Cupid's New Classic

The love between a suicidal 20-year-old man and a septuagenarian
woman doesn’t seem like it would make for one of L.A.’s
most popular Valentine’s Day movies.

But the darkly comic, unorthodox romance at the heart of the
1971 cult classic “Harold and Maude” has led to its
selection this year as a Valentine’s Day feature by more than
one film series. The film is scheduled to be screened on Feb. 14 at
7:30 p.m. by UCLA’s Melnitz Movies and on Feb. 15 at the
Egyptian Theatre as part of the Outfest Wednesdays weekly screening
series.

“Because it’s Valentine’s Day, I assume
it’ll probably be more single people (coming), because people
in relationships may have plans ““ although couples are
welcome. We didn’t want a bunch of single people coming and
seeing this great love story and being like
“˜Aww,'” said Melnitz Movies codirector Michelle
Weis, of the decision to screen “Harold and Maude”
instead of more traditionally romantic fare such as
“Casablanca.”

The film follows Harold, a death-obsessed young man who enjoys
faking suicides, as he learns to appreciate beauty in the world
after falling in love with Maude, a woman who is full of life but
pushing 80. The film’s poster has hung proudly in Melnitz
Hall, long before the announcement of the screening; the late Colin
Higgins based the screenplay for “Harold and Maude” on
his thesis project for UCLA’s MFA screenwriting program.

“It makes people think more because it doesn’t fit
into your accepted notion of romance, but it still is romantic.
It’s a really touching love story without being predictable
or tired,” Weis said.

The film has found an audience in the gay community, although
there are no gay characters in the film. “Harold and
Maude” is the Valentine’s Day selection for Outfest
Wednesdays, the oldest weekly lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender film series in the country.

According to Rex Rude, the associate programmer for Outfest, the
film’s nontraditional look at love makes it resonate with gay
and lesbian audiences, as it pushes the boundaries of what is
accepted as a relationship.

“It’s a wonderful love story. It’s sort of
odd, but at the same time it’s really endearing. And I feel
like in programming films for specifically LGBT audiences, the
films themselves don’t have to be blatantly gay.
There’s a lot of it written into the subtext. Colin Higgins
(the screenwriter) is gay; his sensibility is (seen) throughout the
entire film,” Rude said.

“It’s nice to watch movies that you can really call
your own without their being blatantly geared to you.
(Harold’s mother) tries to set him up on blind dates, sends
him to a shrink. … These are all stories shared by gays and
lesbians ““ how their families tried to convert them to
“˜normalcy.'”

The film has also long built a following among college students
by word of mouth. Initially a box-office flop, “Harold and
Maude” became an art-house and midnight-movie favorite,
appealing to the youth of its time with its anti-establishment
themes, and finally turned a profit after 12 years.

Fourth-year sociology student Jarrod San Angel, who cites
“Harold and Maude” as one of his favorite movies,
believes that college-aged audiences can still relate to
Harold’s disconnectedness and to his desire to find something
to make life more palatable and meaningful. Friends who were
already fans of the film introduced San Angel to “Harold and
Maude” a few years ago.

“I had heard simply that it was a funny movie and it was
well-loved by people who knew films. I didn’t expect that in
1971 such a black comedy could be made, and so well at that,”
San Angel said.

“Hollywood makes so much of the boy-meets-girl,
boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl-back movies. We’re so familiar
with that story ““ we’re yawning our heads off. There is
a genuine love to Harold and Maude. It’s about finding a
kindred spirit more than the actual romantic aspects, which is
fleeting. It’s a quirky kind of love story.”

Despite the film’s reputation as a pioneer of subversive
black comedy, its sincerity and positive spirit have helped it
develop somewhat of a large following over the years, though
sometimes San Angel is surprised at the film’s wide
appeal.

“A cult classic is a film that’s outside of
mainstream interest,” San Angel said.

“I am finding more and more that many people I would not
expect to like it enjoy it.”

Because of the film’s wide appeal, Weis hopes it will help
her reach her goal of showing the smaller films that students would
not get to see otherwise.

“It’s nice to expose people to things they
wouldn’t drive to a theater and pay to see.”

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