SCENE ANALYSIS: MISE-EN-SCÈNE

Choose one of the three scenes from The Graduate posted on Blackboard. Watch
the scene as many times as necessary. Write a short essay in which you will give
your personal analysis of the scene, always keeping in mind the scene’s relation to
the film’s storyline.
Follow these guidelines when writing your analysis:

1. Write a short introduction in which you identify the scene’s main
   characters, the events presented, and the most important idea(s) you
   think are being expressed in the scene. Describe the action in the
   scene in as much detail as possible. The characters and actors are
   listed in the second page.
2. Make a short analysis of the way mise-en-scène is used in the scene.
   Pay attention to the performance style of the actors, their costumes,
   the way they are positioned within the frame, the use of props, the
   lighting pattern (high-key or low-key lighting), how the location plays
   a dramatic role in the scene. Make detailed comments on how the
   mise-en-scène is used in specific moments in the scene, and what is its
   dramatic meaning.
   The analysis will be an essay with at least three paragraphs, from the introduction
   to the analysis of the mise-en-scène elements and a conclusion.
   Scene 1: The Discovery
   Main characters:
   Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffmann)
   Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft)
   Elaine Robinson (Katharine Ross)
   Scene 2: A Day at the Zoo
   Main characters:
   Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffmann)
   Elaine Robinson (Katharine Ross)
   Carl Smith (Brian Avery)
   Scene 3: A Midnight Visit
   Main characters:
   Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffmann)
   Elaine Robinson (Katharine Ross)