Hal Ashby

Harold and Maude

Harold and Maude

With the idiosyncratic American fable Harold and Maude, countercultural director Hal Ashby fashioned what would become the cult classic of its era. Working from a script by Colin Higgins, Ashby tells the story of the emotional and romantic bond between a death-obsessed young man (Bud Cort) from a wealthy family and a devil-may-care, bohemian octogenarian (Ruth Gordon). Equal parts gallows humor and romantic innocence, Harold and Maude dissolves the line between darkness and light along with the ones that separate people by class, gender, and age, and it features indelible performances and a remarkable soundtrack by Cat Stevens.

Film Info

  • United States
  • 1971
  • 91 minutes
  • Color
  • 1.85:1
  • English
  • Spine #608

Special Features

  • New digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
  • Optional remastered uncompressed stereo soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
  • New audio commentary by Hal Ashby biographer Nick Dawson and producer Charles B. Mulvehill
  • Illustrated audio excerpts from seminars by Ashby and writer-producer Colin Higgins
  • New interview with songwriter Yusuf/Cat Stevens
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by film critic Matt Zoller Seitz; a 1971 New York Times profile of star Ruth Gordon (Blu-ray only); and two excerpted interviews, one from 1997 with star Bud Cort and cinematographer John Alonzo and one from 2001 with executive producer Mildred Lewis (Blu-ray only)

    New cover by Jordan Crane

Purchase Options

Special Features

  • New digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
  • Optional remastered uncompressed stereo soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
  • New audio commentary by Hal Ashby biographer Nick Dawson and producer Charles B. Mulvehill
  • Illustrated audio excerpts from seminars by Ashby and writer-producer Colin Higgins
  • New interview with songwriter Yusuf/Cat Stevens
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by film critic Matt Zoller Seitz; a 1971 New York Times profile of star Ruth Gordon (Blu-ray only); and two excerpted interviews, one from 1997 with star Bud Cort and cinematographer John Alonzo and one from 2001 with executive producer Mildred Lewis (Blu-ray only)

    New cover by Jordan Crane
Harold and Maude
Cast
Ruth Gordon
Maude
Bud Cort
Harold
Vivian Pickles
Mrs. Chasen
Cyril Cusack
Glaucus
Chares Tyner
Uncle Victor
Ellen Geer
Sunshine Doré
Eric Christmas
Priest
G. Wood
Psychiatrist
Judy Engles
Candy Gulf
Tom Skerritt
Motorcycle officer
Credits
Director
Hal Ashby
Produced by
Colin Higgins
Produced by
Charles B. Mulvehill
Written by
Colin Higgins
Executive producer
Mildred Lewis
Director of photography
John Alonzo
Songs composed and performed by
Cat Stevens
Recordings supervised by
Paul Samwell-Smith
Film editing
William A. Sawyer
Film editing
Edward Warschilka
Production designer
Michael Haller
Costume designer
William Theiss
Wardrobe supervisor
Andrea Weaver
Makeup
Bob Stein
Hair stylist
Kathryn Blondell
Sound
William Randall
Camera operator
Joe Marquette Jr.
Head grip
Charles Record
Titles by
Pablo Ferro

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