I doubt he wants to see it again.
@@12classics39 Hey, if it was an expensive gift from a severed contact, I'd still keep it (or flip it).
Such visual storytelling. You could know nothing about this movie or its plot, but know exactly what this scene is telling you.
In the very end of the movie, it's the first time that we see Ben laughing. Love this.
Everytime l see this movie l see something new. Such a good movie on so many levels...l really believe that Ben & Elaine have a long relationship having learned from their parents mistakes. Love it.
Nah Cathy, we all learn from our OWN experiences, not from others. There was an old quote posted on my college auditorium wall that read: 'No-one is born wise, wisdom comes from experience'. No truer words were ever written.
@johnnypastrana6727 I mean we learn from both. A lot of us grow up with people that we don't want to be like, so in our adulthood, we try to negate what we felt the adults in our lives did wrong.
I never watched their faces in those last few moments on the bus so closely before... beautifully acted, you can 'see' the thoughts going through their minds... beautiful cinematography.
"Well, fuck, we just ruined our lives, didn't we?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
In a nutshell
More like “I just realized…we don’t have a home, money, contacts, anything … and we don’t really know how to survive as adults yet, do we?”
This film will never die. A true classic.....
She is so beautiful. Really gorgeous. And the music just strenghtens her beauty
RIP, Mike Nichols, brilliant artist! Thanks for posting!
I had a moment like this and chose the same path. Never regretted it, but it's not for everyone.
When he closes his eyes after realizing he's too late, it's almost like his whole body shut down. But then he suddenly turns backs on and starts malfunctioning by repeatedly shouting Elaine's name. I love that scene so much. His love for her never died.
Perfect description of that moment … it seems as though he’s finally reached an insurmountable obstacle, yet looking down at her, he still can’t give up on her. The fact he got there too late isn’t enough to kill his love for her.
How you interperate the end really shows what kind of person you are internally.
Katherine Ross was so beautiful, I always had a quiver for her, in all her pictures. The Stepford Wives, Butch Cassidy, and the Graduate, plus so many others. Those big brown eyes just made you crazy with desire.
I brought myself here, because I saw this classic when I was 14 and not a day goes by that I don't think about it.
She's so beautiful /.\
In the eye of the beholder...she doesn't do it for me...
Both are beautifulll with three L’s... wish we had more actresses like Anne Bancroft and Katharine Ross
@@johnnypastrana6727 Awe johnny pastrami you really are a bitter self loathing angry depressed person. Are you gay? I bet when women look at you they not only say he doesn't do it for me but he's plain ugly.
Death Larsen lmao i think you’re the bitter self loathing person. he literally just said that he doesn’t find her attractive. grow up. she’s in an actress from a 50+ year old
movie. get a grip on yourself man
They said during the filming they didn't have wardrobe work on her. She walked on the set absolutely perfect, clothing and all.
1:50 the way Hoffman’s voice sounds when he screams out “Elaine!” What a great actor
I like how they ended this movie without a happy or a sad ending, it gives the audience perspective on how the characters don't end happily all the time.
I watched this movie when I was in Junior High in China. Can not believe that to watch it again as a single mom when my daughter is in Junior High now in the US. What a sweet timeless production.
I'm just realizing, on Dustan Hoffman's first two films ("The Graduate" and "Midnight Cowboy") the final scenes of both films take place on a bus.
today's Hollywood does not make movies like this any more!
1967-1979 and a little bit of 1980 the beat era for American movies they haven't been made this good before or since with some exceptions
I wouldn't say anymore
They don't make movies like this anymore sadly
Sure they do. They just all miss the point so hard. ;D
Stephan Krause If you enjoyed this movie, I'd recommend watching 500 Days Of Summer.
You must not watch many movies then
No, because every movie can only be made once. Then it's made. But if you mean, They - whoever the fuck they are - aren't making movies that are funny and thought-provoking and sweet and sad, then you should watch more movies.
Watch the Before trilogy
That's it. Incredible work by Katharine Ross.
She has the let down "now what" feel done perfectly. Elaine still made the right choice.
Indeed. Whether she stayed with Ben or not is irrelevant. She ditched a guy who would never make her happy and she had the courage to do what her mother could never do: defy society’s expectations and live life on her own terms.
I an interview with the film makers apparently they left the camera rolling after the film was supposed to have ended for a couple more minutes. And said" wow! Look at their expressions. Leave it like that. " The ending therefore,according to them,became serious. A slap in the face after all the preceding comedy
One of the highlights of 60s cinema right here
This is one of the best films I've ever seen. The ending just proved that.
I love this particular recording of sounds of silence, it just fits so well, it seems so melancholy and sad, I absolutely love it!
What I think is beautiful about this ending is that whatever happens for the rest of their lives, they'll always have this moment of bliss.
Exactly. And even if they don’t stay together, they will still remember each other as “the one who saved me from following the wrong path.”
