If there was filmmaker in the 1970s whose films were as diverse in its subject matters and genres through its offbeat tone, it was Hal Ashby. Born in 1936, Ashby was an acclaimed film editor for such movies as The Thomas Crown Affair, In the Heat of the Night, and The Cincinnati Kid before making his feature-film debut with 1970’s The Landlord about a rich young man buying a tenement building in the inner-city where he learns of its downtrodden existence and rebels against his upper-class background. Since then, Ashby made several films that talked about certain subjects like 1973’s The Last Detail about the military with Jack Nicholson, 1975’s social satire Shampoo, 1976’s Bound for Glory about Woody Guthrie, 1978’s Vietnam War drama Coming Home, and 1979’s Being There about political puppets choosing a simpleton to become a presidential candidate starring Peter Sellers. After the 70s, Ashby’s streak of great films came to an end with four uninspired films like The Slugger’s Wife and 8 Million Ways to Die before dying of cancer in 1988. Ashby’s legacy as a filmmaker is still poignant where amidst his social, political films in the 1970s, one simple tale of love stood out among the rest entitled Harold and Maude.

Written by Colin Higgins, who serves as one of the film’s producer, Harold and Maude is an offbeat love story about a 20-year old heir named Harold seeking a death wish to get attention from his lifestyle-consumed mother until he meets a 79-year old free spirit named Maude. Eventually, Maude’s upbeat spirit inspires Harold to escape from his rich upbringing as he gains happiness and love much to the dismay of his family until tragedy emerges where Harold is forced to think about his life. Directed by Ashby, Harold and Maude really plays as an offbeat, whimsical tale of love and life with a wonderful soundtrack of songs by British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens. Starring Bud Cort, Ruth Gordon, Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack, and Charles Tyner, Harold and Maude is a wonderful, enchanting story that still shines since its 1971 release.

Since the death of his father, a 20-year-old heir named Harold Chasen is about to inherit a fortune soon while his mother (Vivian Pickles) makes sure he gets that inheritance. Harold unfortunately, loathes his rich upper class upbringing where he feels like he’s not getting any sort of love from his mother. After staging awkward suicide attempts to get her attention, it seems like nothing is working while Mrs. Chasen seems to have had enough of his attempts after seeing a bathroom covered in blood with Harold surrounded by cuts. After meeting a shrink (G. Wood), who asks about his lifestyle, he learns that Harold likes to go to funerals for fun, especially since he has just bought himself a hearse as a reminder of death.

One day while attending a funeral, he sees an old, eccentric woman trying to get his attention one day during a funeral. After meeting her in services and funerals, he finally talks to her where her name is Maude (Ruth Gordon) who invites him to her place while she likes riding in his hearse. Harold finds something peculiar about Maude who is 79 years old and likes to do things like steal cars, especially in front of a priest (Eric Christmas). Back at home, Harold still has to endure the strict ground rules from his mother who decides to set up arrangements for him to go on dates with women his age. Harold feels he has more to connect with Maude since her free spirit, uplifting behavior, intrigues him. After encountering his first date named Candy (Judy Engles) at his house, he scares her by pretending to burn himself with gasoline. After meeting Maude again at a home of a sculptor (Cyril Cusack), he tells Maude his story and upon coming home, he learned that his hearse has been sold for a new Jaguar sports car.

After a second date with a girl named Edith (Shari Summers) goes disastrous after he supposedly cut his hand off with a butcher’s knife, Harold gets into trouble with his mother. She sends for his uncle Victor (Charles Tyner), who was Douglas MacArthur’s right hand man during the Korean War, Harold turns to Maude for help. Harold pretends to get into Victor’s stories of war where Maude plays protestor and steals a head from Harold where everything goes into chaos. For Harold, it gave him some freedom where with his car now shaped like a hearse, he feels happier than ever when he is with Maude. After another disastrous third date with an actress named Sunshine (Ellen Geer) where he pretends to stab himself with a knife and she follows, he makes the decision, to the shock of his family, that he’s going to marry Maude only to learn that tragedy will follow that will shake his young life.

