Harold and Maude

[MJSNet]

Saw it in the late seventies. As already pointed out, the date scare-aways are priceless. I think some people just didn't get past the May-December relationship to really understand the movie. But then again, I have always been a fan of black comedy (Eating Raoul ) so maybe my opinion is slightly skewed.

[BMWCCA]

Originally Posted by spartanmanor

Great movie! I have always wanted a Volvo P1800 like Harolds hurst conversion car.

Maybe I misunderstand your reply, but Harold's car was a Jaguar XK-E, at least when I saw the movie when it was first released, and over a hundred times since with my kids!!

I was interviewing a BMW designer once and asked him if he'd seen the movie. He looked at me rather quizzically and then told me how it was the inspiration for the BMW Z3 M-Coupé. But I already figured that out, which is why I was asking the question. It turned out to be the result of a design exercise on a slow day in Munich.

[day67]

Absolutely loved it! Never laughed so hard (mainly had no idea what it was about before seeing it. The whole taken by surprise factor, it was a book 1st i think). A parody --especially the anti war, took a few pokes at religion (other than the fact that Ruth's character was in her younger life a survivor of the Nazi death camps). She saw death as a new beginning and imparted that to Harold -- A very Life and hope affirming flick I thought. Just my .02 from an aging memory.

[day67]

........another one of that period, "Soylent Green" Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson if i recall, quite a dark film

[spartanmanor]

Originally Posted by BMWCCA

Maybe I misunderstand your reply, but Harold's car was a Jaguar XK-E, at least when I saw the movie when it was first released, and over a hundred times since with my kids!!

I was interviewing a BMW designer once and asked him if he'd seen the movie. He looked at me rather quizzically and then told me how it was the inspiration for the BMW Z3 M-Coupé. But I already figured that out, which is why I was asking the question. It turned out to be the result of a design exercise on a slow day in Munich.

Brain fart...you are right I love that car as well.

[Fisherdude]

One of my all-time favorites.

Hey Ken, thanks for reminding me about Vanishing Point. Another one that I really like, and haven't seen it for ages.

[Holst]

Brilliant film, it's too bad Bud Cort didn't go on to be a big movie star like he should have.

[Netspionage]

Originally Posted by Earlsays

So who else here likes this flick?

Count me in. Saw it many moons ago and (despite obvious differences) always stupidly recall it along with the "King of Hearts" (great flick as well). However, VERY few things save the Best of the Best, IMNSHO, come anywhere near to the greatness of H&M, the first and in some ways best movie by Colin Higgins (RIP).

So, in the end sequence...where it's flashing between him at the hospital and him driving the jag around and ultimately off the cliff...what do you think really happened?

FYI, you do know that, due to budget constraints, they actually *did* destroy that hot-modded ride at the end? The original H&M 'hearse' was still extant, last I heard, but that pretty pretty was trashed for real. What a wipe, eh?

Do you think he jumped out of the car at the last second? Do you think he actually killed himself and it was his ghost playing the banjo? Do you think it was all just something going through his mind while at the hospital?

IIRC, Colin Higgins himself alluded to it being the first of those choices in an interview -- anyone able to recall the same (or a direct contradiction of the same) please sound off. I do not recall the interview, sorry, nor do I have a copy of it...I think...

If I find it, I'll say so.

In any event, any one of those endings works fine w/me, although viewing the movie from the most (ahem) 'Buddhist' perspective, if there is such a thing, would probably have option #1 making the most sense, I'd think, as then he would have truly grasped what Maude was trying to teach him (a la throwing the coin he gave her into the water), I'd speculate. Of course, considering the writer's own views, and the lack of Maude's ghost hanging around, I'd suspect that disincludes option #2...But I'm not up to debating the point (as that is against the point of good art).

how did he hang himself and actually not die?

Provided there's no EMT or the like to put hands-on & check for vitals, staging mock deaths is reasonably easy, given the budget (for makeup/props/etcetera), the desire, and skill. I've seen good make-up artists make people up to change their race (from Caucasian to Japanese -- we're talking stage-level+++ stuff being done, though) which *actually* looked convincing, even when seen from 8' away or so.

Why was his mother so oblivious to all of it?

I figured once he told the shrink he'd already done his "theatrics" seventeen times to date ("No...I would *NOT* say for her benefit...") that she'd already been the gamut of some pretty well-done and, at least the first time, incredibly shocking sights, to the point where she finally just came to ignore it as much as she could.

The dirty look she gave him while he was playing the floater in the pool was *priceless*, though

The self-immolation and all the other Date Evasion Tricks were PRICELESS, IMNSHO. the "...Do you...'enjoy' knives...?" line is oft-used among many I know. Classic, to be sure.

[pilotputz]

One of my all time favorite films!
The all Cat soundtrack is fabulous as well.

For me, the best line of the film is near the end as Harold tells a dying Maude, "I love you," and she responds, "That's great. Go love some more."

I've always felt that Harold walks away from the wreck just as shown in the film. I believe the destruction of the Jaguar hearse is a symbol of the old, death-obsessed Harold ending his days in great childish flourish while a more humble, complete creature is ready to begin his journey with nothing more than a spring in his step and a banjo in his hands.

If you want to sing out, sing out!

[Fisherdude]

Originally Posted by pilotputz

...I've always felt that Harold walks away from the wreck just as shown in the film. I believe the destruction of the Jaguar hearse is a symbol of the old, death-obsessed Harold ending his days in great childish flourish while a more humble, complete creature is ready to begin his journey...

I thought so, too. A symbolic abandoning of his past now that Maude has taught him so much about living. He's starting fresh.

[Carmine02]

Haven't seen it yet. But getting to read this. I think I will. Thanks for the post.

[fadetoblack]

Originally Posted by KeninDC

I know I'm supposed to like it since I have a sick sense of humor, but I do not.

I find most, if not all, of the characters to be two dimensional. Plus, I do not like the Cat Stevens' tunes. Not one bit.

ahh Ken! It's the Cat Stevens' tunes that make this film.
I'm no Cat Stevens fan by a long shot but it's this film that always
helps me like some of his music and not dislike the man for the path he chose.
You do have to be in the mood for a film like this.

[ducati_EL34]

Originally Posted by Holst

Brilliant film, it's too bad Bud Cort didn't go on to be a big movie star like he should have.

Other than Harold & Maude, judging by the movies he was in, I can understand why...

[TAGO MAGO]

I saw this one years ago back when A&E was still a good channel (they used to show Woody Allen flicks quite a bit as well) and enjoyed it quite a bit. If I am not mistaken weren't most of the Cat Steven's tunes in this movie on his 1970 album Mona Bone Jakon? Actually another great and very hard to find film which not only featured Cat Stevens in the sound track, but Can is Deep End which featured Jane Asher (McCartney's girlfriend for most of the 60's) and a boy slightly younger than the one in Harold and Maude but going through a different type of torment. This one also featured a slightly past her prime, former British bombshell Diana Dors.

[Delawheredad]

I've seen that movie a bunch of times. I took my ex-wife to it and she said that Harold's mother was just like HER mother. That should have been my first warning.