For her directorial debut, Elaine May also wrote and starred in the film, and accomplished all in arguably the hardest genre: comedy. To this day, A New Leaf still makes audiences laugh at May’s screwball characters: an aging and now-broke libertine (Walter Matthau) seduces and cons the batty botany professor and heiress Henrietta (May steals scenes with her physical comedy). Murder and mayhem continually raise their heads, but are averted by love in the form of a fern in this perfectly off-kilter 

Director: Elaine May. Cast: Walter Matthau, Elaine May, Jack Weston, George Rose. 1971. 102 min. USA. Color. English. 35mm.

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