Harold and Maude Literary Elements

Harold and Maude Literary Elements

Director

Hal Ashby

Leading Actors/Actresses

Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort

Supporting Actors/Actresses

Vivian Pickles

Genre

Romance/Black Comedy

Language

English

Awards

The film was nominated for two Golden Globes: Best Actress for Ruth Gordon and Best Actor for Bud Cort

Date of Release

December 20th 1971

Producer

Colin Higgins and Charles B. Mulvehill

Setting and Context

The United States

Narrator and Point of View

The film is told through the point of view of Harold Chasen

Tone and Mood

Sad, Energetic, Happy, Revelatory, Strange, Amusing, Mysterious, Fun, Funny, Intriguing, and Questioning

Protagonist and Antagonist

Harold vs. his mother, Mrs. Chasen

Major Conflict

Harold's conflict to find inner-peace with himself and with the world around him in spite of an overbearing mother

Climax

The climax of the film occurs when Maude finally commits suicide, making Harold distraught

Foreshadowing

The line "Here today, gone tomorrow" foreshadows Maude's death at the end of the film

Understatement

The suffering Maude experienced through her life is understated -- and mostly not spoken of -- throughout the movie

Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques

The film is well-shot but not innovative in filming or lighting or camera techniques.

Allusions

To religion, the Bible, science, pop culture, books, other movies, WWII (the Holocaust, more specifically), history, technology, different types of cars, geography, philosophy, and mythology.

Paradox

Harold is usually very strange but does not act strange very strange around Maude.

Parallelism

There are no significant instances of parallelism.

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