A New Leaf

Selected by Robert Adams

Elaine May stars in her directorial debut as the timid and socially inept heiress Henrietta Lowell. “She has to be vacuumed every time she eats!” Henry Graham (Walter Matthau) exclaims in disbelief, but she is the perfect target for this bankrupt ex-playboy, who has designs on marrying and murdering a rich woman to reclaim his status among the elite. A near-perfect black comedy, a stinging commentary on class, and a surprisingly affecting love story, A New Leaf established the keen interest in relationships and betrayal that remained integral to all of May’s films.

Part of the Fraenkel Film Festival