The Graduate


Theatrical release poster

Release date
December: 20, 1967 (Premiere)
December: 21, 1967 [1]

The Graduate is a 1967 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The film tells the story of 21-year-old Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), a recent college graduate with no well-defined aim in life, who is seduced by an older woman, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), and then falls in love with her daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross).

The Graduate was released on December 21, 1967 to critical and commercial success grossing $104.9 million, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1967 worldwide. Adjusted for inflation, the film's gross is $805 million, making it the 23rd highest-ever grossing film in North America. It received seven nominations at the 40th Academy Awards including for the Best Picture and won Best Director. In 1996, The Graduate was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." It is ranked by the American Film Institute as the 17th greatest American film of all-time.

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