Entertainment For Lively Minds
Harold and Maude (Hal Ashby 1971)
Posted by Chris G on 6 February 2010 - 3:03pm.
When:
4th Feb 2010
Where:
Crystal Palace film Club the Gypsy Hill Tavern (erm Gypsy Hill) London
Comments:
I had obviously heard about this classic before now but never got round to seeing. This is the joy of film clubs though they “force “you to see things you’ve avoided and usually because the films are chosen by people actually like films turn out to be really good.
I won’t go over the plot in great detail suffice to say it’s a relationship between a 79 woman and young man/lad. The story is a fellow traveller to the Ashby’s “the Graduate” but is less mainstream and purposefully hip than the Hoffman film. Although H&M is refreshingly snappy Ashby still manages to build engaging rounded characters. In fact the slight untidiness of the plot is part of its charm, particularly in a world where even “indie” films have scripts poured over so every narrative cog works perfectly. Anyway it’s really, really good, funny and moving in equal measure. So if you haven’t seen it don’t wait as long as I did! Oh and the soundtrack is entirely made up of Cat Steven’s songs.
The Audience:
anyone who hasn’t painted their face blue and been to see Avatar 6 times or anyone who’s has a heart.
Food & Drink:
This is another good point about film clubs in pubs as Tavern’s landlord lays on free food this week: platters of salady sarnies and all the Guinness is good (never tried the Pride as the black stuff so nice)
It Made Me Think...:
All these 70’s films show kids rebelling against parents who live in glamorous homes who drink and smoke, funny then that the biggest hit with the real “the rebellious kids” is “Madmen”
Love it
Without it, we would be without the entire work of Wes Anderson and, a whole genre that I cant think of the name of.
thanks D.G
I was trying to fit that observation into my review but was up against the word count. I was most struck by the similarities to the Royal Tenenbaums first 40 minutes what with all the wacky dysfunctional rich people.
Also Jarvis has based his entire wardrobe on Bob Corts character dress sense.
update: I now realise Hal Ashby didn't direct the Graduate it's by Mike Nichols they are just similar in tone and subject matter .
My sister loves it!
Just a wee note to say H & M is genius - and also very appealing to women for some reason. It's my sister's all time favourite flick, and when we first got a VCR in '79, it was the first film we taped. She watched it over & over with her friends, they'd have little houseparties and gather round the TV, laughing their legs off... then they'd all have pillow fights and... oh wait... that was Animal House wasn't it...
but seriously it's a classic.
Ashby's..
next two films were also brilliant - The Last Detail and Shampoo and then he also directed Peter Sellers's swansong Being There. Good section on H&M and Ashby himself him in Peter Biskind's highly recommended Easy Riders Raging Bulls.
I like the end of Shampoo...
... when "Wouldn't It Be Nice" is played - I bought Pet Sounds as a result.
'H&M' fantastic, unique film.
£3.98 on Amazon if you've not seen it.
And 'Shampoo''s brilliant too. How a film about a shagathonic hairdresser can have so many levels and so much melancholy I don't know.
I don't think that intelligent films like this
and Mike Nichols Carnal Knowledge are (or even could be) made anymore by the Hollywood studio system. The aforementioned Easy Riders Raging Bulls explains why. It is a shame.
There are if you look for them
'The Squid and the Whale'? Wes Anderson's films? 'Confessions of A Dangerous Mind', 'Endless Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', 'Synechdoche, New York'?
Actually you are right
I stand corrected! Cynicism is getting to me. Having said that I think a film with such a dark viewpoint as Carnal Knowledge would struggle to get a major release - as it was in 1971.
The Last Detail!
Only seen it once, but the scene where the three of them drunkenly try to fix up a fold up bed is comedy gold...