Director Hal Ashby's Harold and Maude (1971) is as macabre as a coming-of-age comedy can get. Yet it surprisingly manages to provide genuine laughs and a decent amount of thought-provoking insight into the psyche of youth who have found themselves with little to live for. This picture was poorly received during its initial release, both critically and commercially. Still, this movie's unconventional pairing of the suicidal nineteen-year-old Harold (played by Bud Cort) and the lively seventy-nine going on eighty-year-old Maude (played by Ruth Gordon) has, over time, found the following it deserved through contemporary audiences who undoubtedly can find plenty of moments for them to relate to. Without further ado, here is my spoiler-filled review of Harold and Maude.
This film follows Harold, a death-obsessed young man, who attends funerals to strangers, and stages elaborate fake suicides, which are virtually ignored by his wealthy and uncaring mother (played by Vivian Pickles), whose reactions are so shockingly aloof and emotionally detached that it boggles my mind to think that there are people like this who exist. During one of his funeral visits, Harold encounters Maude, who shares a more upbeat outlook on life itself, and the two gradually become close friends (and something much closer). Together, they joyride, ponder life's mysteries and one's existence on this Earth, help each other in preventing Harold from getting drafted into the military by his Uncle Victor (played by Charles Tyner), and ultimately plan to get married, much to the disapproval of various people in Harold's life, including a preacher, who express their displeasure in the most honest yet hilarious way possible. I could describe it to you through text, but it would rob potential viewers of its sheer absurdity.
Anyway, the performances in this movie are strong, with the two leads and their shared dynamic and chemistry proving to be quite endearing as the story progresses. Cort brings a young vulnerability to an otherwise aloof and introverted character and undergoes the most significant arc throughout the film. On a historical and sociological level, Harold appears to represent the emotional state of the youth of the day regarding the condition of the country, especially given the countless young men who were being drafted into the then-ongoing Vietnam War and much of their optimism in social change being crushed throughout the turbulence of the 1960s. The movie's most unambiguous indication of the political landscape at the time is exemplified through Harold's mother touting conservative politicians to her son, reflecting the then-current Nixon administration as Harold stages another fake suicide.
Gordon's carefree enthusiasm for Maude is this movie's breath of fresh air on the other end of the spectrum. Her emotional wisdom and experience are an excellent counter to Harold's glumness and nihilism. While briefly implied through numbers tattooed on her arm, Maude's backstory of surviving the Holocaust makes her decision at the end to commit suicide upon turning 80 by overdosing on her sleeping pills even more heartbreaking. However, her final lesson for Harold to "go and love some more" perfectly sums up his character transformation and arc throughout the movie. Harold goes from a profoundly depressed and emotionally distant adolescent to a more hopeful and open young man with much to look forward to.
Technically, the cinematography is where the movie shines brightest. There is a scene where Harold converses with Maude about wanting to change into a daisy to conform with others. Maude then observes that "I feel that much of the world's sorrow comes from people who are this, yet allow themselves to be treated as that", referring to the field of daisies they are sitting in. The camera then pans to an area of white gravestones in an adjacent military cemetery, a surprisingly appropriate thematic and symbolistic contrast of death to the flowers' life and how the two are interconnected, which I found very moving. This film also makes excellent use of singer-songwriter Cat Stevens' tunes like "Don't Be Shy" and "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out", as they not only give the movie a sense of nostalgia but also the essence of being a time capsule of a small slice of the early 1970s.
On a side note, one part of this film that appeals to me is its local setting of the San Francisco Bay Area and the choice to shoot at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk during the early '70s. Much to my delight, many train-related scenes are in this film, like Maude's home inside an abandoned observation car from the Western Pacific Railroad, Harold paying a visit to the abandoned Southern Pacific Bayshore Roundhouse in Brisbane, California, and an extensive model train layout once located inside the Boardwalk's Casino Arcade. These scenes are an excellent time capsule of the period, and unintentional practice runs for Hal Ashby's use of trains in his later Oscar-nominated picture, Bound for Glory (1976).
While coming-of-age movies are a dime-a-dozen today, Harold and Maude's dark humor and unique approach to finding the meaning of life makes this a stand-out among the rest. It may not appeal to everyone, but this is a memorable watch for those it does.
Final Score: 8 out of 10
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