L.A. Theatre Works' radio theater series, The Play's the Thing, airs locally every Saturday night from 10 pm to midnight on 89.3 FM KPCC Southern California Public Radio, and is streamed on the KPCC website (www.kpcc.org) for one week following each broadcast.  The series can also be heard on 89.7 WGBH in Boston; 91.5 FM WBEZ in Chicago; 94.9 KUOW in Seattle; 93.5 FM KRTS "Marfa Public Radio" in Texas; 90.5 FM KUT in Austin; 88.9 FM KUNM in Albuquerque; 91.5 FM, Interlochen Public Radio in Northern Michigan;  94.1 KPFA in Northern California; 91.1 FM KRCB in Sonoma County; 89.1 KUOR in Redlands; as well as on many other public radio stations nationwide and XM Satellite Radio.

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On XM Satellite Radio, The Play's the Thing now airs on Sonic Theater three times a week.  Each broadcast premieres on Friday evening at 8 pm eastern/5 pm pacific and repeats the following Monday in the same time slot.  On Wednesday, XM offers an encore performance of a previously-broadcast program.

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Director: Hal Ashby
Starring: Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon
Awards: Nominated for two Golden Globes

Summary:  A young man, obsessed with death, meets an old woman obsessed with life and begins an unlikely love affair is how I always describe it. One of the strangest film romances ever made, it's also one of the most honest and most revealing.  One of director Hal Ashby's first efforts finds him navigating well worn territory, but in a way not seen before.  I have far too many fond memories of this film to want to spoil them for you here, just take my word for it...if you haven't seen this you need too.

Other Notable Works by This Director:  The Landlord(1970), Shampoo (1975), Being There (1979)

After an intro full of “la la la’s”, MIA FARROW and her husband/unsuccessful actor JOHN CASSAVETES rent a dead old woman’s New York apartment and have some uninteresting sex on the floor while chanting is heard coming from the wall.

MIA FARROW
Oh, life is perfect, this apartment is perfect!… except for the dead girl on the sidewalk, of course.

Nosy next-door neighbor RUTH GORDON (who looks like an older, more made-up version of my auto insurance agent) drops by.

RUTH GORDON
Nice to meet you! Here’s your mail! Why, look at that sofa! How much was it? Here, take this rancid-smelling talisman! Would you like a fresh tall glass of hideous herbs? Come to dinner tonight! Let’s start a lifetime of me meddling!

MIA FARROW and JOHN CASSAVETES reluctantly go to dinner, where JOHN CASSAVETES spends the evening chatting with RUTH GORDON’S HUSBAND. Shortly thereafter, JOHN CASSAVETES’ acting career begins to thrive.

JOHN CASSAVETES
(to MIA FARROW)
Let’s make a baby!

MIA FARROW downs some tainted chocolate mousse prepared by RUTH GORDON and passes out, dreaming of being raped by SATAN while a BUNCH OF WEIRDOES look on. MIA FARROW later learns that’s pregnant.

RUTH GORDON
How wonderful! Now, I hope you don’t mind, but my HUSBAND and I plan on being overbearing and intrusive and overall oddly involved with your pregnancy from here on out!

RUTH GORDON and RUTH GORDON’S HUSBAND remain true to their word as MIA FARROW suffers enormous amounts of pregnancy-related pain and JOHN CASSAVETES acts like a psychotic nervous squirrel and hates on MIA FARROW’s Vidal Sassoon haircut.

MIA FARROW
Why is everyone around me acting like a d-bag?

A FRIEND—who randomly died after a mysterious coma—clears up the confusion by making sure MIA FARROW receives a book on witchcraft.

MIA FARROW
So they’re all witches. Well, I guess that makes sense.

MIA FARROW tries to escape, but is pinned down to the bed by JOHN CASSAVETES and a BUNCH OF WEIRDOES and is given “a mild sedative” that induces labor, although her pregnancy has resulted in—

JOHN CASSAVETES
--complications. But it’s cool, baby; we’ll just have more.

MIA FARROW finds a door in the back of her apartment’s closet, which leads to RUTH GORDON’s apartment. There she finds a BUNCH OF WEIRDOES hanging around a satanic crib.

RUTH GORDON’S HUSBAND
Alright, the truth is that SATAN knocked you up and you had his HOOF-FOOTED DEMON OFFSPRING, who’s going to eventually take over the world.

BUNCH OF WEIRDOES
Yay SATAN!

MIA FARROW rocks the HOOF-FOOTED DEMON OFFSPRING in the crib, and the “la la la’s” begin again. Fin.

Ich liebe absurden Humor. Zwar nicht immer und auch nicht wirklich alles, aber Skuriles und Schwarzhumoriges ist genau das, was ich liebe. Darum ist Harold & Maude für mich auch einer der größten Filme überhaupt. Der Film erinnert mich mehr an Monty Python als an alles andere amerikanische, dass ich je gesehen habe.

