The time of transition and adaption after the Paramount decree and the decline of the studio system in the 1950s is what many film scholars refer to as the New Hollywood era. Geoff King describes with this term two versions of how the industry approached the difficult economic circumstances at this time (New Hollywood 3). This includes the emergence of the American art cinema, which King calls the “Hollywood Renaissance” (3). With this term, he primarily characterizes the 1968 to 1980s approach of the studios to target films “at a variety of smaller, more specific” audiences (34; 48). According to King, there had been a demographic shift and a greater cultural awareness of a new generation since the 1960s (30). As a result, this led to new forms of narrative and style, as well as more critical topics that were addressed in films within the studio system. Many of today’s well-known filmmakers began their careers in this period of a greater artistic freedom and shifts in social awareness.
The comedies "The Graduate" (Mike Nichols, 1967) and "Harold and Maude" (Hal Ashby, 1971) both reflect the alienated youth generation of their era through their respective male protagonists. In particular, both characters’ identity crises derive from a not-yet-accomplished masculinity and are coped with through a taboo-breaking love affair. In the following comparison, the use of the cinematic techniques of mise-en-scene, cinematography, and music in both films will be shown to represent this crisis of manhood and its final accomplishment by the principal male protagonist. This theme will be examined, drawing mainly on readings by scholars such as William Indick and Wayne Schuth.
Table of Contents
1. The Older the Better: Crises of Masculinity in The Graduate and Harold and Maude
Objectives and Topics
This academic paper examines the identity and masculinity crises of the protagonists in the films The Graduate and Harold and Maude, analyzing how their respective relationships with older women facilitate their transition into adulthood and self-determination.
- Analysis of the "New Hollywood" era and its narrative shifts.
- Application of Erik Erikson’s psychoanalytic theories regarding adolescent identity diffusion.
- Comparison of cinematic techniques and comic structures in both films.
- Exploration of sexual initiation as a catalyst for masculine identity formation.
- Examination of resistance against enforced societal conformity.
Excerpt from the Book
Benjamin is clearly “experiencing an adolescent identity crisis” when he returns to his parents’ home after graduating from college (Indick 189). He “is in the state of identity diffusion” (Indick 189). This diffusion is greatly shown through water, which is a “visual motif” of the film according to Wayne Schuth (47; cf. Indick 189). Schuth’s reading of the diving suit scene underlines this. In the underwater tracking shot away from Ben, “the blue water obscures him” (51). He is “fading away, becoming nothing” (51) as he visually diffuses with the water – his current identity is liquid, volatile and not solidified just like water. The term “drifting,” which is even mentioned by Ben himself, is especially qualifying for reflecting the identity confusion (Indick 189). It suggests seeing the state between childhood and adulthood as an on-going fluid transition rather than a clear-cut change. Furthermore, the crisis of Ben is mirrored in the exposition, which is characterized by a sole focus on him in terms of cinematography and lightning. In the opening credits scene on the conveyor belt, we see him in profile and, therefore, we see only half of his face. This notion continues when we see him sitting in front of the aquarium and “hatchet lighting” divides his face in half (Tomasulo, Rebellious Sixties). This shows the ambivalence in the state of adolescence and the inner turmoil between childhood and adulthood following Erikson’s “identity versus identity diffusion” (cf. Indick 183). The dark side of his face represents the diffused identity and the bright side of his face represents the identity that he will finally build but is still “half-baked” at the moment. Darkness as a hideaway and a “secure” void is also characterized in the lyrics of the film’s theme song “Sound of silence,” which “expresses his character’s feelings“ (Berliner and Furia 24). In the very first lines of the song, darkness can be read as Ben’s old friend whom he warmly welcomes. He can be anybody and nobody simultaneously in the dark. There is no need to establish an identity within darkness. The song and its melancholic mood, hence, not only “indicate
Summary of Chapters
1. The Older the Better: Crises of Masculinity in The Graduate and Harold and Maude: This section introduces the New Hollywood context and analyzes the protagonists' identity struggles, focusing on the role of cinematic techniques and relationships with older women in achieving mature identity.
Keywords
Masculinity, Identity Crisis, The Graduate, Harold and Maude, New Hollywood, Erik Erikson, Psychoanalysis, Adolescence, Sexual Initiation, Romantic Comedy, Cinematic Technique, Conformity, Rebellion, Film Analysis, Identity Diffusion
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper explores the crises of masculinity and identity faced by the protagonists in the films The Graduate and Harold and Maude during the New Hollywood era.
What are the central thematic fields?
The key themes include the transition from adolescence to adulthood, the construction of masculine identity, sexual initiation, and the rejection of mainstream societal expectations.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to demonstrate how both characters use their relationships with older women to cope with identity diffusion and eventually establish their own unique places in society.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The author applies psychoanalytic theories, specifically Erik Erikson’s stages of social development, to analyze the character growth and filmic narrative structures.
What does the main body cover?
It provides a comparative analysis of cinematic techniques, light usage, music, and the symbolic significance of the films' narrative arcs regarding identity and death.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Important keywords include Masculinity, Identity Crisis, Psychoanalysis, New Hollywood, and Sexual Initiation.
How is the "hatchet lighting" used as a symbolic tool in both films?
The author argues that "hatchet lighting," which divides the faces of Benjamin and Harold in the exposition, serves as a visual signifier for their internal ambivalence and identity struggle.
How does the author interpret the endings of both films regarding masculinity?
The endings are viewed as the successful formation of an independent self; while Benjamin's transition is more metaphorical, Harold's is seen as a literal rebirth from his previously suicidal persona.
Why is the role of the older women (Mrs. Robinson and Maude) considered crucial?
They act as catalysts for the male protagonists' initiation into adulthood and sexuality, providing a necessary counteraction to the rigid norms of their respective environments.
- Quote paper
- B.A. Oliver Krause (Author), 2013, The Older the Better? Crises of Masculinity in "The Graduate" and "Harold and Maude", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/337978
