Must See Movie - Harold and Maude

While this original trailer is cute it doesn't really tell you much about the movie. Hence I have included this fan trailer.


Film: Harold and Maude
Released: 1971
Director: Hal Ashby
Starring: Bud Cort, Ruth Gordon
Short Summary: Young, wealthy, and obsessed with death, Harold is changed forever when he meets 79 year old Maude at a funeral.

Why It's A Must See Movie

I have been wanting to re-watch this movie for something like three years. Then I recently remembered that it was on Netflix. I had to pick it for the movie for this week, because I adore it. Okay, I admit that it is a unusual brand of film. That is what I enjoy about it. It's so endearingly strange that one can not help but love it, or at least find it entertaining.

As you know I love quirky romance and I love coming of age stories. Harold and Maude is an excellent mixture of those two things. Normally if we thought about a 20 year old boy having a relationship with a 79 year old woman we might be a little wigged out. However, this movie does such as good job at not wigging us out. It remind us that our soul, personality, and thoughts that matter not what our outer shell looks like.

While the narrative is perhaps not the normal story structure the characters are so deeply engaging that it doesn't matter. I love how off the wall Harold and Maude are. I think it's wonderful how the film shows the contrast of their personalities. Harold is pretty much all about death at the beginning and Maude is all about living life to it's fullest perhaps to the point of recklessness. I am always glad when a film is a story where meeting a person change another person's world view. This film is an excellent example of how that can be done. While Harold and Maude are the main focus in this film I do deeply enjoy the wacky supporting characters. Characters like Harold's mother and uncle round out the film in an amusing way. They are so self-involved in their approach to caring for Harold. It is so sad that it is funny.

I think this movie is also quite wonderful in technical terms. Not only were things like camera shots and lighting considered. The small elements where considered as well. Things like set and costumes. The soundtrack featuring mostly songs by Cat Stevens is also wonderful and well suited to the film. It contains some truly beautiful dialogue. It is one film too where I literally think about how awesome the casting is in this film. All the actors in terms of look and talent are just perfect for their roles.

It you are looking to watch something quirky that is both funny and sad Harold and Maude is the movie you want to check out. Perhaps you will adore it as much as I do.