Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Short and Sweet, December 11, 2001
What a beautiful story, where the old cliche, "it made me laugh, it made me cry" is realized. The writing style is simple and straightforward, the dialogue is enlightening, and the dramatic turns are both heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. Harold and Maude, the novel, begged to made into a movie, and the author, Colin Higgins, must have had dramatic aspirations when he wrote this. So they made a movie out of this, one of the greatest movies of all time. The power and basically everything worthwhile in the film comes from this book (not negating the acting of Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, or Vivian Pickles, who are all fantastic), from which Higgins later culled his screenplay. If anything, the experience of reading the novel may have some advantages over watching the film. It is quick and to the point, nothing is drawn out, and any extemporaneous extractions of theme or mood are left to the reader. Read the novel, see the movie, read or watch a staging of the play. Colin Higgins will be remembered for writing Harold and Maude the movie, but his great contribution to literature and mankind was first writing the book. This life-affirming novel needs to be in stock. Especially when there is so much other garbage overflowing the bookstore shelves.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
OFFBEAT STORY OF LIFE, LOVE, AND, ESPECIALLY, LIFE., February 21, 1999
As I look at the sales rank of this play, I wonder if anyone will actually see this review. Oh well, this play was written after the short story and movie versions this offbeat story of life, love, and, especially, life. It is a little different because it was written for the stage and some of the things that happen in the film or short story cannot be expressed on the stage. Either way, though, it still retains its charm and ability to uplift through its general originality and excellence. This is my favorite story and I recommend it to everyone. I see that some might think I'm overreacting or generalizing too much, but trust me on this one. Go see the movie and buy this play (for it seems to be out of print but amazon.com still is able to obtain leftover copies).
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Harold and Maude: a Play in Two Acts", April 29, 2000
This is one of the most original, entertaining works I've ever read. As a companion piece to the movie, it's a real find.
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DVD ~ Harvey Brumfield
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