Review of Harold and Maude (1971) by Pierluigi P — 18 May 2010

A film that I love and plan to watch again is "Harold and Maude" Directed by Hal Ashby and written by Collin Higgins. It was released in the US on December 20, 1971. Bud Cort played Harold, a rich teenage boy who is obsessed with death and spends his free time at junkyards and funerals, and watches buildings get demolished. Ruth Gordon played Maude, a 79 year old lady who is energetic and enjoys life. Maude spends her time going to random funerals, steeling random cars, and watching plants grow. The film starts off with Harold making one of his several fake suicides for his mother which happens throughout. Moving plot along, Harold, attending a funeral, meets Maude and she becomes Harold's first and only friend. Meanwhile, Harold's mother sets up blind dates in hopes to find a suitable wife for him. Each date ends with a fake suicide and a side dish of fail. For instance, one date he wrapped himself in a sheet and lit himself on fire, as viewers see this, he walks into the room with his mother and his blind date. Shocked to see Harold in the room and not burning, she walks straight out of the house, ending the date before it even began. Spending so much time with Maude, Harold learns some unique traits of the world that he never noticed before. One trait being the beauty of life. She brings him to gardens and fields to look at plants and talk about the fascinating cycle of a plant's life. He falls in love with Maude and he announces their marriage to be. On her 80th birthday Maude surprises Harold which changes his life forever.

Right through the film until the very end we hear the song "If You Want to Sing Out" by Cat Stevens. The first is when Maude and Harold are spending time together for the first time at her home. Maude plays it on piano and gets Harold to sing along. This song in the movie is special because it symbolizes Harold's life changing. You notice this the first time hearing the song. Harold joins Maude with singing the song, and then the following scene has Harold sitting outside his house with new light clothes (instead of his normal dark) trying to learn the banjo. The song comes back several times in the film as non-diegetic.

During one of Harold's and Maude's encounters, he reveals his back story to his suicides and why he enjoys them. He was alone in a chemistry room during boarding school. Mixing random substances together, he blew up the room knocking him off his feet. He knew he was in trouble so he just left the building and walked straight home. Not noticing her son was home, Harold's mother answers the door to receive news that her son has died in a chemistry lab accident. She took it in and collapsed in the officers' arms in sorrow for her "dead" son. Noticing her reaction toward him which he has never seen before, he came to a conclusion he liked being dead. This is the first break from his personality that we see. This shows us that Maude is becoming Harold's friend. Harold opens up to her more than he ever has for anybody. This one event starts his gradual personality change which happens throughout the film.

This film is a great example of an evolution tale. In which you have a character with faults, and then all the way through the story they gradually change into something better. Also, this story can be recognized as a life lesson film, in which a character comes to a realization that changes the rest of their life. Either way, I give this film three thumbs up for humor, seriousness, an attracting plot, and good music.