Review LXXVII
Harold and Maude (1971)
I always feel like I should stay away from older films that are popular because I'm sure everyone has already said all that needs to be said about the film. But I have to realise that newer generations (and even older generations) may have heard of these films but never taken the time to sit down and watch them. Thus, even though everyone has said what they wanted about the film, the folks that haven't seen the film might sit down and read, well, this, and thus decide to pick it up. Or maybe you'd like to read what I have to say. Or, the most likely scenario, I'm just writing for my own enjoyment. As a result, I'm here to review Hal Ashby's Harold and Maude starring Ruth Gordon (who played the catty neighbour in Rosemary's Baby! What! ... I didn't like that film, by the way), Bud Cort (he plays an important character in Dogma, but doesn't speak. Still, cool!), and Vivian Pickles (! ... I have nothing to say about this woman.).
The film begins with a death... Nearly. A young man steps up on a chair and proceeds to hang himself. His mother (Pickles) walks into the room and promptly ignores her son, only to call out on his ricidulousness and instructing him how to behave. Meet Harold (Cort), our protagonist for the film! Besides being rich, Harold is obsessively morbid, stagging suicides frequently, with a score of approximately fifteen times (it's a rough estimate) thus far, attending funerals for individuals he does not know, and harvesting a knowledge of death-related paraphernalia. He encounters an older woman, Maude (Gordon), at one of the funerals he attends, and the two grow very close. While his mother tries to close him in even further, he finally begins to feel freedom with his unlikely partner.
The black comedy did not do well initially, but it eventually developed a cult following and is now considered a classic (or so Wikipedia tells me, hehe). Does it deserve such a status? Heck yes! I enjoyed the characters' personalities (and Bud Cort's voice - it was beautiful) and I enjoyed the relationship they held. I mean, while they seem contrasting, I never really got the sense they were completely contrasting. Harold might have seemed secluded and seemingly prefer his own company, but as soon as he meets Maude, he opens up. Instead, I really got the feeling he was finally able to blossom once he met the woman he wanted in his life. She finally accepted him for who he was and provided unconditional love and so he was able to grow. Anyway, yes, I liked the characters themselves. Harold was interesting - quirky, but cute. Maude was also interesting - insane, but wonderful. But we actually get a story behind their lives, so their actions all seem so justified at the end. Plus, and this is a slight spoiler I suppose so avoid the rest of the paragraph, we can also take their behaviours as a result of the wars they endured - Maude having endured World War II, a war that brought about a baby boom and a will to live, and Harold having endured the Vietnamese War, a meaningless war. The writer and director of this film knew what they were thinking!
The aesthetics of the film were great, too. There were certain scenes that were really eye-capturing, and the way some scenes were shot were fabulous. Plus the sensualism in that statue scene - oh my. I really don't want to say anything to spoil the film, but check the way the characters are positioned in some scenes - it provides a huge foreshadow for the film. Isn't it nice when the director incorporates such elements into the film? Very nice indeed. Plus that broken-fourth-wall moment? Fabulous. I seem to really like these moments in cinema - probably because they're rarely executed. I also really enjoyed the soundtrack for the film. It's principally Cat Stevens, but man, I thoroughly enjoyed some songs.
I have class tomorrow, so I'll cut the review here. It is well executed and an unconventional romance. It took me a little while to buy into the film, but when I did, I really enjoyed it. If you enjoy black comedies, it's definitely worth a shot. If you're looking for a slightly screwy film, definitely check it out. Harold and Maude shouldn't disappoint.
No comments:
Post a Comment