Anne Bancroft Videos

Older women and younger men in the movies.

When Cinematical staff first discussed the "Montages We Love" series, the image that popped into my head was a classic: the from-bed-to-pool montage in the 1967 film The Graduate. This is my favorite part of the Mike Nichols-directed movie -- yes, even better than the "plastics" line and the bit with Buck Henry and that iconic scene at the end. The montage is a triumph of clever editing, thanks to Nichols and editor Sam O'Steen, whose other credits include Cool Hand Luke, Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown. It begins with Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) lazing in his parents' swimming pool, then as he leaves the pool and pulls on a shirt, he's revealed to be in a hotel room with Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft). Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" and then "April, Come She Will" play in the background as Ben shifts from his bed to the pool to the hotel, drinking beer and looking passive and bored, or with his expression masked by sunglasses. The scene ends with Ben pushing himself off the pool's raft -- and into Mrs. Robinson's arms on the hotel bed.Filed under: Classics, Comedy, Fandom, Trailers and ClipsContinue reading Our Favorite Montages: The Graduate Permalink | Email this | Comments

part one

Why do so many women get stuck playing characters older than they are? While watching Duplicity, for example, I was thinking, "Wow, Julia Roberts really looks her age." (She's 41.) I don't mean that in a negative way -- she's still a fine-looking woman -- but it's rare to see an actress in her 40s or 50s playing a character who's in her 40s or 50s. More often than that, we see younger women playing older characters, as Hadley Freeman points out in The Guardian: "It is all too easy for a female actor to find herself cast as the mother of someone who once played her boyfriend as soon as she blows out the candles on her 35th birthday cake." She cites various examples: Sally Field as Tom Hanks' mother in Forrest Gump. Age difference: ten years. Glenn Close as Mel Gibson's mother in Hamlet. Age difference: nine years. Anne Bancroft as Dustin Hoffman's matronly seductress in The Graduate. Age difference: five years. Elizabeth Taylor as Dennis Hopper's mother in Giant. Age difference: four years. Angelina Jolie as Colin Farrell's mother in Alexander. Age difference: one year. Lea Thompson as Michael J. Fox's mother in Back to the Future. Age difference: none. Freeman concludes: "Quite why film directors are so averse to having middle-aged roles played by middle-aged women comes down to male insecurity and misogyny ... The sense of disgust of older women is so deeply entrenched in Hollywood that even when the role is specifically for an older woman, no one wants to see an actual older woman on screen." All of the directors of the films cited above are men. Do you want to see more "actual older women" on screen? Or would you prefer that older female characters be played by younger actresses?Filed under: Fandom, Newsstand Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Based on a true story, the film examines the complex emotional experiences faced by John Merrick, "The Elephant Man" (John Hurt), when he is discovered by a dedicated surgeon (Anthony Hopkins).