While the idea of making suicide funny and the idea of young man falling for a woman old enough to be his grandmother seems strange and uncomfortable. The credit really goes to Hal Ashby for finding a whimsical, idiosyncratic tone to Colin Higgins’ smart, euphoric screenplay. The film is filled with funny and sad moments of a young man not sure of what he wants to do with his life, especially for the fact that he’s spoiled while he meets this old woman who tells him to make the most of it. The film is filled with wonderful lessons of life and love while at the same time; it’s entertaining in its strange, comedic tone. With its masterfully presented, colorful cinematography from John Alonzo and the detailed, rich look from production designer, Michael Haller, and the nicely-paced editing of William A. Sawyer and Edward Warschilka, the technical aspects of the film helps out Ashby’s strange, quirky vision. The heart of the film’s upbeat tone is the music by Cat Stevens with most of the cuts taken from his Tea and the Tillerman album. Stevens’ upbeat, optimistic music filled with life-affirming lyrics that play as the perfect soundtrack to the film.

Then there’s the film’s great cast that includes wonderful brief performances from Cyril Cusack, Eric Christmas, G. Wood, and a young Tom Skerritt in the role as the motorcycle cop trying to chase down Harold and Maude for stealing a tree. While Judy Engles and Shari Summers are excellent foils as Harold’s dates, it’s Ellen Geer who stood out as Harold’s third arranged date with her funny, overly dramatic performance. Charles Tyner also stands out as the one-armed war colonel Victor who really brought some intelligent insight into the Vietnam War and his feelings for American soldiers while he mixed that with some humor with the way he raised the right sleeve of his uniform to salute Nathan Hale. Vivian Pickles is also amazing as Harold’s mother who serves as the perfect foil to Harold’s suicidal schemes, especially since she’s the most unlikable character in the film because of her desire to live a rich lifestyle and giving Harold what she thinks is best. Pickles’ understated performance is often overlooked because she’s playing a woman who isn’t liked but her performance is so funny at the way she reacts to her son’s theatrics.

The film’s two leading performances from Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort are magnificent in their funny, sympathetic portrayals. Gordon, fresh off from winning a Best Supporting Oscar for Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby, gives a powerful, evocative performance as the free-spirited Maude. Gordon’s comedic style and life-affirming thinking really gives the film balance to the film’s black comedy style. This is Gordon’s most defining performance of her career and one she’ll be remembered for. Cort meanwhile, is amazing as Harold for his hilarious, theatrical tone to his suicide attempts as they’re often done in strange, offbeat ways. Cort also brings a depth and sympathy to a role that could’ve been loathed because he’s playing a rich boy yet Cort uses his deadpan; restrained comedic tone to the hilt while his character develops into someone we really love. The chemistry between Cort and Gordon is so enjoyable to watch and you don’t even care how old they are. Though Cort hadn’t done much since this movie, he’s become a cult figure of sorts by appearing in several independent features while he’s just gotten his biggest profiled role to date starring alongside Bill Murray and Owen Wilson in Wes Anderson’s 2004 comedy, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

Though the film was panned in its initial release in 1971 because of its approach to suicide and love, the film has since become a cult classic. Harold and Maude has become so loved throughout the years that films like the Farrelly Brothers’ There’s Something About Mary and Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums make references to the classic film. Now hailed as one of the best films of the 1970s, Harold and Maude is a wonderful, optimistic film about life and death thanks to the spellbinding performances of Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort, Cat Stevens’ lively songs, Colin Higgins’ screenplay, and the solid, fluid direction of the late Hal Ashby.

Hal Ashby Films: (The Landlord) - The Last Detail - (Shampoo) - (Bound for Glory) - (Coming Home) - Being There

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older