BD 83 Harold and Maude
Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 7:21 pm
Harold and Maude
A glorious mixture of the riotously morbid and joyously life-affirming, Hal Ashby's Harold and Maude was an instant counter-culture favourite on its release in 1971, and whose popularity has spread in the decades since to become simply one of the most beloved cult comedies ever made.
Following the burgeoning relationship between the gloomy, 20-year-old, suicide-staging Harold (Bud Cort), suffocated by his wealthy homestead, and the sprightly octogenarian Maude (Ruth Gordon), whose bohemian wiles and open-arms approach to living enable his first gentle steps towards embracing existence.
With its brilliant script by Colin Higgins, a magnificent, standard-setting soundtrack by Cat Stevens, wonderful performances, and Hal Ashby's stunning directorial control, Harold and Maude combines a jet-black comic edge with romance, philosophy, satire and beauty to form a masterfully funny and moving whole. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present this masterpiece for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK.
BLU-RAY ONLY EDITION
• Gorgeous high-definition 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray, progressive encode on the DVD
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• New and exclusive video discussion of the film by critic David Cairns
• Audio commentary by Hal Ashby biographer Nick Dawson and producer Charles B. Mulvehill
• 40-PAGE BOOKLET featuring archival interviews with director Hal Ashby and writer-producer Colin Higgins, a 1971 profile of star Ruth Gordon, and rare archival imagery
A glorious mixture of the riotously morbid and joyously life-affirming, Hal Ashby's Harold and Maude was an instant counter-culture favourite on its release in 1971, and whose popularity has spread in the decades since to become simply one of the most beloved cult comedies ever made.
Following the burgeoning relationship between the gloomy, 20-year-old, suicide-staging Harold (Bud Cort), suffocated by his wealthy homestead, and the sprightly octogenarian Maude (Ruth Gordon), whose bohemian wiles and open-arms approach to living enable his first gentle steps towards embracing existence.
With its brilliant script by Colin Higgins, a magnificent, standard-setting soundtrack by Cat Stevens, wonderful performances, and Hal Ashby's stunning directorial control, Harold and Maude combines a jet-black comic edge with romance, philosophy, satire and beauty to form a masterfully funny and moving whole. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present this masterpiece for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK.
BLU-RAY ONLY EDITION
• Gorgeous high-definition 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray, progressive encode on the DVD
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• New and exclusive video discussion of the film by critic David Cairns
• Audio commentary by Hal Ashby biographer Nick Dawson and producer Charles B. Mulvehill
• 40-PAGE BOOKLET featuring archival interviews with director Hal Ashby and writer-producer Colin Higgins, a 1971 profile of star Ruth Gordon, and rare archival imagery