Harold and Maude
Reviews
CinemaSerf
So poor little rich kid "Harold" (Bud Cort) really does like a bit of attention seeking - constantly vying for the recognition of his mother by faking every more outlandish suicide attempts. Things is, she (Vivian Pickles) is pretty impervious to his antics and so he seeks something to alleviate his boredom elsewhere... He starts attending funerals. That's where he encounters the eccentric "Maude" (Ruth Gordon) who also has a penchant for the ceremonies - and for also pinching a car from the cemetery for a bit of a joyride afterwards. As his mother increases her activities in finding him a love match, "Harold" finds himself and his new friend spending more and more time together and he begins to learn that her live today policy is vibrant, exhilarating and contagious! Their bond grows ever stronger as the pair begin to rely more and more on each other, even to fall in love! There's a great dynamic between Cort and Gordon here. She brings out the best in her young acting companion with confident and engaging performances from both delivering a story that is funny, poignant and surreal - in almost equal measure. At times it's a touch on the wordy side, but Pickles is fun as the mother and the whole story is one of interesting characters and truth. It is short and sweet and right from the start we never get to hang around long before the pace picks up again. Great fun.
Filipe Manuel Neto
**Knowing how to live or knowing how to die are virtues, difficult and debatable themes that a film almost never has the courage to address.** Harold is a young man, just arrived at adulthood, who has a morbid fascination with death: he drives hearses, goes to funerals for “fun”, rehearses his own suicide a thousand and one times. He will change under the influence of an elderly woman, whose desire to live every moment to the fullest leads her to very incorrect attitudes, such as “borrowing” other people's things without even bothering to ask for them. In a way, both have to learn from each other, and the film shows us this mutual learning process, and the special bond that is created between them. Black comedies are never consensual, as you know, but this one is especially touching and charged with a positive spirit. The film tackles difficult, even hard themes, with a certain spirit of informality and lightness that, however, does not reduce or diminish them: what it means to die, how to live, how to enjoy life or know how to die with dignity, how to educate and understand a child, anyway. For this reason, and due to the dark comic load, it is not an easy film and will displease certain people either because of its humor or because of the themes it addresses. The film has good production values, but still feels very cheap. The film is set in the US, but it's so inherently British that we forget about it and assume it's all set in some rural English corner. We have tasteful cinematography, low contrast and good lighting, we have good sets and costumes. I would particularly highlight the houses of Harold and Maude, because they couldn't be more different and, at the same time, more characterizing their personalities: an old-fashioned mansion turned to the past and a pleasant little house with cozy details. There's nothing very flashy, technically, and the only negative call to attention goes to the soundtrack, strident and overly flashy. I couldn't close this text without praising the impeccable work of Bud Cort, an actor I've never seen before and who doesn't seem to have made much of a career in cinema, and the inspired performance of his counterpart, Ruth Gordon, a high-level veteran who played a huge variety of roles over the next few years.
Movie Recommendation
Coming Home1978-02-15In 1968 California, a Marine officer's wife falls in love with a former high school classmate who suffered a paralyzing combat injury in the war.More...
The House Without a Christmas Tree1972-12-03A young girl named Addie, living in Nebraska in 1946 wants nothing more for the holidays than a Christmas tree, but her widowed father, is bitter and refuses due to events from the family's past.More...
Being There1979-12-19A simple-minded gardener named Chance has spent all his life in the Washington D.C. house of an old man. When the man dies, Chance is put out on the street with no knowledge of the world except what he has learned from television.More...
A Home of Our Own1993-11-05In 1960s Los Angeles an energetic widow and her six children try to make a dream of theirs come true: to have a home of their own. They leave L.A. and head for the countryside, all the while facing numerous difficulties and obstacles during their journey.More...
Inside Deep Throat2005-02-11In 1972, a seemingly typical shoestring budget pornographic film was made in a Florida hotel: "Deep Throat," starring Linda Lovelace. This film would surpass the wildest expectation of everyone involved to become one of the most successful independent films of all time. It caught the public imagination which met the spirit of the times, even as the self-appointed guardians of public morality struggled to suppress it, and created, for a brief moment, a possible future where sexuality in film had a bold artistic potential. This film covers the story of the making of this controversial film, its stunning success, its hysterical opposition along with its dark side of mob influence and allegations of the on set mistreatment of the film's star.More...
Guilty by Suspicion1991-03-15Owing to his alleged involvement with communist parties, film director David Merrill is forbidden from working in Hollywood. He decides to fight for his rights and faces numerous challenges.More...
The Seamstress2017-10-12In the thirties, two sisters separated by fate face prejudice and sexism, one by the high society in a big city and the other by a group of renegades in the countryside. Despite the distance, they know that they can only count on each other and both of them will assert themselves in their own and surprising way.More...
