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Mar 18, 2021 · Much like a precocious college student, Harold (Bud Cort) maintains his own sense of self through constant acts of resistance against these authority figures, and appears unable to...
Sep 3, 2024 · It stars Ruth Gordon as the free-spirited octogenarian Maude, who has a ceaseless zest for life, and Bud Cort as the young, morbid Harold, who is suffering from ennui, fear and just general stagnation.
- Overall Story
- Main Character
- Influence Character
- Relationship Story
Becoming
1. Overall Story Signpost 1Harold repeatedly changes his appearance to resemble a corpse; Mrs. Chasen tries to change his ways by sending him to the Psychiatrist for treatment. 2. Overall Story Journey 1 from Becoming to ConceivingDismayed by the Psychiatrist’s inability to change Harold’s focus on death, Mrs. Chasen thinks of other ways to make Harold grow up.
Conceiving
1. Overall Story Signpost 2Mrs. Chasen gets the idea of marriage as a way to change Harold, and sets him up with a dating service. 2. Overall Story Journey 2 from Conceiving to ConceptualizingFrustrated by Harold’s invention of new ways of committing suicide for his dates, Mrs. Chasen implements her plans to control him by replacing his hearse with a new sports car.
Conceptualizing
1. Overall Story Signpost 3Uncle Victor envisions the Army as the solution to Harold’s problems; With Maude’s help, Harold puts into action their plan to avoid his being drafted. 2. Overall Story Journey 3 from Conceptualizing to BeingHarold and Maude spoil the plans of Mrs. Chasen and Uncle Victor by faking Maude’s death by drowning.
Memory
1. Main Character Signpost 1Under the Psychiatrist’s probing, Harold regrets that he’s not getting through to his mother with his shocking “suicide” attempts like he used to. 2. Main Character Journey 1 from Memory to PreconsciousHarold continues with his self-assisted suicides, getting the knee-jerk reactions he enjoys from the dating service women.
Preconscious
1. Main Character Signpost 2When Mrs. Chasen takes away his hearse and give him an E-type Jaguar, Harold reacts by converting it to a “sports hearse” with his welding equipment. 2. Main Character Journey 2 from Preconscious to SubconsciousDelighted that Maude’s more impulsive than himself, Harold gets a new view on life and finds something worth living for.
Subconscious
1. Main Character Signpost 3Harold expresses his basic desires by buying Maude a bracelet and making love with her—and proposing marriage. 2. Main Character Journey 3 from Subconscious to ConsciousMortified by Maude’s choice of death over marriage, Harold deliberates over his own future without her.
Past
1. Influence Character Signpost 1Maude looks back on her varied life, and considers that: MAUDE: I’ll be eighty next week. A good time to move on, don’t you think? (Higgins, p. 13) 2. influence Character Journey 1 from Past to FutureWhile liberating a tree, Maude fondly remembers the issues she fought for in her youth, while exhorting Harold to think of the future: MAUDE: As Confucius says, “Don’t simply be good. Make good things happen.”
Future
1. Influence Character Signpost 2Maude relates to Harold the words she lives her life by: MAUDE: “And this too shall pass away.” (fluttery laugh) And the wise man was right - if you remember that, you can’t help but live life fully. (Higgins, p. 61) 2. Influence Character Journey 2 from Future to ProgressMaude fakes her own drowning to help Harold avoid a future in the Army, and persuades him to love life more and more.
Progress
1. Influence Character Signpost 3A happy Maude takes a fateful step into the unknown: MAUDE: I took the pills an hour ago. I should be gone by midnight. 2. Influence Character Journey 3 from Progress to PresentMaude calmly accepts her fate as she moves toward death, but Harold desperately tries to keep her in the present by taking her to hospital.
Obtaining
1. Relationship Story Signpost 1Harold meets Maude while attending funerals, and is intrigued by her fondness for collecting things—such as the priest’s car. 2. Relationship Story Journey 1 from Obtaining to LearningMaude is delighted to find a new friend in Harold, with whom she can share her lifetime of learning.
Learning
1. Relationship Story Signpost 2Maude teaches Harold the joys of new experiences like ginger pie and oat straw tea, and the importance of being an individual. 2. Relationship Story Journey 2 from Learning to DoingHarold learns about Maude’s freedom-fighting past, and enjoys fun activities like smoking pot, liberating trees, and playing the banjo.
Doing
1. Relationship Story Signpost 3Maude engages Harold in freedom-related activities, encouraging him to dance, perform cartwheels, and yodel. 2. Relationship Story Journey 3 from Doing to UnderstandingMaude helps Harold escape the clutches of Victor’s Army, and in her arms he experiences the true meaning of love.
Dec 20, 2021 · They are Harold (Bud Cort), a young boy of about 20 years old who lives in a wealthy household with his uptight mother (Vivian Pickles). Harold is reclusive and distant, often resorting to elaborate schemes to get attention; in particular, a series of fake suicides that he makes throughout the film.
Plot. Harold Chasen is a young man obsessed with death. He stages elaborate fake suicides, attends funerals (usually for people that he does not know), and drives a hearse, all to the chagrin of his self-obsessed, wealthy socialite mother.
Harold and Maude became the prototypes for a certain type of self-consciously styled weirdo. It’s easy, certainly, to see what Wes Anderson picked up from Ashby’s work.
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Jul 31, 2014 · Bud Cort is quietly effective as the manchild Harold, while Ruth Gordon brings a subtle sense of sadness behind Maude's wrinkly smiles.
