Harold And Maude Essay

PART TWO: In the Film Harold and Maude, we follow the story of a boy named Harold who is obsessed with death and inexplicably, kills himself multiple times with no effect. This film is a solid example of pushing the limits of Classic Hollywood Film, it includes known actors, a fair budget, good special effects and was produced by one of the “big five” film companies, namely, Paramount Pictures. In the film Harold and Maude, Harold Chasen, a nineteen-year old death obsessed boy, elaborately stages fake suicides after barely escaping a chemistry fire in his school. Harold, who often attends funerals for his own amusement, meets and forms a relationship with Maude, a seventy-nine-year-old fellow funeral goer. The two form a strong bond, Maude …show more content…
This scene literally allows you to see the acting done in the movie. All of a sudden the viewer is aware they are watching the film, in a way, it indirectly breaks the fourth wall. You can see, through the actress, Harold’s need for attention. The story and its meaning is made clear by a brief moment of insight. We can also see the way Harold’s mother has lost all sense of grief, it is not only her sons death that she has no care for, but anyone who crosses his path. The only reason that she at all takes notice of the ‘dead’ girls body is to scold Harold that she has no more matches for him and thus her plans for him to marry are lost. The movie Harold and Maude is a strong example of a Classic Hollywood Film that is pushing the limits of its genre. Most who came in to the film would understand it, they would get the plot, the characters, the motives. However, it is not exactly as they are used to, it plays with odd ideas and its characters are not everyday people. However, if one understands the film and takes time and concentration to read into the subtext of the film, they will find that it is a Classic Hollywood Film with a tad of Art Cinema to spice things