Review of Harold and Maude (1971) by Tanner B — 12 Jul 2018

"Harold and Maude", released in 1971, follows the story of Harold - a 20-something year old man who is obsessed with death. Through his intrigue, Harold happens to meet Maude - a 79-year-old woman who embraces and lives life to the fullest.

Initially, I found the film to be uninteresting, and was intrigued as to why his relationship with his mom was so dysfunctional. Over time, as his and Maude's connection grew and deepened, I started to really enjoy it.

It made me think that we can truly have connections with anyone - regardless of their age or background. Written by Colin Higgins, I think that the greatest strength and weakness of the story is the concept.

I enjoy that it is unique, however, it did feel to be a little far fetched in the grand scheme of things - that these are two people that would actually fall in love. Directed by Hal Ashby, I particularly enjoyed the pacing and rhythm of the scenes.

Ashby ensured that if a scene needed more time - it had it, and I appreciated that. This was evident when Harold was throwing Maude her surprise birthday party. With each shot, I felt like I was hanging onto every word that each character was saying.

This is also a great representation of the editors, William A. Sawyer and Edward Warschilka. John A. Alonzo, the cinematographer of the film created a color palette that consistently used cooler colors.

For me, this was especially evident in the scene when Maude is stealing the tree and gets pulled over on the interstate by the cop. Overall, I would have liked for the film to delve more into Harold and Maude's relationship, as I felt like it was just barely scraping the surface, but I found myself to really enjoy it!