Mike Nichols' "The Graduate"

Answering specific questions

1.     The extended shot of Benjamin on the people mover was depicted the beginning of the film for several reasons.  At this point in Ben's life he is apprehensive about where he is going.  His life seems to have been lade out for him with a course as mundane as the moving ground on which he slowly carts along with his thoughts.  It is there to be ridden and therefore he does not break free from this conveyer belt.  We get a good look at our protagonist in this scene.  We see his average and comparable appearance.  At this point Ben has only the plastic life manufactured for him to look forward to after his recent graduation from college.  He seems to be trying to prepare for something, but his fear seems to control his thoughts.  Other people who have chosen to simply walk to their destination move quickly past him as he mechanically enters the unknown.  Seemingly, Ben could easily blend into the geometric pattern of bricks to his right.  His shadow following in tow.  He is a piece of luggage waiting to be retrieved.
2.     Ben is not in a good place while he sits near his aquarium avoiding the plethora of Wasps on the floor below him.  The CU shot of his anguish creates the allusion that he is submerged in the depths of some aquatic purgatory.  All of the expectations of him are a transparent but nonetheless heavy weight on his shoulders.  “These are all our good friends, Ben,” his father says as he cuts through Ben's request for solace in solitude like a guillotine.
3.     While keeping the camera on Ben as he is assaulted by the party guests, the director achieves the dizzying feeling of vertigo as well as the sickening confinement of claustrophobia.  I don't believe there was ever a 180 degree barrier established.  Through a facade of praise the guests  barrage themselves at him to exact gratitude and opportunity for themselves.
4.     The POV shot through the eyes of the feature attraction occurs within the confines of a wet suit and goggles.  The inverse of soundscapes polarizes the fantastical and the reality of ridicule. Several generations of laughter can be heard with a chorus of amusement.  Heavy breathing is the only sound heard from within the circular dormer.  Ben's father still sees the need to bellow out direction to this fish out of water even though he cannot be understood.  The inhales and exhales are measured and paced.  Similar to the deep breathing techniques of meditation to calm oneself. The director switches to an objective point of view to further secure Ben beneath the surface of his aquarium.  The previous allusion has become an immediate reality as Ben sinks to the lowest point in the movie and his life, trapped underneath the wake of the conjectures of his numerous handlers.  
5.     The scene in the hotel room begins with the light off.  The light is turned on when Ben strives for a more conventional interaction between the partners of an act of love.  The light as well as the notion are silenced.  Ben then gets up to further identify and distinguish between love and lust.  Another shot in the dark followed by defeat.  The lamp is lit once again to light a cigarette and illuminate Ben's frustration as he bangs his head.  Darkness returns to hide these ways of dealing with irritation.  This seems to break the ice a little as Mrs. Robinson begins to open up, even if only in an abstract way.  Ben's questions do lead to the flicking of the switch and the spotlighting of an enlightening revelation about Mrs. Robinson's reasons for her marriage.  In addition the misdirections that were woven within the security of shadows were unraveled as we get a glimpse of the younger Mrs. Robinson's interrupted artistic ambitions.  A parallel between the two characters is established presenting Mrs. Robinson as being forced not to stray down the road less travelled; and regretfully so.  Ben is too naïve to see this omen and sways the introspection into a childish discussion concerning the type of vehicle procured for procreation.  Within the debauchery of the dark the subject of Elaine is taboo.  Ben begins to push the buttons of Mrs. Robinson with elaborations of her daughter.  The light is brought back as Mrs. Robinson's claws come out.  Her jealousy is clear as day.  She is a lioness protecting her cub, but she is also a cougar defending her territory.  When confronted with Ben leaving for good, she carefully manipulates him back to remain as one of her possessions within her domain.  Still within the lamplight, Ben's humility casts a dark shadow creating just a silhouette of a boy juxtaposed with the powerful allure of a woman at her most vicious.  Ben's dignity has been broken once again as the scene fades to black.
6.     To be honest, I don't know why the director chose to film the long shot of Elaine and Benjamin outside of the strip club.  Perhaps it was to highlight the voyeuristic nature of outside world.  Perhaps he felt the characters needed to wade through a river of people in the height of their emotion.  A spectacle to relate the audience to lovers in a quarrel.  Perhaps he wanted to distance us from the honesty and attraction that was forming while previously inundating us with misery and adultery.  Using close up and controlled shots in the beginning to evolve into more loose and freeform shots towards the end.  Taking some of the chains off the protagonist also seems to remove some from the camera.
7.     Elaine is the first person that Ben has encountered with whom he feels comfortable enough to confide in his acknowledgement and reckoning of his puppeteers.  He strikes a chord with her.  With a movie filled with sex, the director compassionately secludes the audience from the intimacy of casual personal connections and for once sets the characters free to enjoy their time together unabashed and alone.
8.     The wide angle shot of Ben and Mrs. Robinson in the hallway isolates the progress of the disposition of the characters.  Mrs. Robinson is finally seen in her true form, a troubled recluse of miniscule stature who has been backed into a corner since her pregnancy.  The courage of Ben to confess to Elaine fills the hollow of the prominence within his character.  The roles of power and influence have been reversed.
9.     Ben's journey to prevent the wedding of his love to another is accompanied by the eager beat of  a rhythm guitar.  Unfortunately there is not enough fuel to sustain this persistent lashing at the strings.  Hope fades a little.  But we are soon off on foot with our hero.  We are the only ones with him as he runs through the sounds of emptiness and quiet.  The use of several extended long shots causes a stir of anticipation and dread.  But there is also courage and excitement as we watch our once impotent protagonist chase his ambition.  A quick strike of the pick unites the man with his ominously framed destination.  A lower note follows as Ben finds the front doors locked.  Another chord brings him upstairs and another.  Another point of view shot occurs with a glimmer of defeat.  He cries out to the hosts of the church by name.  All that is heard in response is the sound of wedding bells.  “Elaine!” he beckons.  He is seen as a little man within the grandeur of his surroundings banging on his fourth wall.  Luckily his love sees him like we do in his brief close up, full of conviction and passion.