DUSTIN HOFFMAN, SIMON AND GARFUNKEL, AND "THE GRADUATE".

It was a routine evening and my thoughts were firmly in the present. The big mundane question in my mind was if I should I go for a walk in the park or stroll in the driveway? Then the cellphone went 'Ping' and I saw a message from Ruchir with a photograph. He had just been to a party celebrating the 73rd birthday of Sting and sent me a photo.

I recalled our time in Singapore in 1986 when Sting, then the lead singer of a group called 'The Police' had come out with a hit song, "Every Breath You Take", which one could hear all over from TV to shopping malls to restaurants. What a beautiful romantic number it was which captivated all of us. Sting went on to produce many more hits like "Roxanne" and collaborated with other famous singers like The Dire Straits for another favourite of mine, "Money For Nothing", and won all possible music awards and recognition like inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Then in the photograph, my eye fell on a short, unassuming guy, and I recognised Dustin Hoffman. That made me leave the present and fly back to 1968: I had just seen the movie, "The Graduate", loved it immensely and knew that it would be permanently etched in my mind. I was not going to be the only one; the movie was an instant hit and nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Movie and Best Actor for rookie Hoffman. Today, after adjusting for inflation, it ranks as the 22nd highest-grossing film in the US and Canada and as the 17th greatest American film of all time.

Hoffman, an unknown actor at that time, plays the part of young Benjamin Braddock who has just earned his bachelor's degree and is at a loose end with no aim in life. He is persuaded by the much older Mrs. Robinson, wife of his father's law partner, to accompany her to her bedroom and there is a famous line where says, "You are trying to seduce me, aren't you?" He falls in her trap and they carry on a clandestine affair while Benjamin's father and Mr. Robinson egg him on to date Elaine, daughter of the Robinsons. Mrs. Robinson, though, strictly warns Benjamin to stay away from Elaine. The story has its twists and turns and the film ends with a hilarious final scene in a church where Elaine is getting married to a boy named Carl. Benjamin arrives in the nick of time and attempts to drag Elaine away while Mr. Robinson tries to stop Benjamin. Mrs. Robinson frantically gestures to Elaine to continue with the marriage ceremony while us movie watchers root for Ben and Elaine to make good their escape.

Dustin Hoffman is outstanding and unforgettable as the lost, bewildered and awkward young man not knowing how to get out of the clutches of the married woman. Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson is forceful in the role of an older woman who knows what she wants and would go to any extent to get it. Katharine Ross (Elaine) is shy and attractive and has the audience wanting her to get the better of her wicked mother. Their performance was highly rated though they missed out on the Oscars with Mike Nichols, being the sole winner from the movie with Best Director award.

Dustin Hoffman, however, went on to great fame winning two Oscars for Best Actor in "Kramer vs Kramer" and "Rain Man" and four more nominations including "Midnight Cowboy" and "Tootsie". And in the photo Ruchir sent, he looks just like he did in "The Graduate" except for his gray hair!

Now for a distinguishing feature of "The Graduate" which put it on a special pedestal- its music provided by the folk singers Simon and Garfunkel. The unique factor about the music was that though the movie was not a musical and the three most popular songs already existed with lyrics not specific to the movie, yet they were knitted extremely well with the emotions in the story making it much more powerful.

The first of the songs was "The Sound of Silence". As Garfunkel explained, "This is a song about the inability of people to communicate with each other....especially emotionally." A line from the song explains a lot, 'Hello darkness, my old friend/I've come to talk to you again'. So true for poor Benjamin caught in a trap!

Then there was "Mrs. Robinson". Originally, Simon and Garfunkel had written an insinuating song, "Mrs. Roosevelt", about the former American First Lady. Director Mike Nichols prevailed upon Simon and Garfunkel to change it to "Mrs. Robinson" and used it to great effect particularly in the last 15 minutes of the movie including bringing it to a slow halt when Benjamin’s car runs out of gas. Not only was the song a hit, "Mrs. Robinson" became synonymous with any older woman pursuing someone younger than her. 

Finally, "Scarborough Fair", a beautiful old British folk song dating back to at least 1670, which tells the story of unrequited love and a quarrel between lovers. The boy asks the messenger to convey a set of impossible tasks to the girl which she should complete before coming back to him. The song brilliantly brings out the sad longing and yearning emotional thread that runs through the movie. Its haunting refrain-

"Are you going to Scarborough Fair

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

Remember me to one who lives there

She once was a true love of mine."