Editing The Graduate (section)

==Production==
Getting the film made was difficult for Nichols, who, while noted for being a successful Broadway director, was still an unknown in Hollywood. Producer [[Lawrence Turman]], who wanted only Nichols to direct it, was continually turned down for financing. Turman also said that every studio turned down the project, saying "they read the book and hated it, and no one thought it was funny".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nypost.com/2017/04/20/50-years-later-the-graduate-cast-reveals-behind-the-scenes-secrets/ |title=50 years later, 'The Graduate' cast reveals behind-the-scenes secrets | date=April 20, 2017 |website=New York Post |last=Hoffman |first=Barbara}}</ref> He then contacted producer [[Joseph E. Levine]], who said he would finance the film because he had associated with Nichols on the play ''[[The Knack ...and How to Get It|The Knack]]'',<ref name=fee/> and because he heard Elizabeth Taylor specifically wanted Nichols to direct her and Richard Burton in ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (film)|Virginia Woolf]]''.<ref name="Kashner">{{cite magazine|last1=Kashner|first1=Sam|title=Here's to You, Mr. Nichols: The Making of The Graduate|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/03/graduate200803|magazine=Vanity Fair|access-date=November 21, 2014|date=March 2008|archive-date=November 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141121115808/http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/03/graduate200803|url-status=live}}</ref>

With financing assured, Nichols suggested [[Buck Henry]] for screenwriter, although Henry's experience had also been mostly in improvised comedy, and he had no writing background. Nichols said to Henry, "I think you could do it; I think you {{em|should}} do it."<ref name="Kashner" /> Nichols was paid $150,000, and was to receive one-sixth of the profits.<ref name=fee>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=April 17, 1968|page=1|title=Nichols' $1-Mil. To Direct His Next}}</ref>

===Casting===
Nichols' first choice for Mrs. Robinson was French actress [[Jeanne Moreau]].<ref>Audio commentary by Mike Nichols and Steven Soderbergh in Criterion Collection BD and DVD.</ref> The motivation for this was the cliché that in French culture, "older" women tended to "train" the younger men in sexual matters. Casting for the project was challenging.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cinephiliabeyond.org/the-graduate-mike-nichols-sophomore-effort-that-shook-the-united-states/ |title='The Graduate': Mike Nichols' Sophomore Effort that Shook the United States |last=Mikulec |first=Sven |website=Cinephilia Beyond|date=February 26, 2016 }}</ref> [[Doris Day]] turned down an offer because the nudity required by the role offended her.<ref name=mcgee>{{cite book| title=Doris Day: Sentimental Journey| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cfbcA3zFlNgC&q=doris+day+graduate&pg=PT326| last=McGee| first=Garry| date=November 22, 2011| page=160| publisher=McFarland| isbn=978-0-7864-6107-3| access-date=2014-03-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/5/13/18617650/doris-day-life-films-legacy-rock-hudson-terry-melcher-manson | title=Doris Day was a conservative icon amid a turbulent counterculture. But her life belied her persona | date=May 13, 2019 |website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/13/obituaries/doris-day-death.html | title=Doris Day, Movie Star Who Charmed America, Dies at 97 | work=The New York Times | date=May 13, 2019 | last1=Harmetz | first1=Aljean }}</ref> [[Shelley Winters]], [[Ingrid Bergman]], [[Eva Marie Saint]], [[Ava Gardner]], [[Patricia Neal]], [[Susan Hayward]], [[Deborah Kerr]], [[Rita Hayworth]], [[Lana Turner]] and [[Geraldine Page]] were also considered for the role of Mrs. Robinson.<ref name ="vulture" /><ref name="Kashner" />

[[Dustin Hoffman]] was cast as Liebkind in the [[Mel Brooks]] film ''[[The Producers (1967 film)|The Producers]]'' (1967), but before filming began Hoffman begged Brooks to let him go to audition for ''The Graduate''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Desowitz |first=Bill |date=April 25, 2018 |title='The Producers' Turns 50: Mel Brooks Explains Why His Subversive Comedy Is Still Relevant |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/04/the-producers-mel-brooks-interview-tcm-film-festival-1201957140/ |access-date=October 23, 2022 |website=[[IndieWire]]}}</ref> When Dustin Hoffman auditioned for the role of Benjamin, he was just short of his 30th birthday at the time of filming. He was asked to perform a love scene with Ross, having previously never done one, and believed that, as he said later, "a girl like [Ross] would never go for a guy like me in a million years". Ross agreed, believing that Hoffman "looked about 3 feet tall ... so unkempt. This is going to be a disaster." Producer [[Joseph E. Levine]] later admitted that he at first believed Hoffman "was one of the messenger boys". Despite – or perhaps because of – Hoffman's awkwardness, Nichols chose him for the film.<ref name="life19671124">{{cite magazine| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eEkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA111| title=The Graduate| magazine=[[Life (magazine)|Life]]| date=24 November 1967| access-date=2014-03-03| last=Zeitlin| first=David| page=111| archive-date=May 10, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510020202/http://books.google.com/books?id=eEkEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA71&pg=PA111| url-status=live}}</ref>

