MovieChat Forums > Harold and Maude (1971) Discussion > Diary of a Pedophile

Diary of a Pedophile

posted 13 years ago by HellRaidertr
31 replies | jump to latest

Before you resort to your ultimate weapon of ending a discussion -calling me a troll- I urge you to hold yourself and continue reading.

We do not feel 'very' uncomfortable about the relationship between Harold and Maude since Harold is a guy and Maude is a woman. It is similar to the movie "The Reader". However have you ever wondered what you would make of a movie about a young girl who is in relationship with an elderly man? Well, thats what we call a definite case of pedophilia. The movie would probably be heavily criticized and branded as a movie for sick-minded people.

I do not care if Maude seemed innocent and did not have ulterior motives. The age difference is so big it can not be ignored. Yes thats the point of the movie, I get it. One of the messages it gives is that whatever leads to happiness shall be pursued. Thanks to Maude, Harold now feels more comfortable driving like crazy and witnessed a suicide event which is in no way explainable. My guess is Harold is now way more psychologically unstable compared to before that he should get immediate help to prevent self inflicted injuries or suicide.

What's more stupid is she did not act like a 80 yo either. And all you can say about this is because she survived the holocaust. I would have never guessed anyone who survived holocaust could be so inexplicably happy and suicidal at the same time. This can be clearly described as mood swings which is a psychological condition. This movie is pure fantasy and it is beyond my comprehension how it achieved a 8.0 rating on here.

On a side note I could not see any spectacular cinematography work either. This movie fails on so many levels I think 5 out of 10 is even too much.

I guess I shouldn't have trusted Cameron Diaz from "There is something about Mary". Stupid blondes...

There goes my rant, thanks for your insults.

Hey, Soldier. Do you know who's in command here?

[–] mithrandir-9 12 years ago

"However have you ever wondered what you would make of a movie about a young girl who is in relationship with an elderly man?"
It's called "Lolita". The age difference isn't quite as extreme, but it's significant nonetheless.

[–] MargeGunderson-Brainerd 12 years ago

You open this mess by accusing everyone on the planet with an Internet connection of calling you a troll. Then you complain that everyone is going to disagree with you, and whine that everyone who does disagree is insulting you.

You then presume to speak for every single person on the planet with an Internet connection as you ramble on about what "we" think or do not think, and unsuccessfully try to explain why you judgmentally assume what each of us does or does not find uncomfortable.

Then you ask an incredibly ignorant question which presumes that nobody else except you in the history of the world has ever thought about other romantic situations involving significant age differences. You seem completely oblivious that there are countless movies of that exact description, and many, many more movies exist of all varieties and subjects that you personally have never seen.

You then decide for yourself that everybody on the planet is as clueless and ignorant as you are about the definition of pedophilia, and you yet again presume to speak for the entire world, deciding for yourself what "we" must be thinking simply because it's what you thought.

Next, you complain that her suicide is "in no way explainable," simply because you personally wouldn't react that way in the same situation, and you clearly haven't experienced anything in life that would provoke you to try to understand that everyone thinks and reacts differently to all sorts of events.

Then you whine that it's "stupid" that Maude didn't act exactly like you personally have decided that 80-year-old women should act in 1971, when the movie took place.
You've also decided for yourself how all Holocaust survivors, regardless of their personal experience of it (again, each person's situation, while hellish, is going to be different than others' experiences) should think, feel and behave, and you complain that she doesn't fit the stereotype you came up with in your mind.

Next, you have "never guessed" that surviving – and in her case, while losing loved ones – such a life-altering, traumatic event could cause someone to be happy and suicidal, or any other confusing mix of emotions, and since you personally didn't "guess" it, that means it didn't exist.

Therefore, you conclude, the movie surely must be "pure fantasy," and since you've deemed it to be fantasy, other viewers across the planet, all with their own different life experiences and perspectives, should not have rated it higher than you personally would have and you "cannot comprehend" why anyone would think differently than you personally would.

Then you wrap it up by begging for insults, to prove your point that every single person on the planet with an Internet connection should completely agree with you.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] HellRaidertr 12 years ago

Hey Hey Hey.

Just switch the genders and calculate the probability of this movie being produced.

Only the genders are switched, nothing else.

I will tell you.

This movie would not exist. That is unfortunately the end of discussion, ladies and gentlemen. This movie can only exist while Harold is a male and Maude is a female.

I have my points CRYSTAL CLEAR, and I know I am right. Yet you refuse to think for a second, that I might be right.

This movie explores a different aspect of pedophilia, just like "The Reader" explores another aspect. A 15 year old boy having sex with a 36 years old natzi woman. The outcome is same though. Emotional unstability.

Here is a post about that movie, some other person like me who is slightly worried about the paedophilic aspects of the film. http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/30359198.html

And, here's the bummer: Her post is not well perceived either.

Anyway, I will all grant you the permission to call me a troll to end this pointless discussion because apparently my post was utterly nonsense to many of you. You can even report my post to Administrators, because I know that is what you guys are best at ;)

Hey, Soldier. Do you know who's in command here?

[–] franzkabuki 12 years ago

"This movie would not exist".

Never heard of a movie called Lolita, have you? Actually, there are two movies of that same name and both have the same content.

"I will all grant you the permission to call me a troll".

You ´are´ a troll because of the intentionally inflammatory thread title that you surely must know to be a false statement.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] HellRaidertr 12 years ago

Lolita. I gotta watch that.

Hey, Soldier. Do you know who's in command here?

[–] Franco_Zed 11 years ago

Lolita is way younger than Harold (14? 15?). You could actually use the word pedophile there, whereas you can't with Harold and Maude.

___
All insults will be interpreted as an admission that you cannot contribute to the discussion.

[–] digitalzomby 8 years ago

"Just switch the genders and calculate the probability of this movie being produced.
Only the genders are switched, nothing else.
I will tell you.
This movie would not exist."

You have no idea what you are talking about!
How about another film with a young 15 year old girl (Tatum O'Neal) and a 60 year old man (Richard Burton) in "Circle of Two". But I was more entertained watching Harold and Maude than I was watching Circle of Two.

__________________________________

[–] suzycreamcheese1 12 years ago

you're incorrect. Harold was an adult, therefore Maude was legally not a pedophile. period.

RIP Heath Ledger 1979-2008

[–] Nerd_in_Norway 9 years ago

The OP isn't a troll, he is just ignorant. For starters the OP is revealing to everyone that he doesn't even know the definition of a pedophile, and thus more or less takes a giant piss on all REAL victims of pedophilia and sexual abuse everywhere.

Second, the person kept repeating that Maude at the end leaves Harold even more emotionally unstable! Did the person even watch the movie with his brain on? Maude turned Harold from a black-dressing suicidal depressed wreck into a guy who at the end destroyed and threw away all his symbols for death. In the opening scene Harold was dressed in black and hanging himself, embracing Death. In the final scene he was dressed in bright colors, playing the banjo and dancing, embracing Life. Yeah, I can clearly see how Maude made him MORE unstable. Not.

And before you go on another "omg you bumped my thread", this is a thread in the forum dedicated to the movie. I don't care about you or how old the thread is, I only care about discussing the movie.

[–] AmosNomore 9 years ago

Way too dim to troll.

[–] SydneyIz 9 years ago

*facepalm* at OP

[–] Enrique-8 9 years ago

HellRaidertr:

There must be some logic or redeeming purpose in what you said about pedophilia and this movie, but it escapes me, resolutely.

Enrique Sanchez

[–] thebigmouth 9 years ago

Diary of a pedophile? More like post of a dumbass.

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