The Four Times2010-05-28An old shepherd lives his last days in a quiet medieval village perched high on the hills of Calabria, at the southernmost tip of Italy. He herds goats under skies that most villagers have deserted long ago. He is sick, and believes to find his medicine in the dust he collects on the church floor, which he drinks in his water every day.More...
Vitus2006-02-02Vitus tells the story of a highly-gifted boy (played by real-life piano prodigy Teo Gheorghiu) whose parents have demanding and ambitious plans for him.More...
A Ring of Endless Light2002-07-04When 15-year-old Vicky Austin, her sister Suzy and little brother Rob visit their grandfather on Seven Bay Island, Vicky faces several unexpected challenges. Her beloved grandfather, retired Reverend Eaton, seems to be seriously ill, but tries to pretend that nothing is wrong. Vicky met the rich but emotionally troubled Zachary Gray the previous summer, and he reappears to renew the acquaintance. Another boy, 17-year-old Adam Eddington, recruits Vicky to help him with a research project, working with a dolphin called Basil. Vicky discovers she can communicate telepathically with the dolphin and his mate - and possibly with Adam as wellMore...
The Goodbye Kiss2006-02-24Leftist radical-turned-terrorist Giorgio—who fled to Latin America in the '70s to escape justice—decides to surrender after hearing about the fall of the Berlin Wall. Determined to lead a comfortable, bourgeois life in his native Italy, he cuts a deal with a shady police chief, getting his sentence reduced in exchange for ratting out former comrades. Once released, Giorgio obsessively pursues his dream of becoming a "respectable" citizen, even if the way is paved with larceny, pimping, drug-dealing, rape, heist, and murder...More...
Lovely & Amazing2002-08-02An intimate family portrait of four hapless but resilient women and the bittersweet lessons they learn in keeping up with the hectic demands of their individual neuroses. Each of the women seeks redemption in her own haphazard way, but whatever salvation they find is illusory and short-lived.More...
Blind Mountain2007-05-19Young student Bai Xuemei is cheated and sold as a wife by human traffickers to a remote village. Raped and beaten, she leads the life of a sex slave and child-bearer with no hope of escape because of the villagers apathy and selfishness.More...
Band of Robbers2016-01-15A comedic thriller that re-imagines Mark Twain's iconic literary characters of "Huckleberry Finn" and "Tom Sawyer" as grown men in current day.More...
Ajoomma2022-10-27A widow obsessed with Korean soap operas travels abroad for the first time in her life and finds more than she bargained for in Seoul.More...
Hilde2009-03-11A biography of Hildegard Knef, one of Germany's biggest post-war stars.More...
Il grande spirito2019-05-09In a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Taranto, high upon the rooftops framed by the Ilva steel factory, we meet Tonino a.k.a. “Barboncino” (poodle). Tonino has just committed a robbery and, in a moment of foolishness, fled from his accomplices, taking the entire loot for himself. He escapes upward, clambering from roof to roof, until he can go no further and must take refuge in an old water tank. Here he finds Renato, a strange and eccentric man who believes he is an American Indian from the Sioux tribe. Trapped with no other choice, Tonino is forced to team up with Renato. A strange and crazy friendship is formed, and Tonino learns to see things from a very different perspective.More...
Rambling Rose1991-09-10Rose is taken in by the Hillyer family to serve as a 1930s housemaid so that she can avoid falling into a life of prostitution. Her appearence and personality is such that all men fall for her, and she knows it. She can't help herself from getting into trouble with men.More...
Harry and Tonto1974-08-12Harry is a retired teacher in his 70s who has lived in the Upper West Side of New York City all his life. When his building is torn down to make way for a parking garage, Harry and his beloved cat Tonto begin a journey across the United States — visiting his children, seeing a world he never seemed to have the time to see before, making new friends, and saying goodbye to old friends.More...
Northeast2005-05-13An accidental meeting between a French woman who goes to South America to adopt a baby and an Argentinian woman who with her small son leaves their hopeless village in search for a better life changes both of their lives forever.More...
Similar Movies
Oliver's Universe
2022-05-13The year is 1985. Oliver, a boy with an overflowing imagination, moves with his family to the southernmost corner of Europe, just as Halley's Comet is about to pass by. These events will mark a before and after in the emotional life of Óliver, who will look to the stars for the solution to his problems in the new school, in the neighborhood and at home. To make matters worse, his grandfather, nicknamed "el majara" is encouraged to help him interpret the comet's message and take a step forward in his new Universe.Ravenous
1999-03-16Upon receiving reports of missing persons at Fort Spencer, a remote Army outpost on the Western frontier, Capt. John Boyd investigates. After arriving at his new post, Boyd and his regiment aid a wounded frontiersman who recounts a horrifying tale of a wagon train murdered by its supposed guide – a vicious U.S. Army colonel gone rogue. Fearing the worst, the regiment heads out into the wilderness to verify the gruesome claims.PlayTime
1967-12-13Clumsy Monsieur Hulot finds himself perplexed by the intimidating complexity of a gadget-filled Paris. He attempts to meet with a business contact but soon becomes lost. His roundabout journey parallels that of an American tourist, and as they weave through the inventive urban environment, they intermittently meet, developing an interest in one another. They eventually get together at a chaotic restaurant, along with several other quirky characters.A Walk to Remember
2002-01-25When the popular, restless Landon Carter is forced to participate in the school drama production, he falls in love with Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town's minister. Jamie has a "to-do" list for her life, as well as a very big secret she must keep from Landon.Cries and Whispers
1972-12-21As Agnes slowly dies of cancer, her sisters are so immersed in their own psychic pains that they are unable to offer her the support she needs.The Flight of the Pho...
