Harold and Maude by Jack Higgins, summary Automatic translate

This absurd situation comedy was written by Colin Higgins in 1971. The plot revolves around the paradoxical relationship between a depressed young man and a cheerful woman sixty years his senior. This clash of two polar worldviews gives birth to a completely new model of behavior for the characters.

In 1971, director Hal Ashby created a film of the same name. The film received Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor. It was later inducted into the National Film Registry for outstanding artistic merit.

Harold’s demonstrative behavior

The wealthy Mrs. Chasen awaits a visit from the renowned psychoanalyst Dr. Matt. Meanwhile, her son Harold fakes his own hanging in front of his new maid, Marie. His mother completely ignores her son’s antics. She chides him for his carelessness and complains to the doctor about the young man’s isolation. Mrs. Chasen is certain that the dance school should have corrected his manners. In the doctor’s office, Harold discusses his psychological traumas. He admits to having committed approximately fifteen fake suicides. All these stagings are designed to provoke an emotional reaction from Mrs. Chasen. Harold is amused by the horror of those around him. His mother used to faint, but over time, she became accustomed to the blood and fake gunshots.

A chance meeting at the cemetery

The young man finds a peculiar solace in regularly attending other people’s funerals. At one of the funeral ceremonies, he encounters the extravagant Countess Matilda Chardin. The eighty-year-old woman asks to be called simply Maud. She treats Harold to pistachios and discusses the inextricable cycle of birth and death. Maud openly criticizes the priest for the dreary statues of saints. Before leaving, the Countess arbitrarily removes the heavy lock from the collection box.

Mrs. Chasen decides to urgently arrange her son’s love life. She fills out a special form for Harold at a computer dating agency. During the test, the young man slowly takes out pieces of dynamite and lights the long fuses. A powerful explosion shatters a wooden cabinet. His mother doesn’t even turn around at the loud crash. She continues methodically answering the printed test questions.

Saving a sick tree

Harold spots Maud again in the cemetery. She’s pushing a dying tree in a wheelbarrow. She dug up the unfortunate plant near the police station. Maud intends to transplant it to a safe forest. The local gardener and his boss try to stop her, threatening to call the police. Maud refuses to argue with the aggressive workers. She skillfully steals Father Finnegan’s blue car, which is parked nearby. Harold reluctantly gets into the stranger’s car with her. They successfully escape the angry gardeners.

Olfactory apparatus and seal

Harold comes to visit his new acquaintance. Maud proudly shows him her unusual souvenirs. The young man sees a special olfactory apparatus — a strange device for mixing scents. He inhales deeply through the tube, smelling the aroma of roasted chestnuts and cold snow. Maud introduces her guest to her favorite pet: a live seal named Murgatroyd. The Countess recently stole the animal from the city zoo.

It’s time for Harold’s first date. A plump student, Sylvia Gazelle, arrives at the Chazens’ luxurious home. She’s studying political science and is preparing to become an exemplary housewife. Harold cold-bloodedly ruins the meeting. He imitates a painful self-immolation, after which a skeleton tumbles out of an old chest with a loud bang. Sylvia flees the living room in panic.

Conflict with local police

Inspector Bernard and Sergeant Doppel come to Father Finnegan’s to investigate a brazen car theft. The priest refuses to file a formal complaint against Maud. An urgent message is broadcast over the office radio about the theft of a seal from the zoo. The police hastily leave the priest’s house. Maud and Harold take the rescued Murgatroyd to the sandy beach. They joyfully release the seal into the cold water. The animal quickly swims north to its family. Maud teaches Harold to whistle loudly with two fingers. They drink sparkling champagne on the beach.

Second and third dates

Mrs. Chasen arranges a second meeting for her son. The chatty secretary, Nancy Marsh, talks at length about the invoices. Harold silently comes out to her with his severed artificial arm. The bloody cleaver causes the girl to faint. Dr. Matt declares the treatment completely ineffective. The third candidate is the ambitious actress Rose d’Orange. She pompously discusses stage preparation methods. Harold shows his guest a sharp sabre for hara-kiri and stabs himself in the stomach. Rose perceives this as a brilliant theatrical performance. She grabs a dagger and acts out Juliet’s death throes. The actress dramatically stabs herself and falls next to the young man.

Life without high walls

The police reappear at Maud’s cozy home. The stern Inspector Bernard is seizing all the property for long-standing unpaid debts to a furniture company. The movers silently carry out the belongings. Maud remains in a completely empty room. She maintains an even mood and invites Harold to dine on the floor. The Countess leads the young man into the dense forest. They plant a rescued tree and fearlessly climb to the top of a tall oak. Maud tells Harold an instructive parable about the wise Buddha and two architects. She urges him to build bridges between people, not blank walls. The young man sincerely admits that he is beginning to truly live thanks to the Countess’s wisdom.

Maud’s Birthday Surprise

Harold firmly declares to his astonished mother that he intends to marry the woman he loves. He arrives at Maud’s empty house and carefully decorates the room with bright sunflowers. The young man brings champagne and his banjo. Maud delightedly accepts the surprise. Harold solemnly presents her with a ring as a token of his deep affection.

The woman tenderly thanks the young man for the gift. She suddenly reveals that she has taken a lethal dose of a powerful sleeping pill. Maud had long since decided to die on her eightieth birthday. Harold, in a terrible panic, rushes to the phone. He calls an ambulance. The young man falls to his knees and tearfully begs the Countess not to leave him. Maud calmly closes her eyes. "No, you don’t understand, I love you… I love you."