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Working links in the
members' page, text-only in the AdultCheck
version "The
Graduate", from Tuna
Tuna's comments: another
classic -- The Graduate (1967) with Dustin
Hoffman, Anne Bancroft and Katharine Ross, songs
by Paul Simon, score by Dave Grusin, and costumes
by Edith Head. IMDB Top 250 # 92. Won Oscar for
Best Director. Nominated for Best Actor, Best
Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Picture,
Best Cinematography and Best Writing. This
launched the film career of Dustin Hoffman, and
made Ross one of the most sought-after actresses
in Hollywood. The special features contain a 1972
interview with Ross who explains that she was so
deluged with offers, scripts, etc. that he ran
and hid. This explains why she didn't do much
after her early fame in The Graduate and Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Another interesting
tidbit from the Special Features concerns the
Song "Mrs. Robinson." Paul Simon wrote
only a segment of the song for the film, and was
reluctant to finish it for use in promoting the
film. After the film's phenomenal success, he
immediately finished the song and released an
album which quickly went Gold.
If imitation is the
sincerest form of flattery, then the scene where
one of the guests at Hoffman's graduation party
takes him aside and says "I have one word
for you -- plastics" proves the films
stature. Two other scenes show up on many of the
great films of the past promos. The first is
where Hoffman says to Bancroft, "Are you
trying to seduce me Mrs. Robinson?" The
second is when Hoffman is banging on the glass in
the church trying to stop Ross's wedding. In this
scene, Benjamin is banging on a plate glass
window and screaming for Elaine (Ross) with his
arms stretched wide. Many critiques of the film
say this is an allegory to the crucifixion of
Christ. According to Hoffman, the pastor of the
church that was rented for the film had become
increasingly agitated over the abuse his church
was taking by cast and crew. During rehearsals,
Hoffman was banging on the glass with his fists,
causing the glass to rattle. The minister said
that the glass was a gift, and that he would not
permit the banging for fear of breaking the
glass. A special effects expert advised Hoffman
to stretch his arms wide and distribute the
stress on the glass. So much for the allegory
theory.
On the off chance that
there is someone who has not seen this film,
Benjamin (Hoffman) has just graduated from
college, and is struggling with angst over his
future. He is seduced by Bancroft (Mrs. Robinson)
who is the wife of his father's business partner.
The affair turns nasty when Benjamin dates Mrs.
Robinson's daughter (Ross) and falls in love with
her. The breast shot in image 7 may not be a
double. A breast close-up was appropriate to the
scene, the skin tone and tan lines are consistent
with Bancroft as is the size, and I can find no
reference anywhere to a double being used. Pay
attention to the picture reflection in images 5
and 6. I adore everything about this film, and
was pleased with the DVD version.
Interesting info, Tuna!
thumbnails
Anne Bancroft (1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10)
"The
Vampire Happening", from Tuna
Tuna's comments: The
Vampire Happening is a German made send-up of
Vampire movies. An American Actress goes to
Transylvania to visit the ancestral castle she
just inherited before selling it, and finds that
a local school teacher is a good fuck, and that
she looks just like her vampire grandmother. The
two of them (played by the same actress) cause no
end of confusion simply by going from blonde to
brunette and back again. The high point is a
monster mash for vampires only. The dubbing is as
good as I have seen, there are some genuinely
funny moments, lots of breasts, and a good DVD
transfer job. This is late night cable
sexploitation fare, but worth the rent if you are
in the mood for light entertainment.
The Germans must be the
best dubbers in the world. Nobody even comes
close. There are very good German actors and
actresses who do nothing but this, and take great
pride in it. I especially love watching the
original Star Trek in German, where the actor
does a perfect homage to and send-up of cocky
Bill Shatner, speech rhythm and all adapted to
German. Another good one is Columbo, where the
actor doesn't try to mimic Peter Falk, but rather
creates a different voice and personality that
seem to fit perfectly with Peter Falk's
appearance, so you completely accept the
transformation to German.
thumbnails with Pia Degermark
other thumbnails
Pia Degermark (1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10)
Others (1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
Four
naked women who don't get naked very often, from
GR
And who among us doesn't
wish they would have done it more? I always
thought Harrold was sexy as hell, but I guess we
have to abandon future hope for her, so this
remains her only screen nudity, I think. Harrold
turns 50 this summer (Can that be true? Memento
mori.) Zuniga is still only 36, and I'll bet
she'd still look great, but she doesn't seem to
have nudity in her career plan. The other two may
yet deliver more of the goods. Heigl is only a
kid, just turned 21, and she did a sexy magazine
layout recently, so I suppose that bodes well for
the future. I think this is the only movie that
27 year old Harmon has ever been in, so her
topless scene can be viewed as a cup half empty
(she's never showed any more on screen), or half
full (she's been naked in 100% of her film
appearances). Angie Harmon in "Lawn
Dogs" Daphne Zuniga in "Last
Rites" Katherine Heigl in "Bug
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