"A lot of people enjoy being dead. But they're not dead really, they're just backing away from life."
Rainy mid-week days often fill me with a sense of listlessness. Well, truth be told, that's only partially true: on the one hand these weepy afternoons instill an unshakable sense of calm and belonging, while on the other, a distinct and anxious foreboding.
It's melancholy moods like these that make me, typically a chipper and upbeat individual, gravitate towards the films that feel like home. You know the ones. The warm peanut butter and butter on a toasted English Muffin films. Homemade macaroni and cheese films. Star Wars blanket and a hot cup of Peppermint tea films. Those pictures that, without fail, make one feel as though they've walked through some magical gate to an intimate and familiar place that exists whenever it's needed. For me this singular film has been, and I imagine always will be, Harold and Maude.
Shot in the early '70's in San Francisco's Bay Area, Hal Ashby's Harold and Maude (1971) is the story of a young, half heartedly-suicidal teen who meets a vivacious, life affirming Octogenarian (at a funeral they are both attending, despite not knowing the deceased). It's a beautiful, modest, terrifically funny film that hinges on our obsession with death as a means to escape living. First time screenwriter Colin Higgins (the quirky comic genius who later gave us Foul Play and 9 to 5) delivers that most allusive of Hollywood tales: an exquisite, original story full of universal dilemma.
To boot, the entire soundtrack is performed by (then named) Cat Stevens. From "I Think I See the Light" "Where Do the Children Play" and "If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out" to my very personal favorite "On the Road to Find Out", Stevens' tunes are the ideal compliment to H & M's sweetly-holding-your-hand optimism.
It's a film unlike any that has come before or since and receives my highest recommendation.
Tell me, what films are home to you?
Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort
Bees to Knees meter (1 bee = blah, 10 bees = hoo-rah!): 10
Starring: Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort
Director: Hal Ashby
Released: 1971
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
10 comments:
i will always thank the day you made me watch this one. hmmm. home, you ask? practical magic...cause i'm a hopeless romantic saptastic magic loving girly freak. but there. i said it. and i love it. Others in my not so recent past:
the secret garden (both versions), the sound of music, the wizard of oz, cinderella, (good god i'm a girl), empire records, and anything on dinosaurs or the pyramids. think national geographic.
What a great list Lisa, I love it. Particularly the part about dinosaurs and pyramids. You know I've never seen Practical Magic . . . ?
"Hannah and Her Sisters". The message of "no matter how completely messed up life can get, there's always the possibility of happiness around the corner, even in the most unlikeliest of places" always makes me feel a bit more optimistic.
What a lovely choice Jay, Hannah and her sister's is without question one of my favorite Allen films.
You know Lisa I love the Secret Garden too, and in that vein, The Little Princess.
I think my "home movie" is when Harry Met Sally though. It always makes me happy.
Chris, isn't it terrible, I haven't seen any of those films! Thank you for sharing, always a pleasure to hear from you!
Great Reviews ! Thanks for sharing ! Have you seen "Comfort And Joy". I saw it last night and really enjoy it. You must go for it.
Thank you! I haven't seen Comfort and Joy, in fact it's hasn't even been on my radar, so thank you for the tip, I'll have to check it out . . . come back again soon!
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Nice blog keep post latest updates in your blog.
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