A New Leaf [Blu-ray]

Director: Elaine May Elaine May

Overview

Elaine May wrote and directed (credits May attempted to have removed after the studio made extensive cuts in the film) this dark and funny comedy about marriage, murder, and money. May also stars as Henrietta, a shy and clumsy wallflower, who is also heir to a large pile of money. Indigent playboy Graham (Walter Matthau), who has squandered his inherited trust fund and needs to get a new source of money, begins to ply his affections upon Henrietta. When his butler (George Rose) recommends that Graham should marry Henrietta and gain control of her funds, Graham borrows money from his miserable uncle (James Coco) and wines and dines Henrietta. Graham's dastardly plan is to marry Henrietta, take her off on a trip to the mountains, and murder her. Graham can then return from her funeral and inherit his wealth. But thrown into his path toward the perfect murder are a collection of Henrietta's loyal -- and not so loyal -- retainers and the small dim light of Graham's own conscience.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/05/2017
UPC:	0887090601603
Original Release:	1971
Rating:	G
Source:	Olive
Region Code:	A
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:42:00
Sales rank:	12,876

Special Features

New Restoration from 4k scan of original camera negative; Audio Commentary by film scholar Maya Montanez Smukler; "The Cutting Room Floor: Editing A New Leaf" - Interview with A New Leaf Assistant Editor Angelo Corrao; "Women in Hollywood: A Tragedy of Comic Proportions" - with Director Amy Heckerling; Essay by critic, Editor & Film Programmer Alexandra Heller-Nicholas; "The Green Heart" by Jack Ritchie, the source material for Elaine May's script ; Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Walter Matthau	Henry Graham
Elaine May	Henrietta Lowell
Jack Weston	Andy McPherson
James Coco	Uncle Harry
George Rose	Harold Henry, Graham's Butler
William Redfield	Beckett
Graham Jarvis	Bo
Doris Roberts	Mrs. Traggert
Rose Arrick	Gloria Cunliffe
Renee Taylor	Sally Hart
Mildred Clinton	Mrs. Heinrich
Marc Gordon	John,John
Fred Stewart	Mr. Van Rensaeller
David Doyle	Mel
Jess Osuna	Frank
Ida Berlin	Maid
Carol Morley	Girl at Charity Ball
Neal Hefti	Composer
Johnny Mandel	Composer

Technical Credits

Elaine May

Elaine May	Director,Screenwriter
Joe Manduke	Producer,Producer

Editorial Reviews

Though she attempted to have her name removed after extensive studio re-editing and has since disowned the film, comedy writer-performer Elaine May need not be ashamed of her directorial debut A New Leaf (1971). A somewhat retro screwball comedy about the reformation of Walter Matthau's wealthy and conceited Henry Graham through an unlikely romance with May's flaky botanist Henrietta, A New Leaf deftly sends up the excesses and idiocy of the rich, beginning with an adroit sight gag involving Henry's ever-ailing sports car. Matthau is the pompous twit incarnate, but it's no surprise that even he cannot resist May's touchingly comic bumbler as she mulls over the difference between her hopes and her dreams and immortalizes Henry as a botany footnote. The supporting cast, including James Coco as Henry's overstuffed uncle and George Rose as Henry's efficient butler, is equally as strong. Though the pacing is by no means perfect and the ending a tad abrupt, May's writerly dexterity and her way with the actors neatly overcome whatever harm may have been inflicted by the studio. Much to the disappointment of May's fans, the New Leaf director's cut has yet to surface.