"As far as I'm concerned, Mike Nichols did a very courageous thing casting me in a part that I was not right for, meaning I was Jewish," said Hoffman. "In fact, many of the reviews were very negative. It was kind of veiled anti-Semitism.... I was called 'big-nosed' in the reviews; 'a nasal voice'."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.680news.com/2015/03/25/dustin-hoffman-says-he-understands-the-worries-of-young-singers-in-boychoir/ | title=Dustin Hoffman says he understands the worries of young singers in 'Boychoir' | first=Victoria | last=Ahearn | date=March 25, 2015 | work=680 NEWS | access-date=2018-11-27 | archive-date=December 13, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213130543/https://www.680news.com/2015/03/25/dustin-hoffman-says-he-understands-the-worries-of-young-singers-in-boychoir/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Hoffman was paid $20,000 for his role in the film, but netted just $4,000 after taxes and living expenses. After spending that money, Hoffman filed for New York State [[unemployment benefits]], receiving $55 per week while living in a two-room apartment in the [[West Village]] of [[Manhattan]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sullivan|first=Dan|date=1967-12-30|title=New-Found Stardom Worries Dustin Hoffman|page=15|work=The New York Times |url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1967/12/30/91667953.html?pageNumber=15 |access-date=July 22, 2024}}</ref>

Before Hoffman was cast, [[Robert Redford]] and [[Charles Grodin]] were among the top choices. Redford tested for the part of Benjamin (with [[Candice Bergen]] as Elaine), but Nichols thought Redford did not possess the underdog quality Benjamin needed.<ref name="Kashner" /> Grodin turned down the part at first because of the low $500/week salary offered by producer [[Lawrence Turman]]. Grodin was offered more money, but declined again because he did not believe he could prepare for a screen test for the film overnight. "If they had given me three days to prepare, I think I would have gotten the role," he said.<ref name="vulture">{{cite web|last=Evans |first=Bradford |title=The Lost Roles of 'The Graduate |website=Vulture |date=December 20, 2012 |url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/12/the-lost-roles-of-the-graduate.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124063548/https://www.vulture.com/2012/12/the-lost-roles-of-the-graduate.html |archive-date=November 24, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Harrison Ford]] also auditioned for the role of Benjamin Braddock but was turned down.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=McqLdkUnTVgC&pg=PA144|title=Harrison Ford: The Films|isbn=9780786440481|last1=Duke|first1=Brad|date=July 2008|publisher=McFarland |access-date=May 30, 2021|archive-date=June 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602233120/https://books.google.com/books?id=McqLdkUnTVgC&pg=PA144|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Burt Ward]] was informally offered Hoffman's role, but was already committed to the role of Robin in the [[Batman (TV series)|''Batman'' television series]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Huver |first1=Scott |title=Holy Hollywood Star, Batman: Burt Ward Talks Road to Walk of Fame Honor |url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/features/batman-burt-ward-hollywood-walk-of-fame-interview-1203453454/ |website=Variety |language=en |date=January 9, 2020 |access-date=2020-10-01 |archive-date=February 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226132451/https://variety.com/2020/tv/features/batman-burt-ward-hollywood-walk-of-fame-interview-1203453454/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Jack Nicholson]], [[Steve McQueen]], [[Anthony Perkins]], [[Warren Beatty]], [[George Peppard]], [[George Hamilton (actor)|George Hamilton]], [[Keir Dullea]], [[Brandon deWilde]] and [[Michael Parks]] were also considered for the role of Benjamin Braddock.<ref name ="vulture" /><ref name="Kashner" /><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jun/15/heres-to-you-mrs-robinson-why-the-graduate-unites-warring-generations-50-years-on | title=Here's to you, MRS Robinson: Why the Graduate unites warring generations 50 years on | newspaper=The Guardian | date=June 15, 2017 | last1=Jones | first1=Ellen E. }}</ref>

[[Ronald Reagan]] was considered for the part of Benjamin's father Mr. Braddock, which eventually went to William Daniels.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-03-28-9703280135-story.html | title=30 Years Haven't Dulled the Brilliance of 'The Graduate' | website=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=March 28, 1997 }}</ref> Nichols cast [[Gene Hackman]] as Mr. Robinson, but he was later fired after a few days of rehearsals; he was replaced by Murray Hamilton.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2004/03/gene-hackman-dustin-hoffman-hollywood | title=Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, and Robert Duvall: Three Friends Who Went from Rags to Riches | website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] | date=August 15, 2013 }}</ref> Many years later, Hackman said that being fired from the film still hurt him.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/11/14/gene-hackman-happy-with-his-career-despite-honorable-disappointments/ |title=Gene Hackman Happy with His Career Despite 'Honorable Disappointments' |date=1985-11-14 |work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref>

Despite playing mother and daughter, [[Anne Bancroft]] and [[Katharine Ross]] were only eight years apart in age. Bancroft and Hoffman differed less than six.

