I wish I could memorize every line of dialogue in this movie and recite it in full at parties to the point where people start to worry about me. “Harold and Maude”, Hal Ashby’s 1971 masterpiece about a young man falling in love with a woman four times his age continues to leave me smiling and hopeful. Despite its dark undertones, theme of death, and ambiguous but equally somber ending (which I won’t spoil here), the movie’s message of living life to the fullest is so perfectly executed here in every way that any viewer can’t help but excuse the gloomy moments. They serve a clear purpose, like they should in any good movie, providing pathos to the character’s backstories and especially early on, some unsettling but essential laughs.
Harold first meets Maude at a funeral. Neither of them know the deceased but are there for their own personal reasons and honestly just for the vibes. Harold, obsessed with death since an early age and stuck in a loop faking his own demise for his exasperated mother, also enjoys watching buildings getting demolished and cars getting crushed up for scrap metal. Maude, who’s about to turn 80, lives in an abandoned train car and enjoys sunflowers and seemingly getting in touch with the five senses any way she can, be it through painting, music, or creating her own custom scents. She also is an avid car thief who, if I counted correctly, steals at least five vehicles over the course of the movie. Maude’s simple zest for life greatly affects Harold and you see him begin to open up to the world and all it has to offer.
No review of “Harold and Maude” can be complete without mentioning the soundtrack. Essentially a Cat Stevens jukebox musical as no less than nine of the folk singer’s songs feature throughout, Stevens’s music anchors the film and gives the accompanying scenes the life and power the movie is advocating for. I’ve always loved his music and naturally was delighted by this choice. While the placement within the plot of some songs seem arbitrary (with a few notable exceptions), the light guitar and Stevens’s lyrics and folksy vocals are highly effective and work well in this already folksy movie. Stevens wrote “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out,” especially for this movie and it is sort of the theme song of the entire work, telling the viewer “there’s a million things to be, you know that there are,” just as Maude encourages Harold to embrace opportunities and creativity. “Trouble,” which plays towards the end of the movie is also a wonderful inclusion and sets the tone expertly for the final moments.
It’s clear when you watch it that this is a movie built on the ideas and dreams of the idealistic and chaotic 60s. Hippies walk past the characters on the streets and there is an at times distracting countercultural semblance in the actions of the main characters, both of which see themselves as societal rebels. Harold’s uncle, a zealous army man and amputee who “worked closely with MacArthur” is easily seen as a caricature of America’s military obsession and similar cynical scenes Harold has with a priest and with his freud-loving therapist betray the movie’s anti-establishment hand (not that it wasn’t fairly obvious otherwise).
Finally, this is a movie I just appreciated for looking good. It’s a comparatively old movie but its visuals and camerawork, bordering on Wes Anderson-esque at times, both keep it looking good and give the production just enough flair for a novice movie critic (like myself) to appreciate that something interesting and special is going on.
So come for the many, varied, fake suicide attempts. Stay for the shocking, heartfelt reveals and for the soothing sounds of Cat Stavens. You might, like me, have a surprise new favorite movie when it’s all said and done and the last banjo string is plucked.
“Harold and Maude” is currently available to watch on Paramount+, Pluto, or wherever you rent your movies nowadays.
