Early Signs of an Original Voice
The film that launched Ashby's major body of work, 'Harold and Maude' (1971), is a black comedy about the romance between Harold, a 19-year-old young man fascinated by death, and Maude, a free-spirited and cheerful 79-year-old woman. Its eccentric premise did not bring commercial success on its initial release, but the film later developed a cult following. Its satirical portrayal of youthful rebellion and celebration of life plainly reveals Ashby's anti-establishment sensibility, making it an important starting point for his identity as an auteur. He followed it with 'The Last Detail' (1973), a road movie starring Jack Nicholson in which two Navy petty officers escort a young sailor convicted of theft. Weaving humor through the absurdities of military life and its rebellious spirit, the film delicately portrays human friendship and a sense of loss. Although it attracted little attention on release, it has earned increasing recognition as a 'hidden masterpiece.' These early films show the first signs of Ashby's originality as a filmmaker and laid an important foundation for the masterpieces that followed.
Combining Social Satire with Commercial Success
'Shampoo' (1975), a satirical comedy starring Warren Beatty, is one of the clearest examples of Ashby's ability to combine social commentary with commercial success. Set in Beverly Hills on the night of the 1968 U.S. presidential election, it sharply depicts the era's sexual revolution and political climate through a playboy hairdresser racing among his relationships with several women. While its light conversational comedy captures the atmosphere of the late 1960s, beneath the glamorous surface lies an elegy for, and satire of, the waning counterculture. The film won Best Supporting Actress at the 48th Academy Awards and was also a major commercial success. Paul Simon's music, together with the use of the Beach Boys' 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' at the opening and closing, gives the film a mood filled with nostalgia for 1968. It became a masterful example of Ashby's ability to preserve entertainment value while delivering incisive social criticism.
Taking on Large-Scale Social Drama and Establishing His Reputation
With 'Bound for Glory' (1976), Ashby took on a biographical drama based on folk singer Woody Guthrie's autobiographical work. On an epic scale, it follows the young Guthrie as he leaves his native Oklahoma during the Great Depression of the 1930s, travels the country, meets farmers and workers, and continues making music. The bold casting of David Carradine in the lead and Haskell Wexler's cinematography also made the film known as the first to use the Steadicam extensively. Wexler won Best Cinematography at the 49th Academy Awards, and the film received high praise for its visual beauty and depiction of the period. Ashby's next film, 'Coming Home' (1978), established the socially engaged side of his work through a human drama about a returning veteran living with the aftermath of the Vietnam War and the people who support him. Centered on the relationship between a paralyzed veteran and an officer's wife, it quietly portrays the psychological wounds of war and delivers an antiwar message. At the 51st Academy Awards, the film received eight nominations, including Best Picture, and won for screenplay, leading actor, and leading actress.
A Late Masterpiece and a Warning About Media Society
Ashby's final masterpiece, 'Being There' (1979), is a satirical comedy starring Peter Sellers and a summation of his political satire in the media age. Chance, a sheltered middle-aged man who has spent many years as a gardener on an estate, enters the outside world after his employer dies. Because others mistake his innocent, guileless remarks for exceptional wisdom, he is eventually promoted as a possible candidate for president of the United States—a premise that delivers fierce social satire. Through the ripples created in modern society by an innocent man raised on television, the film cynically depicts human foolishness and the power of the media. Sellers received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, while his costar Melvyn Douglas won Best Supporting Actor. Though the film's overall tone is quiet and wrapped in elegant humor, its content is filled with ironic social commentary, revealing Ashby's maturity as a filmmaker. The legendary final scene in which Chance walks across a lake continues to be remembered as one of cinema history's most striking moments. Together, these major films form an outstanding body of work marked by a cynical perspective and distinctive humor, securing Ashby's place in the history of New Hollywood.
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