With the idiosyncratic American fable Harold and Maude, countercultural director Hal Ashby fashioned what would become the cult classic of its era. Working from a script by Colin Higgins, Ashby tells the story of the emotional and romantic bond between a death-obsessed young man (Bud Cort) from a wealthy family and a devil-may-care, bohemian octogenarian (Ruth Gordon). Equal parts gallows humor and romantic innocence, Harold and Maude dissolves the line between darkness and light along with the ones that separate people by class, gender, and age, and it features indelible performances and a remarkable soundtrack by Cat Stevens.
For thoughts on Harold And Maude, please see my previous article here.
Video Quality
Harold And Maude gets an upgrade on Blu-Ray after previously being available through the Criterion Collection with a stellar 1080p transfer sourced from a 4K remaster of the Original Camera Negative. This presentation is a knockout that preserves the filmic look with proper film grain and texture throughout. The level of clarity and detail on this release is truly something to behold. There are very subtle details in the production design that are visible here for the first time from minute details on outfits to some of the complexities of the environments. The black levels are extremely deep and allow for true detail to come through. There are a lot of bold colors in the film that pop off the screen with an immaculate vibrancy. Skin tones are natural and lend themselves to showcasing an amazing amount of detail. Paramount has done an excellent job of restoring this, as all print damage has been cleaned up without messing with the natural look of the film. Those who have been waiting for this one to be treated with the proper respect on Blu-Ray should feel it was worth the wait. The only way to improve upon this would be a 4K UHD Blu-Ray release.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack that sonically represents the film perfectly. The activity focuses heavily on the front channels with the thematically evocative score from Cat Stevens filling the room appropriately. Music is used skillfully throughout the presentation, but it never overpowers the dialogue or other important information. The classic dialogue comes through clearly and never falls victim to any digital anomalies. Rear speakers get some occasional activity with ambient sounds, but it is not a standout in that regard. There is next to nothing in the way of low end support for this film. This track accomplishes everything it needs to do really well.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Larry Karaszewski (Ed Wood) and Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous) deliver a truly marvelous new commentary track in which they fanboy of this picture including the talents of the performers, the genius of Hal Ashby, the music of Cat Stevens, the idiosyncratic production and costume design, the dark humor implemented throughout, the timeless aspects of the story and so much more that provide a really excellent listening experience.
- Yusuf/Cat Stevens On Harold and Maude: A new six-minute conversation with Stevens in which he discusses becoming involved with the project, what he admired about the characters, developing songs for the picture, the film’s message and more.
- Trailers: This disc provides Theatrical Trailer #1 (2:49) and Theatrical Trailer #2 (3:03).
Final Thoughts
Harold And Maude is one of the great, beautifully dark coming-of-age films that stands as something incredibly special in the history of cinema. Hal Ashby crafted a visually dynamic and emotionally fulfilling feature which reveals something new every time you watch it. Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon are transcendent in their performances. Paramount Home Entertainment has released a new Blu-Ray through their Paramount Presents line with a stellar new A/V presentation and a couple of great new supplements. If you are a fan of the film, it is worth owning this version even if you already own the Criterion version. Recommended
Paramount Presents Harold And Maude is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.