That chord slowing down as the car slows down.... I love it ❤
The vampire symbolism of Ben fighting the wedding crowd off with a cross and penning them up inside behind the cross was brilliant. They were in a sense vampires who would have sucked the life blood from Elaine if she had become one of them.
Holy shit. Waynes world 2 just took a whole new meaning. I had no clue they were spoofing an actual movie
Lol same here
@@Arl662 "Sorry! Wrong Wedding!"
How could 20 people have downvoted this?! It's literally one of the best scenes in film history! (shrug)
It's probably because they fully understand the depressing context of that ending.
Can't blame them, the overall movie is just one huge shit take on the ideas of legacies and coming of age; especially for people who are about to actually graduate from college with no clear plans for the future.
me and my cousin were taken to this movie by our moms at the age of nine. our moms had no idea the adult subject matter. during the movie i could hear our moms whispering, omg! did not know this movie was this and that. but , as a young man this movie had an affect on me. i recall being hypnotized by the ben character. his passion, drive , etc.. and then to couple that with the sound track. it stayed with me all my life. i can't hear a song from this movie without drifting back
Young Dustin Hoffman looks like one of The Beatles!
Like john ringo and paul mixed together
I guess he does a little.
Well that was just kinda the look back then lol it was the popular haircut. You’ve seen multiple kids today with same haircut usually based off whatever the popular musicians or actors are doing with their hair. It was trendy back then because of the Beatles, and the beach boys.
R.I.P, Mike Nichols! Thanks for all the great movies!
This must have been so radical for moviegoers in 1967. Ruining a wedding, punching middle-aged Dad in a church, swinging a CROSS as a weapon, and using it to lock the doors. Genius.
I saw it in 1967 as a teenager, and yes it was radical and wonderful, and then there was the music. One of the iconic movies of our generation.
Hey the heart knows what the heart wants. To be young again and run and jump with ease like these too.
I had tears in my eyes when she yelled back "Ben !". Chills.
True love ❤ at its finest
In his appearance on Inside The Actors Studio in 1994, Nichols said the sobering look on their faces was due to the fact that he had just yelled at the two to laugh more in the scene. The actors were so scared that when they stopped laughing they got really nervous and afraid. Nichols liked it so much that he kept in the final cut.
That's not true at all.
What is true is that Nichols was a little stressed....The street was being held closed for the movie...and they were under time pressure to open the street and get the shot. But Dustin and Katherine kept getting on the bus happy and laughing...Not the tone he wanted for the scene. He barked at the actors...Which kinda upset them...So instead of seeing happiness on their faces you now see the stress of a director scaring two young actors...In some ways its less acting and more their genuine human reaction to what was going on with the director in that bus.
This film greatest trick is how it riled us up in anger, pitching us against the generation that came before. It's only at the very end that we realize how that feeling of emptiness and loss is nothing new at all. ("It's too late." "Not for me.")
It's a cycle that our parents have already went through and could probably continue to our kids. Their void hasn't been fill in the end, from the act of pure defiance. It's something they have to continue to create and make sense of. That's what makes it bittersweet.
From millions of views and tens of thousands of comments, all I can say is this: The director/writer got the message right.
2:43 - 2:54 That was awesome! Especially at 2:53, I was dying of laughter. That was the most funny, epic, action packed sequence out any 60's drama movie I have ever scene in my life!
Katherine Ross was an extraordinary beauty, and Sam Elliot to have been married to her for all of these years, a very fortunate man. Iconic film with an unbelievable soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel.
This was my favourite movie for many years. Until it became clear that I would never get back 'my Elaine.' It also captured my own sense of alienation and futility. "You'll forgive me if I don't shake hands with you." lololol.
A classic movie scene of how real love wins and triumphs in the end, no matter what the odds or circumstances. If it is real and meant to be it can and will happen. Great line by Katherine Ross when she says to her mom in the movie. "its not too late for me"! Great moment of triumph.
I like how she never lets go of her bouquet of flowers
Me too! That isn’t talked about enough. She had no reason to hold onto it but she did. That probably helped them when they got off the bus and needed money for shelter and food; she could’ve pawned her bouquet and gown.
So much for tossing bouquet flower behind at the bridesmaid
Maybe i need to watch the movie more than once but my first impression of the ending was not necessarily uncertainty on their parts but relief that they got away from their overbearing controlling parents, even with nothing to their names they still got away and finally made their own decisions in life, also that last camera angle of the bus driving away gives me chills its so incredibly well filmed
I love when Elaine yells “Ben” and Ben just pauses than runs down the stairs.
He needs a moment to collect himself before gathering the energy to push himself away from the window and get back to running. He’s literally been running for miles and spent so much more energy yelling at the top of his lungs, all while dealing with heartbreak.
Just watched this again on TCM last night, what a great movie and oh, the soundtrack....loved it!
A true classic. Saw it years ago but am only now experiencing a similiar feeling to Hoffman and Ross' characters on the bus. Strange, strange uncertainty.
The whole movie is great but the end is a masterpiece. That kind of scene to remember!