“Well, if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free”
Harold and Maude is a love story, and this movie is proof that love can sometimes be found in the unlikeliest of places. And I mean unlikely, like a teenager and a senior citizen falling in love, unlikely.
Harold is obsessed with dying. Harold drives a hearse, and attends funerals for fun. He doesn’t have any friends. He is your typical eccentric loner, you know, if dying everyday is typical eccentric behavior. He is constantly faking his death. His mother finds him fake hanging himself, mock stabbing himself, shooting himself in the face with blanks, although blanks can still kill you if you’re close enough. I’m just saying, don’t go running around shooting yourself in the face. Even if you think you’re being safe. It’s all fun and games until someone ends up in a coffin. Did I mention this is a dark comedy?
Because he fakes his death so often, Harold’s mother barely bats an eyelash at this behavior anymore. She does get a little freaked out when he smears fake blood all over her bathroom, she gets pretty fed up at this point. Come on lady, can’t you take a joke?
Maude is nearing her 80th birthday, but you would never know it. She is energetic, daring, and young at heart. Maude is alive.
Maude seeks out Harold at a funeral, and they become the best of friends. Maude teaches Harold how to live, and shows him the value of being alive. Maude is fearless, she steals people’s cars and drives around like a mad person. If the police try to get in her way, she escapes without a scratch. She marches to the beat of her own drum. Maude lives life to the fullest, Harold eventually falls in love with Maude, and because he cares so deeply about her he begins to live life to the fullest as well.
Harold and Maude find this dying tree in the middle of the city one day, it is surrounded by concrete and it looks pretty pathetic. Maude convinces Harold to help her steal it. It’s leaves are wilting, and it’s branches are drooping-it looks like it is going to die. Maude wants to take it, replant it, and bring it back to life. Maude does this same thing with Harold. Harold is this tree. Harold is completely pale at the beginning of this movie, and after he meets Maude he starts to look healthier.
Maude knows that a lot of people aren’t really living, that they are just sitting on the sidelines, but at any time they can start to participate. Maude teaches Harold how to participate, and not by compromising who he is, he maintains his quirks but he just worries less about people judging him. Maude helps him realize this.
You would think hearing the premise of this movie that you would be grossed out by Harold and Maude’s love affair, but you root for them the entire movie. Even if their love doesn’t last forever, they learn so much about one another. You’re are sincerely glad they meet.
Don’t read below this line unless you want the ending of this movie completely ruined.
When I saw Harold’s Jaguar roll off the cliff at the end of the movie, I was pissed. I thought: “He doesn’t get it.” “Did he learn nothing from Maude?” “How could he take his own life?” But when you see him standing unhurt at the top of the cliff, I cheered for him. He tricked us again, and he’s going to be alright. Harold’s life is going to be completely different from this point on, he wants to live now, even if it means living without Maude. He skips away into the sunset, playing his banjo with glee.
What an unusual movie. It cracked me up to see the tree in the back of the car as they were running from the police.
They broke so many laws that day. Definitely unusual, so strange that you’re sort of shocked into laughter. Dark, dark comedy. But fun.
don’t worry about ruining movies… i do it all the time… haha.
Yeah I always tap dance around it, haha.
the way i figure it, i save them money by telling them what happens. if they really want to shell out the cash, they should just send it to me. granted they would never know if what i say is actually true or not… haha.
wow i really found this to be interesting. thanks for sharing. Nice Post I will dig it