A New Leaf (15.)
1971. Directed by Elaine May.
Starring Waltar Matthau, Elaine May, Jack Weston, George Rose and James Coco. 102 mins. Released on Blu-ray by Eureka as part of their Masters Of Cinema series.
While a great star will project the same qualities that audiences respond to in each role, the great actor will generally try to stretch themselves and try something different. The really great ones do both. In A New Leaf, an over looked comedy gem from the early seventies, Matthau is quintessentially Matthau, while playing total against type as an effete, pampered son of privilege of English descent. I have to admit I've never quite been able to summon up the proscribed levels of enthusiasm usually demanded for Matthau, but he is quite remarkable in this.
Elaine May's directorial debut, which she wrote and co-stars in, is Arthur in reverse and given a Ladykiller twist. Henry Graham has never done an honest (or dishonest) day's work in his life and is at a lose when he discovered that he has manged to spend all the money he had been left by his father. In desperation he strikes a deal with the Uncle (Weston) that hates him: he will lend him enough money to keep up appearances and gives him 60 days to find and marry a rich woman, even though he finds the idea of sharing his life with a woman repellent. He alights on Henrietta (May) a, guileless lady who is so clumsy she “has to be vacuumed every time she eats.” She falls for him and he decides that he will murder her after a respectable period has passed.
Matthau's attempt at playing rich and privilege is to affect a faltering Cary Grant impersonation and be his usual deadpan self, but with better posture. His character will commit murder to avoid the indignity of being poor; after his accountant has managed to explain to him that he doesn't have any money he makes a tearful farewell tour of all the places he used to spend his money in, whispering a mournful, self pitying lullaby to himself as he goes, “Goodbye, goodbye, I'm poor.” It is hard to see what he gains from his wealth: he has a Ferrari that breaks down every time he drives it (“carbon on the valves”); his friend has a plane that is equally unreliable (“carbon on the valves”); and at his private club he spends his time with bores.
May's script is packed with blindingly funny sequences and performances. Playing against all the male grotesques, May's Henrietta often seems too meek a caricature of a wallflower. Though Matthau dominates, it is a film made in her image: rather scatty and disorganised. It surely isn't the slickest piece of film making but the dialogue and performances are so strong it doesn't matter. My only complaint would be the look of it. It has that horrible wishy wash, Harold-and-Maude colour that is common in films from the early seventies. I don't know what they were putting in the film stock back then but it is visual equivalent of acoustic folk music.
1971. Directed by Elaine May.
Starring Waltar Matthau, Elaine May, Jack Weston, George Rose and James Coco. 102 mins. Released on Blu-ray by Eureka as part of their Masters Of Cinema series.
While a great star will project the same qualities that audiences respond to in each role, the great actor will generally try to stretch themselves and try something different. The really great ones do both. In A New Leaf, an over looked comedy gem from the early seventies, Matthau is quintessentially Matthau, while playing total against type as an effete, pampered son of privilege of English descent. I have to admit I've never quite been able to summon up the proscribed levels of enthusiasm usually demanded for Matthau, but he is quite remarkable in this.
Elaine May's directorial debut, which she wrote and co-stars in, is Arthur in reverse and given a Ladykiller twist. Henry Graham has never done an honest (or dishonest) day's work in his life and is at a lose when he discovered that he has manged to spend all the money he had been left by his father. In desperation he strikes a deal with the Uncle (Weston) that hates him: he will lend him enough money to keep up appearances and gives him 60 days to find and marry a rich woman, even though he finds the idea of sharing his life with a woman repellent. He alights on Henrietta (May) a, guileless lady who is so clumsy she “has to be vacuumed every time she eats.” She falls for him and he decides that he will murder her after a respectable period has passed.
Matthau's attempt at playing rich and privilege is to affect a faltering Cary Grant impersonation and be his usual deadpan self, but with better posture. His character will commit murder to avoid the indignity of being poor; after his accountant has managed to explain to him that he doesn't have any money he makes a tearful farewell tour of all the places he used to spend his money in, whispering a mournful, self pitying lullaby to himself as he goes, “Goodbye, goodbye, I'm poor.” It is hard to see what he gains from his wealth: he has a Ferrari that breaks down every time he drives it (“carbon on the valves”); his friend has a plane that is equally unreliable (“carbon on the valves”); and at his private club he spends his time with bores.
May's script is packed with blindingly funny sequences and performances. Playing against all the male grotesques, May's Henrietta often seems too meek a caricature of a wallflower. Though Matthau dominates, it is a film made in her image: rather scatty and disorganised. It surely isn't the slickest piece of film making but the dialogue and performances are so strong it doesn't matter. My only complaint would be the look of it. It has that horrible wishy wash, Harold-and-Maude colour that is common in films from the early seventies. I don't know what they were putting in the film stock back then but it is visual equivalent of acoustic folk music.
