Scott here: A lot of people who know me would probably never guess this — but yeah, my all-time favorite movie is The Graduate (1967). Directed by Mike Nichols, screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry, based on the novel by Charles Webb. Featuring Dustin Hoffman in a star-making role, the amazing Anne Bancroft as the infamous Mrs. Robinson, and great performances from Katherine Ross, William Daniels, Murray Hamilton, Norman Fell, and even an uncredited bit from Richard Dreyfuss. And of course, all those great songs from Simon and Garfunkel (according to Mike Nichols, Paul Simon played him what he had written of a song about “Mrs. Roosevelt” and Nichols told him it was now gonna be about Mrs. Robinson).
This next clip is awfully long but watching Buck Henry (as the hotel desk clerk) and Dustin Hoffman play off each is a thing of beauty.
I’m curious as to what readers of Cheese Magnet would cite as their all-time favorites, so let us hear it in the comments — and to my fellow CM bloggers, let’s see posts on your favorites!
I wish I could come up with something eclectic or cool and foreign or artsy fartsy and make myself sound all erudite . . . . but I’d say it’s a push between AMADEUS and Chaplin’s THE CIRCUS.
Without doubt, my favorite is Lawrence of Arabia (theatrical edition, not the director’s cut–there were reasons those scenes ended up on the cutting room floor)
It’s funny, sometimes a director’s cut can really bring out the best in a movie, but you’re right, other times it only points out why some stuff SHOULD be cut — ALIENS is a good example of that. I could’ve gone my whole life without seeing that endless scene where Bill Paxton goes on about how he and his badass squad of badasses will use their badass skills of badassery to badass the hell out of those not-so badass aliens…
I always have such a hard time narrowign it down to just one thing. I love THE GRADUATE, like a spinster loves chocolate and rechargeable AAA batteries. I love THE QUIET EARTH like your Momma loves Cheetos. Though at this very moment, if I had to make an absolute choice… I’d still call it a 3-way tie betwixt PAT GARRETT & BILLY THE KID, ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT (1941) and THE BLUES BROTHERS. How’s that for eccentric?
“narrowign” I am a tremendous writer.
I accept and applaud this as a choice for someone’s favorite movie. I always say for every movie out there, there must be someone somewhere whose favorite movie that is. With some stuff, it’s a little hard — and sometimes frightening — to think so… but with something like THE GRADUATE, I totally go, ‘I can see that.’ It is one of my favorites to be sure, but not MY favorite, because of the lack of yellow blood…
I just realized I’ve never actually seen The Graduate all the way through, only in bits and pieces. I’ll have to remedy that.
The very first Director’s Cut I ever saw was Blade Runner, and it really turned me off the concept. I know this is heresy, but the version that was supposedly closer to Ridley Scott’s vision just didn’t hold together as well for me.
Creators usually need constraints. Exhibit A: George Lucas.
I first saw The Graduate right after my sophomore yr in college and thought it was ok, but not so great. I saw it again after i graduated. It’s one of the all-time classics. Depends entirely on where you are (in life) when you see it.
“Where you are (in life) when you see it” indeed had a lot to do with my favorite movies. I was a mere 9 years old when Star Wars blew me away. I saw Phantasm at middle-school-age, late at night on TV in the dark with the rest of the family asleep. Gregory’s Girl is another fave, seen during those awkward teen years.
Phantasm! I love that movie. So freaky and weirdly good. BOY!