===Filming===
The quality of the [[cinematography]] was influenced by Nichols, who chose [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] winner [[Robert Surtees (cinematographer)|Robert Surtees]] to do the photography. Surtees, who had photographed major films since the 1920s, including ''[[Ben-Hur (1959 film)|Ben-Hur]]'', said later, "It took everything I had learned over 30 years to be able to do the job. I knew that Mike Nichols was a young director who went in for a lot of camera. We did more things in this picture than I ever did in one film."<ref name="Kashner" />

Many of the exterior university campus shots of Berkeley were actually filmed on the brick campus of [[University of Southern California|USC]] in [[Los Angeles]].<ref name=USCfilming>{{cite web |title=USC's Lists & Urban Legends: Just a Few of the Feature Films Shot on the University Park Campus |url=http://www.usc.edu/dept/pubrel/trojan_family/spring06/Lists.html |last=Moore |first=Annette |work=USC Trojan Family Magazine |date=Spring 2006 |access-date=2014-03-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527071350/http://www.usc.edu/dept/pubrel/trojan_family/spring06/Lists.html |archive-date=May 27, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
[[File:La Verne United Methodist Church (featured in last scene of The Graduate).jpg|thumb|The United Methodist Church in [[La Verne, California]] used in the final act of the film.]]
The church used for the wedding scene is actually the United Methodist Church in [[La Verne, California|La Verne]]. In an [[audio commentary]] released with the 40th anniversary [[DVD]], Hoffman revealed he was uneasy about the scene in which he pounds on the church window, as the minister of the [[Church (building)|church]] had been watching the filming disapprovingly.<ref>{{cite AV media |people=Dustin Hoffman, Katherine Ross|date=September 11, 2007 |title= The Graduate - 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition ''(audio commentary)'' |medium=DVD |publisher=[[MGM Home Entertainment]]|oclc=
1347390989|asin=B00000F798}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Allen |first1=David |title='The Graduate' wedding scene forever altar-ed La Verne church |url=https://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/12/21/the-graduate-wedding-scene-forever-altar-ed-la-verne-church/ |website=[[Inland Valley Daily Bulletin|Daily Bulletin]] |access-date=22 July 2024 |date=21 December 2017}}</ref> The wedding scene was highly influenced by the ending of the 1924 comedy film ''[[Girl Shy]]'' starring [[Harold Lloyd]], who also served as an advisor for the scene in ''The Graduate''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1443795|title=Silent Salon 2015 // Girl Shy|website=brownpapertickets.com|access-date=May 29, 2015|archive-date=May 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529195808/http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1443795|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doctormacro.com/Movie%20Summaries/G/Girl%20Shy.htm|title=Girl Shy|website=doctormacro.com|access-date=May 29, 2015|archive-date=September 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923215621/http://www.doctormacro.com/Movie%20Summaries/G/Girl%20Shy.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Music===
{{See also|The Graduate (soundtrack)}}
The film boosted the profile of [[folk-rock]] duo [[Simon & Garfunkel]]. Originally, Nichols and O'Steen used their existing songs like "[[The Sound of Silence]]" merely as a pacing device for the editing, until Nichols decided that substituting original music would not be effective, and decided to include them on the soundtrack, an unusual move at that time.<ref name=harris>{{cite book |last=Harris |first=Mark |title=Pictures at a Revolution |url=https://archive.org/details/picturesatrevolu00harr_0/page/360 |date=February 14, 2008 |publisher=The Penguin Press |pages=[https://archive.org/details/picturesatrevolu00harr_0/page/360 360–1] |isbn=978-1-5942-0152-3 |url-access=registration }}</ref>

According to a ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' article by [[Peter Bart]] in the May 15, 2005, issue, [[Lawrence Turman]], his producer, then made a deal for Simon to write three new songs for the movie. By the time they had nearly finished editing the film, Simon had written only one new song. Nichols begged him for more, but Simon, who was touring constantly, told him he did not have the time. He did play a few notes of a new song he had been working on: "It's not for the movie... It's a song about times past — about [[Eleanor Roosevelt|Mrs. Roosevelt]] and [[Joe DiMaggio]] and stuff." Nichols advised Simon, "It's now about [[Mrs. Robinson]], not Mrs. Roosevelt."<ref name=bart>{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2005/film/columns/the-perfect-pic-alignment-1117922805/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |first=Peter |last=Bart |author-link=Peter Bart |title=The perfect pic alignment |date=May 15, 2005 |access-date=September 15, 2019 |archive-date=August 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809064345/https://variety.com/2005/film/columns/the-perfect-pic-alignment-1117922805/ |url-status=live }}</ref>