Setting the Scene: The Graduate

Why Mike Nichols's 1967 film is such a big deal

This sporadic series seeks to prepare readers for watching some of those films that are heralded as Major Cinema but may not be immediately impressive to the casual viewer. Few films fit that description as well as 1967’s The Graduate.

(If you don’t want spoilers…where have you been for the past 57 years? The statute of limitations is long over.)

Let me b…