Harold and Maude

Harold and Maude. 1971 Paramount Pictures.
Starring: Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles, Eric Christmas, Cyril Cusack, Ellen Geer, G. Wood, Tom Skerritt (as M. Borman)
Director: Hal Ashby
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Harold Chasen (Cort) is a nineteen year old whose favorite pastime is faking his own death just to get a rise out of his mother (Pickles). After a lavish dinner party in the San Francisco area home which they share, Harold stages a particularly gruesome "death" with stage blood sprayed all over the mirrors in Ms. Chasen's dressing room. Harold's mother decides to send him to counseling, where we learn that Harold likes attending funeralks and drives a black hearse. At one funeral, he sees an elderly woman named Maude (Gordon) there. Maude lives every day as it were her last, lives in a derailed train car, and is known to steal vehicles for fun.

Ms. Chasen desperately wants Harold to grow up, suggesting that he either get married, or join the military like his uncle Victor, who lost his arm in combat. She even arranges a series of blind dates for Harold, which he ruins by faking suicide in front of the girls, although one of them plays along with the gag. Harold prefers spending a lot of time with Maude, and falls in love with her. Maude helps Harold pressure his family into dropping the idea that he join the Army by posing as a protester who picks an argument with him in front of his uncle Victor.

Harold decides to marry Maude, which prompts his mother to send him to his uncle, counselor, and priest ("I did not tell you that the idea of intercourse; the fact of your young, firm body comingling with the withered flesh, sagging breasts, and flabby buttocks makes me want to vomit!"*), who all disapprove. He throws Maude a surprise 80th birthday party, after which Maude tells Harold that she has taken poison tablets and will be gone by midnight, to Harold's horror. As she had said earlier, eighty years old is the proper age to die. Harold rushes Maude to the hospital, but she dies before arrival. The next morning, Harold drives his car off a cliff, faking his death for the last time. He had lost his true love, but had learned to live and love life along the way.

A funny and dark cult movie. This was also a favorite of Peter Sellers, who sought out director Hal Ashby to direct his penultimate movie, Being There. Highly, highly recommended.


* This line turned up in an episode of Family Guy (Mother Tucker), spoken by Stewie Griffin, commenting on the budding relationship between Thelma Griffin, Peter's mom, and the much younger anchorman Tom Tucker. It's only available on the DVD release.