Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2453 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-05-13
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
• Dubbed in: French, German, Italian, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 87 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Black comedies don't come much blacker than cult favourite, Harold and Maude (1972), and they don't come much funnier either. It seems that director Hal Ashby was the perfect choice to mine a load of eccentricity from the original Colin Higgins script, about the unlikely romance between a death-obsessed 19-year-old named Harold (Bud Cort) and a life-loving 79-year-old widow named Maude (Ruth Gordon). They meet at a funeral, and Maude finds something oddly appealing about Harold, urging him to "reach out" and grab life by the lapels as opposed to dwelling morbidly on mortality. Harold grows fond of the old gal--she's a lot more fun than the girls his mother desperately tries to match him up with- -and together they make Harold and Maude one of the sweetest and most unconventional love stories ever made. Much of the early humour arises from Harold' s outrageous suicide fantasies, played out as a kind of twisted parlour game to mortify his mother, who has grown immune to her strange son's antics. Gradually, however, the film's clever humour shifts to a brighter outlook and finally arrives at a point where Harold is truly happy to be alive. Featuring soundtrack songs by Cat Stevens, this comedy certainly won't appeal to all tastes (it was a box-office flop when first released), but if you're on its quirky wavelength, it might just strike you as one of the funniest films you've ever seen. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Special Features
1.78 Anamorphic Wide Screen
French\German\Italian\Spanish
English
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English\Mono French German Italian Spanish
Dolby Digital 5.1
Mono
2 Theatrical Trailers
Danish\Dutch\English\French\German\Italian\Norwegian\Spanish\Swedish\Turkish

Synopsis
In the long ago days before video when access to anything but first-run Hollywood movies was limited to repertory houses and college film societies, Hal Ashby's HAROLD AND MAUDE, while not what one would call an underground film, achieved cult status, becoming one of the most popular American films of its time. It is, interestingly, a very simple story. He's shy and morose; she's spunky and full of life. The film is a cliched love story about how opposites attract, except that he's 19 and she's 79. Harold, played with deadpan humor by Bud Cort, is under extreme pressure from his overbearing mother, Mrs. Chasen (Vivian Pickles), in a performance that is a sheer delight, to enter the dating world in hopes of marriage, but he would rather spend his time going to funerals, which is where he meets Maude (Ruth Gordon). She feels he needs to come out of his shell and enjoy life, so she includes him in hers, which is one long, unending series of lunatic adventures, ranging from saving trees to grand theft auto. Their love affair celebrated the spirit of an experimental generation guided by the mantra "If it feels good, do it." The soundtrack, with songs and lyrics by Cat Stevens (which Pauline Kael called "mush minded"), provides an effective thematic bridge as Harold crosses from extended adolescence to manhood.

Customer Reviews

Marilyn Manson is nothing new!
I have just watched this film for the first time because I was bored and had nothing else to watch. OH MY GOD! This is one of the best films I have seen in a long time.
There is no doubt that at times it is essentially very macabre, however, it is ultimately a love story, that leaves you with a warm glow.
Although an American film, it has an eccentric British feel about it, and an excellent soundtrack too.

Very dark and very funny. An extreme work
Briefly, Harold and Maude is an early seventies film waking up from the hangover at the end of the sixties. It's a highly creative and well crafted account of a bizarre set of relationships between Harold (Bud Cort), death (Goths will like this bit!), cars (E-Type Jaguar hearse), his rich and societal mother and a fabulously delinquent senior citizen Maude (Ruth Gordon).

You'll either find it sick or inciteful, adolescent or poignant. It's one of my favourite films of all time and has the added benefit a lovable Cat Stevens sound track.

Watch this film and start to understand the diversity and creativity that underpinned the seventies arts scene.

Jab

A wonderful tale of love between the old and young
Harold is a very confused young man, who attends funerals in his spare time. Maud is a very old lady, who has such a joy for life, you immediately love her. When they meet at a funeral the story is set.

Maud teaches Harold how to enjoy life and that it is there to be lived. She pulls some wonderful stunts and it leaves you wanting to go out and do what she is doing now before you get to her age. It also makes you realise that life is there for the taking and to be grabbed by the throat and lived to the full.

Although it should be a sad ending, it gives you hope and makes you wonder at life and love.

It is a wonderful film, full of fun, laughter and joy and a must for anyone who loves to see life from a different point of view.

It also has a wonderful sound track by Cat Stevens, which fits is ideally with the mood of the film.

Things to watch out for are at the very start of the film when Harolds mother is trying to pair him off and his numerous (non serious) attempts at suicide.

A lovely, warm film suitable for all.