mpm@hpfcla.UUCP (02/18/86)
HAROLD AND MAUDE
a (1971) film by Hal Ashby
I saw "Harold and Maude" for the third time this past weekend. (It
was playing at a local "art cinema", and I couldn't resist.) This is
not a recent release, but I think it is one of the great, under-rated
films of the past fifteen years. With its delightful soundtrack of Cat
Stevens songs, eccentric characters, and unusual settings, this movie
has become a "cult classic".
This is a movie about LIFE and LOVE, and how they transcend our
stereotypical beliefs about them. At first it appears to be a gloomy
film about a boy's fascination with death and funerals. Harold (Bud
Corte) is a teenager who stages fake suicides, maybe to gain attention
from his mother, maybe in emulation of his deceased (or absent) father.
Harold's mother has become jaded with Harold's "games", but she shows
little desire to play the role of nurturing mother. Instead she de-
cides that it is time that Harold begins to lead a "responsible" life,
i.e. it is time to get married. (To this woman, appearance is as im-
portant as - maybe even more important than - substance.)
Maude (Ruth Gordon) is a survivor of the Holocaust who is about to
turn eighty. (For reasons of her own, she has decided that she shall not
live past her eighth decade to become a burden for anyone.) She lives
a carefree life often disregarding the laws of the land. She steals
(excuse me "borrows") cars, drives without a license, (apparently) uses
an opium pipe, models in the nude for a sculptor, ... As she tells
Harold: "It doesn't pay to be too moral; you cheat yourself out of too
much life."
Maude displays an immense zest for life, and she communicates that
to Harold. In fact, Harold falls in love with her. The too become close
friends (and more). Harold learns what it is to live. And in the end
he learns at first hand about death, again from Maude who taught him so
much about life.
Hal Ashby has crafted a more subtle film than I at first thought.
The opening cinematography is solemn and foreboding, but this gradually
gives way to scenes outdoors. In this way Ashby portrays the education
of Harold: his introduction to life, (in a sense) his rising from the
dead. Harold's is a "coming of age" like no other, and yet I could
identify with the pain and joy here.
There are several scenes where Ashby illustrates the differences bet
ween Harold and Maude by juxtaposing scenes of death with images of life.
One classic scene has a high school marching band blaring away as they
parade past the funeral where Harold meets Maude. (This scene ranks with
the final scene of "The Graduate" in its bizarre use of religious symbols.
That's the scene where Hoffman "rescues" Katherine Ross from her own
wedding, after fending off the "concerned" parents, etc. with a cruci-
fix.)
If there were such a thing as retroactively-awarded Oscars, this one
deserves a "Best Picture" Academy Award. The directing is subtle, but
quite effective. The acting is superb. The screenplay is humorous, yet
thought-provoking. The cinematography is at times intimate, at others
majestic - always in keeping with what is unfolding between the main
characters. The soundtrack is deeply moving, uplifting at times of joy,
poignant at times of sorrow - the music is a perfect complement to the
visuals. All these elements fit together to make a superlative film.
If you've become jaded and cynical about movies; if you are looking
for a film with a message that doesn't come across as a MESSAGE FILM; if
you want to cry and laugh at a theatre because the movie touched you
without manipulating you:
GO SEE "Harold and Maude"!
(It's probably playing at a local college or "art cinema". If not, rent
a videocassette from some local store and settle down for a treat.)
-- Mike "could you tell this is my favorite movie?" McCarthy
{ihnp4, hplabs}!hpfcla!mpmleeper@mtgzz.UUCP (m.r.leeper) (02/24/86)
It should be mentioned that this film was written by Colin Higgins (I think he may have even done a short film of the story as a college project, I know he wrote a novel of the same story). Higgins went on to write SILVER STREAK, FOUL PLAY, NINE TO FIVE, BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE. HAROLD AND MAUDE is his best, probably. Mark Leeper ...ihnp4!mtgzz!leeper