Ruth Gordon

Harold and Maude Ruth Gordon

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.