Harold and Maude
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Movie Reviews of Harold and Maude
Movie Review: Without any doubt: Hal Ashby `s masterpiece!
Summary: 5 Stars
Along this Decade the undeniable and relevant presence of Luis Buñuel surrounded and somehow renovated the expressive possibilities of the black humor as irreverence signal and punching cynicism respect the Status Quo (Phantom of the liberty, The milky way or The discrete charm of the bourgeosie); in this sense it is easy to support this argumentation naming for instance Fellini `s Roma, Robert Altman with Mash, Irvin Kershner `s A fine madness, or Carlos Saura `s The garden of delights.
As it is well known Ashby always bet for smart and funny scripts which had to do with this constant challenge to the rules of the game. And this picture is to my view the peak achievement of his career. This thick humor turns around the Oedipus syndrome; a ruling, conceited and manipulative mother (as you may see the perfect mother in law) and her odd young son, who devises some ethical breakthroughs; but along the way this man will find his sentimental bliss thanks to woman who will become the right device to escape and search shelter without changing nothing except perhaps some shelter.
Splendid, ravishing and extremely mordacious.
Movie Review: Rare and wonderful storytelling
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of those rare films that teaches a lesson without being didactic, that pulls on your heart strings without being sappy, and that is above else a really unique, entertaining and engaging story.
The film is about a teenage boy obsessed with death-- or so he thinks. What his relationship with Maude teaches him is that he actually just hasn't figured out how to enjoy life. Maude is someone who has been through much worse than Harold has seen, and because of this understands happiness as fully as she understands pain.
This film is as daring as it is touching. Yet, it is never daring or edgy in spite of the script. Despite how strange or unexpected things get, it all fits together perfectly in a wonderfully told, wonderfully paced, and very funny story in which each scene packs both entertainment and meaning.
It doesn't hurt that the soundtrack is entirely Cat Stevens...
As far as this DVD goes, there are no extra features besides a trailer so if that's your thing you might want to find another copy if it exists. 5 stars for Harold and Maude being a truly great film worth adding to any collection.
Movie Review: One of my favorites
Summary: 5 Stars
I happened to catch this movie accidentally while sitting at home bored one day. Didn't know anything about it, it just happened to come on the TV while I was watching. The first part of the movie hooked me because it was just so weird, I had to see what was next. By the end, I was crying, it was so beautiful, I loved it!It's a wonderful story about a young man who is in love with death and an old woman who is in love with life -- and how they change each other's lives for the better. As others have said, though, this movie isn't for everyone. I asked my parents to watch it (I was about 17 or 18 at the time) and all they talked about was how disgusting it was that a 19 year old was with a 79 year old! They totally missed the point of the movie! In fact, that I like the movie so much is a great source of humor for them.
Anyway, if you can get passed the age difference, this is a beautiful story. I own the VHS and the DVD version and have watched this movie a dozen times. I even used part of it (where Maude is talking about the daisies) as a motivational speech in college. (And I was sooo excited when I heard it mentioned in "Something About Mary"!!)
Movie Review: SWEET!
Summary: 5 Stars
If such an irreverently offbeat film were to be made today, I wonder how the putative audiences would react. As was probably the case when the film was released, people would probably find the theme edgy, if not inappropriate. This anti-establishment cult classic quite openly explores themes of suicide, love, death and life with a fresh perspective.The interesting part is how this film will likely find you. In most societies, an older man will likely fall for a woman years his junior. Here though, Harold (Bud Cort) -- a shy teenager with an affinity for death -- meets his 80-year-old true love Maude (Ruth Gordon), not at a dance or social event, but at funerals.
I guess 'Harold and Maude' plays on '60s-esque themes of turning maverick, challenging societal moulds, denouncing materialism. The story is strewn with delectable humor, and thankfully is not of your average garden variety. Cat Stevens' open-air, acoustic-driven rock 'n' roll makes for a cherishable soundtrack giving the film an authentic organic sound indicative of its demeanor.
A great movie with a warm heart -- required collective for every self-respecting library!
Movie Review: Lots to say
Summary: 5 Stars
Harold and Maude is a very moral story. The audience is asked to analyze what is important to them, and to ignore restrictions that were made by irrelevant powers. It supports the idea of an inner law. People determine the rules for themselves, not a society. It is not a story about death, but truly about living. Harold and Maude's fascination with death is not reminscent of the Addams Family, at all. Maude has a fascination with death because she loves every part of life and the cycle. Harold is interested more because he is still trying to find who he is, and what is important to him. Noone should waste their lives, and Ashby does a wonderful job of showing that. We all need to appreciate what we have, while we fight for what we think is right. We should also always act in a way that we believe is moral, this is different for everyone. This film helps viewers analyze what they should be focusing on in their own lives. It also helps to shatter notions of how things should be. Harold and Maude is a fantastic film that is funny, touching, intelligent, and has a lot to say. This is a movie everyone should see.