A New Leaf (1971)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Elaine May

Writers:

Elaine May (writer)
Jack Ritchie (story)

Release Date:

19 July 1971 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Romeo and Juliet, Bob and Bing, Ulysses and Grant, George and Martha, Martha and John, Bob and Carol, Ted and Alice, Bob and Alice, Ted and Carol, Bob and Ted, Carol and Alice, Pat and Dick, Julie and David, Byron and His Sister, Bill and Coo, Liz and Eddie, Liz and Mike, Liz and Dick, Dick and Sybil, Eddie and Debbie, Muck and Meyer, Hollywood and Vine, Anthony and Cleopatra, and now Henry & Henrietta... the love couple of the seventies... and the laugh riot of the year.

Plot:

Examines the vapid life of a born to wealth New Yorker. After he spends all of what was left to him...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Botanist | Heiress | New York City | Fantasy Sequence

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Walter Matthau	...	Henry Graham
Elaine May	...	Henrietta Lowell
Jack Weston	...	Andy McPherson
George Rose	...	Harold
James Coco	...	Uncle Harry
Doris Roberts	...	Mrs. Traggert
Renée Taylor	...	Sally Hart
William Redfield	...	Beckett
Graham Jarvis	...	Bo
Jess Osuna	...	Frank
David Doyle	...	Mel
Fred Stewart	...	Mr. von Rensaeller
Gordon Mark	...	John
Rose Arrick	...	Gloria Cunliffe
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ellen Stretton

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:U | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Maine, USA

Company:

Aries Productions

Trivia:

The running time before Robert Evans at Paramount had the film re-edited was 3 hours, and the actor who played the blackmailer (and whose part was cut from the film) was William Hickey.

Quotes:

Henry Graham: The only difference between us is I am a man and you are a woman and we don't have to let that interfere if we are reasonably careful.

An almost forgotten comedy classic

Few people have ever even heard of "A New Leaf" and that is a shame. It is one of the funniest films in the last 30 years. Walter Matthau plays a spoiled rich man who discovers that his fortune is gone and he needs to marry in a short time to save what little he has left. His solution? Woo a rich woman, marry her, and kill her all in a week. So he picks the nerdy, klutzy, and not so attractive Elaine May (brilliant...she also wrote and directed) whose love is flowers. The film then follows Matthau as he attempts to carry out his plan. This film is full of BIG laughs and should be seen by anyone who loves a good comedy.