Movie Time
I watched Harold and Maude (1971), starring Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort. Both those names are familiar, and I'm sure you would probably recognize Ruth Gordon if you saw her, even if you're not sure about the name. And Bud Cort seems familiar, but I'm not sure of anything else he's been in. Another trip to imdb.com, it seems. :::checking imdb::: Oh, quite a few things I've seen him in without realizing it, mostly minor parts, but hey, it's a living, right? it seems the most famous movie Ruth Gordon has been in is Rosemary's Baby (1968).
About the movie: Anyway, this is a strange movie. Harold is a young boy (20), and Maude is approaching 80 in a few days. They encounter each other at a funeral and then meet at another funeral a while later. To Harold, a boy staging elaborate death scenes to get some kind of rise out of his remarkably-distant mother, Maude is an extreme breath of fresh air: taking cars because they're convenient, no matter that they're not hers; talking of life and living in such grand terms; doting on things because they're important to her or she just likes them, not because they're "important" or will impress people. She represents all of the things he wishes he could do or be but is too afraid to attempt or too afraid that others will think him weird (this being quite funny when the kid has staged a hanging, a bloody massacre, and a self-immolation, among other things).
My take: Ultimately, the point of the movie seems to be that you should do whatever you want to do because life is meant for living. To a certain extent, I can agree with this sentiment. We shouldn't be caught up in what others will think of what we do, and we should explore things in this world. However, all rules can't be thrown out the window, either. Most rules are in place for our protection, not to keep us from having fun; certainly God's laws are that way. I realize there are stupid rules and laws put in place by people more interested in messing with people than in serving them, but I think these are far fewer than the standard variety. Taking someone's car because it's convenient? That's wrong, period. Doing somersaults when you feel like it? Go for it. If you want to smoke, do it (even though I contend you shouldn't, and please don't do it around me!). If you want a drink, have one (unless you're an alcoholic or are otherwise convinced you shouldn't do it, and certainly not when you're going to drive).
Things I liked: The staged-death scenes were quite humorous in a dark sense; the self-immolation scene in particular was really amazing, especially considering that Harold walks through the door mere seconds after firing himself. I haven't figured out how he pulled that one off. Harold's mother, played by Vivian Pickles, was quite good at being nonplused by her son's attempts to kill himself. In fact, she was quite good at being totally disinterested in her son altogether. This part of the story was intriguing, and I would have liked to see it developed more fully. It definitely made a good back story for how Harold could even consider being interested in Maude, her being the complete antithesis of his mother.
And finally: Overall, not an impressive movie. I didn't waste my time watching it, but it was a bit heavy-handed in its messages (the Army is nothing but people intent on killing; all rules are bad and serve only to oppress you or repress you), and the soundtrack by Cat Stevens really got annoying after the opening song. I suppose he's one of those songwriter/performer you either love or you hate; I tend to fall in the latter half of that divide. The saving grace, what kept me from totally disliking this movie, was the (lack of) relationship between the mother and son.
On the news: "The Texans (Houston's football team) took the day off, and so did Dallas. Unfortunately, Dallas had a game in Green Bay."
And sympathies and prayers to the Hendrick Motorsports racing team and family members of those killed in the plane crash today. What a terrible tragedy.
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