Mike Nichols has come to be known as one of the greatest directors of his generation, both in film and on stage. The Graduate has become a classic film and has garnered its acclaim largely due to Nichols' directorial touch. Nichols began his career in show business as a comedian, effectively inventing sketch comedy with the help of his writing partner, the brilliant Elaine May, who makes a cameo in The Graduate as Elaine's roommate who delivers the note. After quitting comedy at a young age, Nichols began directing for the stage, with one previous foray into film directing—the movie adaptation of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. On the stage, his biggest success of the time was a production of Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park. On the strength of his previous work, Nichols was tapped to direct The Graduate, and his wildly successful career as a film director took off.
Nichols used the camera in an innovative way with this film, and told the story in visually, sonically, and narratively creative ways. Nichols' camerawork revealed the emotional substance of the story and its characters, so that the viewer always feels aligned with the heartbeat of the story. Tightly cropped close ups align us with the characters and clue us in to the emotional subtleties of their states of mind. Claustrophobic and tight shots illustrate the claustrophobia and confinement that Benjamin feels in his situation. Another notable element of Nichols' direction is his freedom with tone, switching rapidly between dramatic and comedic, finding the absurd in even the most dire of circumstances.
Nichols' risk-taking direction made the film a box office smash, earning over $100 million. Nichols won an Oscar for his work, and The Graduate cemented his place at the table and etched out the beginnings of an incredible career as an artist and storyteller. He would go on to direct such acclaimed films as Silkwood, Working Girl, Postcards from the Edge, The Birdcage, Primary Colors, and Closer.
