agitators”. 298 This is a subtle reference to groups such as the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), one of the largest and most successful attempts to unite student voices. 299 Despite the omission of political activism, The Graduate shows college campuses as places where young adults could express their ideas and be their true selves. Nichols’ camera work parallels this, finally allowing Ben and the audience to breathe once he has left the confines of his Californian home. Kyle Stevens notes that, although The Graduate gives little acknowledgement to the existence of student protests, counterculture, or the Vietnam war, because of its “abstract portrait of rebellion” the film allows audiences to adapt the narrative to suit whatever issue they are facing, helping it to remain relevant through the decades. 300 One cinematic innovation which The Graduate utilises is in its soundtrack, primarily composed of Simon & Garfunkel songs. Prior to this, Hollywood had used custom-made film scores or operatic pieces to narrate pictures. 301 Nichols was the first to use songs from an already released album, something which has become common practice today. 302 Although the use of a pre-made soundtrack made The Graduate unique in its tone, the melancholy of Simon & Garfunkel’s music contradicted the loud, upbeat rock ‘n’ roll music which was popular with 1960s counterculture. Nichols 298 The Graduate. DVD. Directed by Mike Nichols. Los Angeles: Lawrence Turman Productions, 1967. 299 Hixson, The Vietnam Antiwar Movement , 122. 300 Stevens, Mike Nichols, 108. 301 Kristopher Spencer, Film and Television Scores, 1950-1979: A Critical Survey by Genre (North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2008), 10. 302 Spencer, Film and Television Scores , 320.
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