A New Leaf

Henry has spent his entire inheritance, has never once considered working, and settles on a single solution: marry a rich woman and then get rid of her. The person he picks is Henrietta, a botanist who is scattered, distracted, hopeless with people and enormously wealthy. Elaine May wrote, directed and played Henrietta. The tone is strangely cold. The murder plan is an actual murder plan, and the comedy never once lets him off. The production has a story worth telling on its own. May went over budget and delivered a three hour cut, the producer Robert Evans took the film away from her, and the studio shortened it to its own taste. She sued to have her name removed and lost. Her version has never been seen. What emerged anyway is regarded as one of the funniest films of its decade. Who it is for: lovers of black comedy and of Walter Matthau. Who it is not for: anyone in search of a likeable protagonist.