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.
