Harold and Maude
- Sunday, Jan 19, 2025, 6:00pm
We asked our volunteers to pick films to show this month and this is one of them!
With the idiosyncratic American fable HAROLD AND MAUDE, countercultural director Hal Ashby fashioned what would become the cult classic of its era. Working from a script by Colin Higgins, Ashby tells the story of the emotional and romantic bond between a death-obsessed young man (Bud Cort) from a wealthy family and a devil-may-care, bohemian octogenarian (Ruth Gordon). Equal parts gallows humor and romantic innocence, HAROLD AND MAUDE dissolves the line between darkness and light along with the ones that separate people by class, gender, and age, and it features indelible performances and a remarkable soundtrack by Cat Stevens.
Part of our Farewell to 1403 series.
“Harold and Maude is the kind of cinema that draws you in for the storyline and keeps you there for the beating heart. It’s a film unapologetically of its time – the wardrobe, cinematography and Cat Stevens soundtrack place it firmly in the 70s – but its themes of joy and redemption resonate now more than ever.” Elizabeth Quinn, The Guardian
“Harold and Maude continues to resonate with viewers of all ages who feel a natural kinship with misfits and oddballs, and many claim it has changed their lives forever.” Pat Saperstein, Variety