MovieChat Forums > The Graduate (1967) Discussion > Interesting/fun fact about the very end....

Interesting/fun fact about the very end. (Spoiler)

posted 7 years ago by sbmf93
1 reply | jump to latest

First of all, let's start out by saying that this movie is amazing.

I purchased the Criterion Collection blu-ray and I highly suggest every hardcore fan to do the same.
It is FULL of fantastic commentary and interviews.

One interview is with the editors wife. And she said that her husband, Sam O'Steen (the editor), was an extra on the bus scene at the very end. He convinced the director to direct the scene and yell "action" and "cut". Well, he had forgotten to yell "cut" and that's why the shot of Ben and Elaine is so lengthy, showing us their faces going from excited to nervous. Kind of like, "what do we do now?"

So because he forgot to yell "cut", it made their expressions absolutely perfect and added such a beautiful ending to this movie that can be interpreted realistically.

However, after hearing this awesome fact in the criterion collection, I went to the trivia here on imdb and saw this: "Mike Nichols often remarked about how Ben and Elaine in the final scene looked frightened and confused after their initial elation over escaping on the bus. Yet during an appearance on Inside the Actors Studio (1994), he said the looks on their faces were due to being nervous and scared after he shouted at them to laugh during the scene. He liked it so much, he decided to keep the cameras rolling and cut it into the final movie."

So now I'm a little pissed because I don't know what to believe. Haha

What do y'all think?

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I just saw that Nichols interview, and think the ending was perfect. The uncertain and worried expressions fit much more with the themes of this film than having Benjamin and Elaine laugh off into the sunset. That seems too lighthearted and shallow for this film. These two characters had just unmoored themselves from every convention that defined their lives. Who wouldn’t be introspective and self-doubting after such a huge outburst and spectacular exit? Nichols may not have planned this ending but when he saw it he knew it had to stay in. Also, I recall Hoffman is a method actor, so he probably put all the agitation he felt from tensions on set into his character.