Es geht los mit der Anfangssequenz, die sofort zeigt, wer den Film mag und wer nicht: Wer lacht, wird den Film lieben, wer entsetzt ist, kann am Besten sofort aufhören weiter zu gucken. Denn Harolds ersten Satz ("Ich habe Halsschmerzen.") wird diese Person wohl kaum amüsant finden.

Aber worum geht es überhaupt? Im Grunde um die Suche nach der Sinnhaftigkeit des Lebens, ein Thema, das wohl jeden herumtreibt, der nicht gerade BWL oder Jura studiert und sich das Hirn wegkokst. Harold, ein Achtzehnjähriger aus wohlhabendem Hause, ist fasziniert vom Tod und denkt sich immer neue Möglichkeiten des Selbstmords aus, ohne sich jemals wirklich umzubringen. Weil er aufgrund dieses "Hobbys" des Häufigeren auf den Beerdigungen wildfremder Leute anwesend ist, lernt er zufällig Maude kennen, eine beinahe achtzigjährige Lebenskünstlerin. Diese ist sozusagen der Gegenpol zu Harold: Lebenslustig, anarchisch, frei von Zwängen. Während Harold mit den verschiedenen Methoden seiner Mutter, ihm seine komischen Ideen auszutreiben, fertig werden muss, lernt er Maude immer näher kennen - und verliebt sich. Doch anstatt Maude zu heiraten, wie eigentlich von ihm gewünscht, kommt alles ganz anders und am Ende hat Harold endlich sich selbst gefunden, frei von düsteren Gedanken und Zwängen.

Der Film besticht ungemein durch seinen schwarzen Humor, der teilweise grotesk, teilweise subtil seine Wirkung entfaltet. Manche Szenen gehören zu meinen absoluten Lieblingsszenen; so zum Beispiel die bereits erwähnte Eröffnungsszene, Harolds Modifizierung seines Porsches, sein Besuch bei seinem Onkel, dem General, oder auch die Treffen mit den (per Computer zugewiesenen) Mädchen, die seine Mutter arrangiert hat, weil sie beschlossen hat, dass es an der Zeit sei, dass er heirate. Ein grandioser Film und zurecht ein Klassiker.

Links:

Harold & Maude bei Amazon kaufen (DVD)

Fansite zum Film (Englisch)

Harold & Maude bei Wikipedia

Trailer:

Er ist halt aus den Siebzigern und deswegen ein wenig konfus...

"Deixe seus sentimentos acontecerem. Não se vista de medo. Ou ninguém saberá que você está lá."

O filme mostra um relacionamento de um jovem com uma mulher com 79 anos. Uma relação nada convencional... Que emociona! Cheio de charme! E em alto astral.

Eles começaram a notar a presença do outro num enterro. Mas começam mesmo a dialogar num velório. Embora pareça locais fúnebres para dai nascer um grande amor... Cada um deles têm o seu motivo para freqüentarem esses rituais.

Àqueles que não conhecem esse Clássico, com o fato deles serem figurinhas carimbadas em funerais, creiam, o filme nos lava a alma! Há momentos hilários. Há momentos emocionantes.

Harold (Bud Cort) é jovem reprimido, com tendências ao suicídio... Numa de querer provocar sua mãe. Chamar a sua atenção... Não tem amigos. Investe seu tempo e dinheiro indo a missas, velórios...

Maude (Ruth Gordon) é um doce de pessoa. Uma senhorinha elétrica. De dá vontade de levar para casa. Ela possui o que Harold não tem: humor e alegria de viver. E é isso que ela tentar passar para ele. Numa de: "Acorda garoto! Você ainda tem muito o que viver. Muito o que fazer. Pois vida, é só essa!"

Além de amizade, de carinho, de respeito, de cumplicidade, de se despir de preconceitos... o filme toca num tema mais forte - a eutanásia. Até que ponto as pessoas tem direito de sair de cena... Se têm esse direito.

Quem assina a trilha musical é Cat Stevens. As músicas são lindas!

Um filme que vale a pena ver e rever, sempre! Nota: 10, com louvor!

Por: Valéria Miguez (LELLA).

Ensina-me a Viver (Harold and Maude). EUA. 1971. Direção: Hal Ashby. Com: Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack. Gênero: Comédia Romântica. Duração: 90 minutos.

"Vice, Virtue. It's best not to be too moral. You cheat yourself out of too much life. Aim above morality. If you apply that to life, then you're bound to live life fully."

Ao longo da história, que se passa no tempo de uma semana, Maude, com 79 anos, mostra para Harold que a vida é muito interessante, que existem motivos de sobra para sermos felizes, basta percebemos. Harold, como todo jovem, acaba se envolvendo emocionalmente com Maude, que não tem laços muito fortes com nada.

Clássico cult da década de 70, o filme é realmente bom. Bem contado, bem dirigido, boa fotografia.

Destaque para Bud Cort que, apesar de jovem, segura muito bem o papel, e suas encenações de suicídio são ótimas!