Set Designing for "Harold and Maude"

If I were the set designer for the film “Harold and Maude”, I would look for a place that was kind of chilly and gloomy because it is a morbid film. I imagine the film will be made up of a lot of symmetrical shots. The opening scene is shot at floor level and only shows the feet of Harold, who is about to hang himself. For this scene, and the others to come that take place in this house, I envision the house being a very large gothic style mansion that is too big for the two people who live there, Harold and his mom. This gothic style house in the middle of a cold small town is directly representational of not only the money this family has, but also the morbid thoughts and actions of Harold.

Harold see’s a psychiatrist often, and the psychiatrist’s office will be a plain office, with maybe just a couch for the patient, a chair for the psychiatrist, and perhaps a plant. The office will be dull and stark white or light gray. Harold also goes to funerals frequently. It is his favorite thing to do other than acting out suicides. There must be a few different cemeteries to show in the film, and they should be big enough to see headstones in the background during the shots showing Harold. There also needs to be a gothic style church for a small funeral. Harold will be alone on one of many pews, and Maude will be on another. They are surrounded by stained glass windows that are just as beautiful as they are intimidating.

Maude’s apartment is a small one where every room is made up of one room. When you walk in, the main entry is cluttered with knick-knacks and memorabilia you would find at an antique shop. A lot of the things are massive, and any ordinary person would not be able to find them easily, such as a mounted swordfish. As you walk, the next “room” consists of a large canopy bed that is so extravagant that it looks as though it is from an opera or play. Some of Maude’s hoarded objects look as though they have been stolen because of their beauty, such as expensive looking paintings and sculptures. The giant sculptures sort of divide the space. The backyard is filled with fresh vegetables in the garden.

This screenplay is not what I expected it to be. I have heard of the movie before, but didn’t know what it was about until now. Although this story is quite strange, I very much enjoyed it. After writing my thoughts on what some of the scenes would look like, I watched the movie. I absolutely loved the movie and felt that Bud Cort was the perfect person to play the roll of Harold. His facial expressions and voice were brilliant. He truly pulled off the nice, but insane character better than anyone else I could imagine. If I had to rate this story, I would probably give it an 8 out of 10. It was weird, but made the reader/ viewer connect with Harold on an emotional level. I highly recommend this story.