Harold and Maude (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]
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Harold and Maude (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

4.9/5
Product ID: 33136208
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With the idiosyncratic American fable Harold and Maude, countercultural director Hal Ashby (Being There) fashioned what would become the cult classic of its era. Working from a script by Colin Higgins (9 to 5), Ashby tells the story of the emotional and romantic bond between a death-obsessed young man (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’s Bud Cort) from a wealthy family and a devil-may-care, bohemian octogenarian (Rosemary’s Baby’s 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.

Reviews

4.9

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B**E

One of my top-5 favorite films of all time….

I like to come to Amazon and read reviews on “Harold and Maude”.People either get it, or they don’t. The “Dark Comedy” is a dying art.Thankfully, we have “Harold and Maude” to remind us.…and it’s the only time i can listen to Cat Stevens in peace; before he became Yusuf and lost his humanity. Only in “Harold and Maude”; if i hear a song of his come on any other time, I quickly turn it off. I can’t, i just can’t.

D**N

Bud Cort-Future Bond Company Stooge

Weren't the Seventies great? It isn't often that the stars align just right to create movie magic. Director Hal Ashby was coming off the critical success of "The Landlord". Colin Higgins would later write the Seventies Hitchcockian comic classics "Silver Streak" and "Foul Play". Bud Cort was coming off starring in Robert Altman's askewed dark comic classic "Brewster McCloud". Ruth Gordon was adding another character to her gallery of off-the-wall geriatrics. In order for "Harold and Maude" to succeed you have to believe in the central conceit of a twenty year old man with a death fixation mutually falling in love with an eighty year old free spirit otherwise it's a cynical exercise. These are not stereotypes but fully realized characters. One would have to note that Harold's staged suicides are probably more a cry for love than for attention. One would also have to notice the markings on Maude's arm probably the result of German atrocities. Not once do you disbelieve this relationship. Not in the performances of Cort and Gordon or in Ashby's direction or in the script. If you followed Ashby's career his films celebrate iconoclasm and he could be viewed as something of a maverick himself by making very personal films that through some act of God were green lighted by the studios. Good supporting turns by Vivian Pickles as Harold's frustrated mother, G. Wood, an Altman vet, as Harold's psychiatrist, Charles Tyner as Harold's militaristic uncle, Eric Christmas as a priest disgusted by Harold and Maude's relationship, and Judy Geer as an actress Harold's mother tries to fix him up with. I failed to mention the terrific song score offered by Cat Stevens which includes the beautiful "If You Want To Be Free, Be Free" as something of a signature theme for the two lovers. Oddly, at the time of the film's release they didn't issue a soundtrack album. It's only available on an out-of-print vinyl issue that came out some years after the film's release which also includes Gordon's version of the aforementioned song and the price is quite steep for even a second hand copy. Is it no wonder that a film that flopped both critically and commercially at the time of initial release has endeared itself to audiences forty years later? I last saw this film when I was sixteen on a double feature with "The King of Hearts" which is currently discontinued on DVD. Are you listening, Criterion? I didn't appreciate the subtleties of the film at the time because of my youth and my inexperience in the ways of love but thirty-four years on I am touched by its resonance and poignancy.

G**T

Harold and Maude the Bluray version

I saw this film in the theater and owned it on DVD and Blu-ray as soon as they became available. This review is not about the movie but the blu-ray release.So the question becomes is it an overall better picture than the DVD? My simple answer is, yes, slightly better. Only a tiny bit better. If I would rate the picture quality of the DVD version as a 5 of 10, I would give the blu-ray release picture quality a 5.2 of 10 scale.I've been watching on an up-converting Panasonic Blu-ray player, watching with an Optoma 3D projector on a glass-bead screen. There is a slight improvement in resolution with the blu-ray version. There is still video noise and grainy-ness because lots of the movie is shot in dark settings. I also watched on a Vizio BR player and TV and had about the same change compared to the DVD.One of the benchmarks I use is when Harold and Maude are sitting outside near San Fransisco Bay. There is a highway sign in the distance. This is about 69 minutes into the film. The ability to read the sign is really not improved, even though it is mostly in focus. This scene was filmed on San Fransisco Bay in Emeryville, CA along the I-80/580 exprwy, near the intersection of I-80 and Powell St. in the mud flats. If you look very closely you can see the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge next to Maude.If you are a fan of this film like I am I suggest listening to the supplementary audio when watching, it gives a lot of insight into how the film was made and why it looks the way it does. Also contains many insights into the actors skills and personalities.

M**.

"Harold and Maude" is a 1970's era gem that creeps right into your subconscious and never leaves.

"Harold and Maude" is a 1970's era gem that creeps right into your subconscious and never leaves and is one of the best, in and out, of its genre. Ruth Gordon, with delightful focus and subtle brilliance, treats the audience to her character "Maude", a spry, elderly woman who is forward thinking, worldly, intelligent, innovative and despite her advanced age, can seem to be much younger than her almost 80 years. Bud Cort, with controlled boyish charm and dry humor, creeps his character "Harold" into your subconscious and ends up, and you can never really know why, being a sort of reluctant, Gothic heartthrob. Regarding the age differences of the two title characters and their blossoming romance, there isn't the usual "forced acting" aspect that one might expect. The two seem well fit for this macabre pairing. Their odd chemistry keeps you eagerly rooting for their "May / December" relationship to work and last. "Harold and Maude" will appeal to a wide range of people and especially to those who love, offbeat movies from the 1960's and the 1970's. I love this movie and highly recommend it !

C**E

Criterion Collection treatment for my wife's favourite movie. This movie looks and sounds unreal

Criterion Collection treatment for my wife's favourite movie. This movie looks and sounds unreal. The movie is quirky but wonderfully done, with a complete soundtrack done by Cat Stevens. If you're a fan of the movie you won't be disappointed with this edition.

C**T

Still rocks after all these years

A ground breaking, thought provoking, hysterically funny film, with a wonderful cast and great writing. I wish I had a dollar for every time I've watched it. I'd happily recommend this to anyone.

R**E

You can easily see that this film has influenced a generation of ...

This is a dark comedy. You can easily see that this film has influenced a generation of filmmakers like Wes Anderson.

P**R

One of the few perfect movies

Harold and Maude captures the sensibility of the late sixties, early seventies. Three cheers for Hal Ashby, John Alonzo, Cat Stevens and the amazing Bud Cort.Four cheers for Ruth Gordon.And cheers to Criterion for this beautiful restoration.

O**S

Obra de arte!

Esta edición es una obra de arte, un fiel reflejo de esta magnífica obra de culto. Espero con ansias una versión en Blue Ray:::

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