Sunday, July 21, 4:30 p.m. | In the more than 50 years since its release, THE GRADUATE has remained and endured within the American cinema cannon—it is meme-able, quote-able, endlessly referenced, and brilliantly relevant after all these years. Dustin Hoffman’s recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock is achingly, relatably disillusioned, and his affair with the seductive and assured Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) is as ill-advised and complicated as it was in 1967. An exploration of identity and self-realization, with a dash of commentary on capitalism and mediocrity, THE GRADUATE, which won the late, great Mike Nichols his only Academy Award for Best Director, concludes with wedding bells, a punch to the gut, a smack in the face, and a defiant bride. As Simon & Garfunkel’s haunting The Sound of Silence begins, two lovers board a bus bound for an unknown destination and settle into the unease and anxiety of an undefined future.

Awards & Nominations

Winner - Best Director, Academy Awards
Nominee - Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Dustin Hoffman), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Anne Bancroft), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Katharine Ross), Academy Awards

Last Shot: Stick the landing. Bring it home. Finish strong. In cinema, the last shot is arguably the most important. “This is it, this is the final moment, it is perfect!” only to have it go on, stumbling and fumbling its way to the credits? For all those missed opportunities, there are also the pitch-perfect conclusions, the memorable last looks, the frames that catch your breath in your throat and with pure artistry not only conclude a film but underscore, emphasize, or affirm the entire running time that came before it. Our 11-film Last Shot series explores impeccable resolutions in film. View full Last Shot series. *Spoiler alert: the endings of all films in this series are mentioned (as subtly as possible) in their description, and the accompanying still images do not reflect their final frames.

The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu