Harold and Maude

Harold, rich and depressed, stages fake suicides to frighten his mother and attends the funerals of strangers for fun. At one of them he meets Maude, days away from turning eighty. One shot changes the entire tone: a concentration camp tattoo appears for a moment on Maude's forearm and is never discussed. Where her appetite for life came from is explained in a single frame. The screenplay was Colin Higgins's master's thesis at UCLA. He wanted to direct and was judged unready, so Hal Ashby made him a co-producer so he could learn on set. Ashby had wanted a European actress for Maude and considered Peggy Ashcroft and Edith Evans; the part went to Ruth Gordon. Richard Dreyfuss was among those considered for Harold, and the then-unknown Bud Cort got it. It failed commercially and critically on release. Roger Ebert gave it one and a half stars. Repertory cinemas built its audience slowly, and it did not turn a profit until 1983, twelve years later. At the Westgate Theater in Minneapolis it ran for three straight years until locals reportedly picketed to have it replaced. Cat Stevens's two original songs, Don't Be Shy and If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out, went unreleased on any album until 1984, and the full soundtrack only got a wide release in February 2022 for the film's fiftieth anniversary. Who it is for: viewers who like black comedy and films willing to talk about death. Who it is not for: anyone the age gap will trouble. The film does not put it up for debate.