Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Forgotten Movies: A NEW LEAF
One of my absolute favorites. Elaine May directed this film about a man (Walter Mathau) who loses all of his money due to his profligate ways and must marry to avoid an impoverished existence. Who cannot love both the klutzy botanist, Elaine May, and the rehabilitation of a man who becomes her most devoted admirer. Truly magical. It can never be remade and please keep Ben Stiller away from it.
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11 comments:
May's cut was a lot darker, especially with regard to Matthau's character. Studio took it away after she'd spent months in post-production.
She's spent the last decades in director's purgatory - unemployable since ISHTAR.
That's funny that you mentioned it, because I just this morning referenced it as one of the first times I remember Doris Roberts. I read the book much later on.
Terrific movie.
Yes, Doris is so young in this.
Would love to see May's cut. Darker-I almost imagine him trying harder to kill her.
Walter Mathau is an underrated actor. A dark comedy would highlight his strengths.
And this did indeed.
I would love to see the original cut (though I might not like it as much as I am not an ISHTAR apologist - a total misfire, sad to relate) - she has kept very busy as a screenwriter thankfully.
I like the bit where the butler keeps dropping the tea service in the hallway when hes eavesdropping on Jack Weston and becomes progressively more and more shocked by what he hears and Weston says: "Your butler seems to have weak wrists", i remember i actually fell off my chair laughing at that scene when i first saw this movie.
I like the way that Elaine May was pretending to be relatively unattractive, where-as in reality she was actually quite a tasty little darlin` in 1970.
ISHTAR may be garbage but its still infinitely better than anything the British film industry has ever produced ! ! !.
This is my favorite romantic comedy, Patti, I think, of all time. Elaine May wanted a different ending, but really, the ending we got is perfection. Walter Matthau is SO funny in this. And Elaine May is, well, the perfect klutz. I wrote about this film a long while back and wondered why more people hadn't heard of it. It is, far as I'm concerned, a brilliant classic.
The ending is heavenly to me. I love movies where people learn to be better and he certainly does in this one. It would rank at the top of my favorite romantic comedies--better than Harry Met Sally and equal to Bringing Up Baby.
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