A New Leaf is a 1971 American black comedy film written and directed by Elaine May in her directorial debut based on the short story "The Green Heart" by Jack Ritchie. It stars May, Walter Matthau, Jack Weston, George Rose, James Coco, and Doris Roberts. Prior to the film, May was better known for her collaboration as a stage comedian with The Graduate director Mike Nichols.
In the film, a formerly wealthy playboy has run out of money. He decides to find a rich bride for himself, and soon enough finds a shy heiress. He takes charge of her finances after their wedding, and gets rid of her disloyal staff members. He is carefully planning uxoricide, but does not account for his own emotions. When the opportunity to kill her arrives, he realizes that he has fallen in love with his wife.
The film was a critical success upon its initial release. However, despite several accolades, award nominations, and a Radio City Music Hall run, A New Leaf fared poorly at the box office and remains little known by the general public. It is now considered a cult classic. In 2019, the film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Plot
Henry Graham, a playboy from a wealthy patrician family, has run through his entire inheritance and is completely unequipped to provide for himself, with his greedy uncle Harry refusing to lend him any more money. His valet Harold suggests to a suicidal Henry that he should marry into wealth. With a $50,000 loan from Harry to tide him over, Henry has just six weeks to find a rich bride and repay the money, otherwise he must forfeit all of his property to his uncle.
Desperation sets in as Henry's attempts to meet a suitable mate fail. With only days remaining, Henry meets clumsy, painfully shy heiress Henrietta Lowell, a botany professor. She is the answer to his prayers: wealthy and with no family. However, Henrietta's suspicious (and crooked) lawyer Andy McPherson is a problem, as Harry plots with him to prove to Henrietta that Henry only wants her for her money. They fail, and Henrietta marries Henry. On their honeymoon, Henrietta discovers what may be an unknown species of fern.
Murder never far from his mind, Henry takes charge of his wife's life. He reorganizes her household staff, who had been taking full advantage of her timidity and naivete and sharing their profits with her former lawyer. He also learns how to manage accounts and a vast estate. Henrietta is completely disorganized and welcomes Henry's guidance. She also finds out that he has a B.A. in history, and suggests that an unwilling Henry could get a teaching job at the university where she works, so they could be together all the time.
When Henrietta's fern is confirmed as a new species, she names it Alsophila grahami after Henry. She invites him to join her on her canoe trip to the Adirondacks for her annual field trip. Henry sees this as an opportunity to rid himself of Henrietta in a remote area with no witnesses. Before he can dispose of her, however, their canoe capsizes. Henry makes it to shore, but Henrietta tells him she cannot swim. Henry tells her to let go of the log she is clinging to and he will rescue her. As he is leaving her to her watery fate, he finds an example of the fern Henrietta named after him. Realizing that he loves her, he rescues her and resigns himself to his unexpected fate as a married man, vowing that he will always be there to take care of her.
Cast
Walter Matthau as Henry Graham
Elaine May as Henrietta Lowell
Jack Weston as Andy McPherson
George Rose as Harold
James Coco as Uncle Harry
Doris Roberts as Mrs. Traggert
Renée Taylor as Sally Hart
David Doyle as Mel
William Redfield as Beckett
Mark Gordon as John
Production
May wrote A New Leaf from Ritchie's short story, but she never intended to act in or direct the picture. She was originally offered $200,000 for the script, but her agent cut a deal with Paramount so that May could direct and he could produce. She was paid only $50,000, as her agent told her a first time director could not expect such a large sum of money.
May was told that she could not get the picture made without Matthau, and that Paramount wanted Carol Channing to play the part of Henrietta. May protested, saying it was the man's movie and that the woman had to be someone who disappeared. She asked if she could pick the actress, and the studio declined, saying that instead, May could play Henrietta, and all for the same money.