
The Graduate would be an unforgettable movie without Simon & Garfunkel. But their songs feel so intertwined with Mike Nichols’ classic that it’s hard to imagine seeing Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) driving along the California coast without “Scarborough Fair,” or watching his listless summer memories melt into a montage without “April Come She Will.” And “Sound of Silence” doesn’t seem right without seeing Braddock lazily drinking a beer while drifting around his parents’ pool. Of course, the biggest hit from the movie — and the song most indelibly associated with it — is “Mrs. Robinson.” Simon & Garfunkel’s coy “dee dee dees” seem to represent Braddock’s strange relationship with the sexy older woman (Anne Bancroft), loved by Jesus more than she will know.