Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. The '70s was an amazing time for film. We all know this. As a decade it managed to be defined as being both filmmaker driven and the birth of the blockbuster as we know it. The latter was unquestionably influenced the former. It was a rare time when studio filmmaking cherished true artistry over base product and audiences turned out in droves for more challenging cinema.
You can argue if the '70s was the best decade for film or not, but you can't argue it's ONE of the best. And one of the best films to come out of the '70s is Hal Ashby's HAROLD AND MAUDE.
For those cinephiles that haven't seen it, they probably know it as the May-September romance story where a young man falls in love with a much older woman. Putting it that way, it sounds melodramatic and TV movie of the week. But Harold and Maude is not that at all. It's one of the sharpest dark comedies ever made that somehow manages to be a feel-good movie about depression and loss.
The movie's a miracle and I highly, highly, highly recommend checking out Criterion's Blu-Ray if you haven't had the pleasure of watching it.
Today's BTS photo is from the making of that movie and is a simple shot of Ruth Gordon posing with her director, Hal Ashby, who is totally Fabulous Furry Freak Brother-ed out. I love it. Enjoy!
Tomorrow we'll jump back even further in cinema history to check out an iconic monster. No rats, though. I promise. See ya' then!
-Eric Vespe
”Quint”
quint@aintitcool.com
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