1965-12-15A cargo aircraft crashes in a sandstorm in the Sahara with less than a dozen men on board. One of the passengers is an airplane designer who comes up with the idea of ripping off the undamaged wing and using it as the basis for a replacement aircraft they need to build before their food and water run out.The Romance
2006-03-16Yoon-hee is so harassed by her husband's obsession and frantic love, that even breathing is painful to her. One day, her sudden suicide attempt is foiled when someone takes her in his arms and saves her. Hyeong-joon is a rough-looking detective. He asks nothing, but maybe he knows that for some people, just being alive is hard enough. Yoon-hee goes looking for Hyeong-joon, and from the moment she sees him, feels that he already loves her deeply. Because she knows it is totally impossible to be free from her prison of marriage, the peace and happiness she feels at Hyeong-joon's side is heartbreaking and frightening. Hyeong-joon, used to his life of loneliness and despair, loves Yoon-hee at first sight, but as he can't do anything for her, just lets her go. The only thing he can do is to offer her and himself some comfort.Switch
1991-05-10Steve Brooks, a sexist womanizer, is killed by a group of his angry former lovers. In heaven, he makes a bargain with God for redemption and agrees to return to Earth. Once there, he must have a sincere relationship with a female and make her fall in love with him. If not, Steve's soul will become the property of the devil. But the devil hedges his bet, and Steve is reincarnated as a woman named Amanda Brooks.Aging Out
2023-10-17Just months before Jenn's 30th birthday she is dumped by her long term girlfriend, Frankie. With the help of a surprise house guest, Jenn sets off on a mission to get Frankie back.We Love Moses
2016-01-10When Ella was twelve, she had her first fight. And when she was twelve, she discovered sex. Now eighteen, Ella reflects on how her obsession with her older brother Michael's best friend Moses left her with a secret she still carries.Ins Grab kann man nic...
1941-04-01on overview.The Opposite of Orang...
2016-01-19One night in a lonely hotel room, two strangers fatefully meet - one blind - one suicidal. During the night they spend together, they learn of each others differences and similarities and change as people.A Day Off
1968-11-29One Sunday, a penniless unmarried young South Korean couple meet, as they do every Sunday; while the pregnant young woman believes they are not ready to bring a child into the world, the young man decides to go visit his friends to borrow money for delivery.Headlock
2020-08-29An introverted high school wrestler struggles for acceptance after his secret sexual identity is exposed.Children of Paradise
1945-03-15In a chaotic 19th-century Paris teeming with aristocrats, thieves, psychics, and courtesans, theater mime Baptiste is in love with the mysterious actress Garance. But Garance, in turn, is loved by three other men: pretentious actor Frederick, conniving thief Lacenaire, and Count Edouard of Montray.Pardon Mon Affaire
1976-09-22On an otherwise normal day, Étienne, a happily married man and a good father, sees something that stops him dead in his tracks: a gorgeous woman in a billowing red dress. Long after she has left his vision, her memory continues to haunt his mind. He falls instantly in love with her and tries everything to get to know her better. Helping Étienne snare his elusive lady in red are his three bumbling buddies, which all have secret affairs and/or cheat on their wives.Earth
1996-05-20A mysterious exterminator falls in love with two women who live in a distinctive wine-producing region in Spain.Lady Snowblood
1973-12-01Yuki's family is nearly wiped out before she is born due to the machinations of a band of criminals. These criminals kidnap and brutalize her mother but leave her alive. Later her mother ends up in prison with only revenge to keep her alive. She creates an instrument for this revenge by purposefully getting pregnant. Yuki never knows the love of a family but only killing and revenge.The Princess Bride
1987-09-25In this enchantingly cracked fairy tale, the beautiful Princess Buttercup and the dashing Westley must overcome staggering odds to find happiness amid six-fingered swordsmen, murderous princes, Sicilians and rodents of unusual size. But even death can't stop these true lovebirds from triumphing.Hi, Are You Alone?
1995-10-28Nina is a 20 years old girl from Valladolid who lives with her divorced father, an autoritarian and conservative man. Trini is of the same age and has lost her mother. For both Valladolid and their families have nothing to offer and therefore they go on a risky voyage to the Costa del Sol at the south of Spain.