Being There

Alright, the film was what I call annoying. I understood the message, I appreciated the intention to be humorous at some points, but still, the whole film remained so pointless and the main character unbearable that it managed to get to my never again list.

So many questions arose already in the beginning about the character of Chance and his past and it made me try to figure him out so badly, that I couldn’t really focus on the sense of the film, I was looking forward too much to get some information about him. Any information. I mean I know it did not matter who he was and where did he come from, in our ridiculous word his story can happen. If you know the right man no one will dare to ask you the hell you are, and they are even more likely to assume your past being ‘canceled’ by FBI than considering you being practically nobody. But who was Chance the gardener? Who were his parents and what made the old man bring him up as a family gardener? How did it come that nobody discovered him existing, and later his mental defect? 

One more thing that gave me a really hard time was the ending scene, when he walks on the water while Ben’s funeral is going on in the background and Ben’s friends are discussing who to support for presidency. I guess his water-walk is a kind of symbol that he is considered as a redeemer in the situation ¬– personally for Eve, in business for Ben’s association, and for the country as he was thought to help out the President. I understand the idea, but don’t like it. I know people are blind and ask no questions, but still don’t like the idea.

The only refreshing thing in the film was Shirley MacLaine, who was nice to see, even if the ‘love scene’ was pathetic.

The Graduate

God bless you dear Mrs. Robinson, Jesus loves you more than you will know…

I think everyone knows the song by Simon and Garfunkel, and even the most of Hungarians have heard about the ’Mrs. Robinson’ story, but I think mainly because of the erotic content. But the film itself is very famous as well, although some American history and social studies are needed to understand it.

The music is very determining in the film, and the most effective is ’The sound of silence’ which goes hand in hand with the symbol of water. I take the view that water equals silence in the film, which refers to the words unspoken and that the mainstream society in which Benjamin lives has strict rules what is to talk about and what is not to. And I believe Mrs. Robinson never wants to talk because she became the victim of these rules and kind of life, and prefers not to talk at all if it is impossible to talk about thing she wants, or once wanted before became’ the Mrs. Robinson’.

The music has a constant contrast with the visual content: the lyrics are thought-evoking and always have a deeper message while the story itself is about Benjamin (and Elaine) suffering in the lying environment and already prepared course of life.

The most interesting part is the ’happy end’, when Ben and Elaine escape from her wedding and Ben is forcing back the shouting crowd by a cross. That’s fun part, but when they get on the bus they don’t seem happy at all, but a little nervous, a little regretful, a little aimless. And then comes ’Hello darkness my old friend’ again, which kills the whole feeling of achievement and freedom. It might refer to that no matter they broke away from their families’ false expectations, they still have nobody close to them, and have no idea what is next.

It also seemed to me that the whole movie is building up only for this single ending scene, and it would explain some absurd scenes, like Elaine falling love with Ben only because the kiss and that Mrs. Robinson would tell Elaine everything herself if Benjamin met her daughter.

But it was a real experience to see the young Dustin Hoffman on screen. I totally believed him being so embarrassed.

Touch of Evil

Well, I try to recall the film in details… but only some dim impression wreathes in my memory about warmth, darkness, sweat, gangsters and Charlton Heston.
Orson Welles was barely recognizable, he was very different from his old alternative from Citizen Cane. He was loathsome and disgusting, no wonder I had the feeling he was going to be the bad guy. Well, he was not the only one. Welles’ performance was really believable, I think he created a stereotype of fat, nasty police officers, going after their intuitions, which is very ugly, but eventually proves to be right.

Charlton Heston looked nothing like a Mexican except he had a moustache and spoke some Spanish. He was expected to be the good guy, the defender of justice and American hypocrisy, but eventually he turned out not to be. You were right, Ted, nobody was the good guy.

The Blondie was fine, she didn’t have to act much and she was only the victim of the happenings. 
I think the characters are not the point in the film, or can become complete only in the environment they are portrayed: the dark borders of the US and Mexico, which I think refers to both political and underground machinations of people on the two sides of the border. This atmosphere covers every place and person. It might be because of the post-war disillusionment, but everyone lives for selfish purposes and honesty does not really count –of course except for the lovers, but I think that’s only because Hollywood wanted to make some profit out o the film.

I liked the scene when the Welles visited the gipsy woman. It made the viewer wonder what kind of people he used to be and what could have made him the person he was. He must have been on good terms with the woman, and in the final scene when he is shot by Vargas, the only person feeling sorry for him is the gipsy woman, and not because the person who died, but because the person who he used to be.

And the bug-scene was hilarious, when Heston was carrying around that heavy antenna.