Harold and Maude (1971)

Director:

Hal Ashby

Writer:

Colin Higgins (written by)

Release Date:

20 December 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

They will defy everything you've ever seen or heard about screen lovers! [Video]

Plot:

Young, rich, and obsessed with death, Harold finds himself changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a funeral.

Plot Keywords:

Sculpture | San Francisco Bay Area, California | Severed Hand | Flower | Singing

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Tue. May 20

4:30 AM

MAX

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Ruth Gordon	...	Maude
Bud Cort	...	Harold Parker Chasen
Vivian Pickles	...	Mrs. Chasen
Cyril Cusack	...	Glaucus
Charles Tyner	...	Brig. Gen. Victor Ball
Ellen Geer	...	Sunshine Doré, Third Date
Eric Christmas	...	Priest
G. Wood	...	Psychiatrist
Judy Engles	...	Candy Gulf, First Date
Shari Summers	...	Edith Phern, Second Date
Tom Skerritt	...	Motorcycle Officer (as M. Borman)
Susan Madigan	...	Girlfriend
Ray K. Goman	...	Police Officer (as Ray Goman)
Gordon Devol	...	Police Officer (as Gordon DeVol)
Harvey Brumfield	...	Police Officer

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:18 (original rating) | South Korea:18 (2005) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Finland:K-16 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Berkeley, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

While watching a sunset with Harold, Maude sees a flock of seagulls and refers to Dreyfus. Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935), a Jewish officer in the French army, was wrongly convicted of treason in 1894, and sentenced to life in solitary confinement on Devil's Island (a penal colony off the coast of French Guiana). He was pardoned five years later, and ultimately exonerated when the evidence against him was proved false.

Goofs:

Continuity: About 50 minutes into the film, when Maude is doing donuts around the officer, the driver-side window of the truck is alternately up/down between shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mrs. Chasen: [after spotting Harold hanging from a noose in the living room] I suppose you think that's very funny, Harold... Oh, dinner at eight, Harold. And do try and be a little more vivacious.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Charlie Bartlett (2007)

Soundtrack:

On the Road to Find Out

When is the sequel coming?

Over 30 years have passed since Harold and Maude premiered. Since then, there hasn't been a more "different" and enjoyable love story about two completely odd people. The story is so unique, it is held in a category all its own. A man, who only feels alive when he's dead is introduced to a woman who is planning on death but lives life day to day. The moral of the movie is to live and to be. I am hoping for a sequel where Harold becomes the old man and influences a young woman who reminds him of the child he once was to live life to the very fullest.