1971 film directed by Elaine May
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 and James Coco.
In the film, patrician New York City playboy Henry Graham has run out of money. He decides to find a wealthy bride, and finds shy heiress Henrietta Lowell. He takes control of her finances after their wedding, and fires her dishonest staff. He carefully plans to poison her, but even his own best laid plans go awry.
The film was a critical success on its initial release. However, despite several accolades, award nominations, and a run at Radio City Music Hall, A New Leaf fared poorly at the box office. However, 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 summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.