Vinegar Syndrome via its Cinématographe Films imprint will be releasing A New Leaf (1971) on 4K UHD! The Limited Edition will come in a Mediabook packaging, and is limited to 5,000 copies.
This special limited edition J-card MediaBook slipcase (designed by Michael DeForge) is limited to 5,000 units and is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.
Note: this release is available to be purchased on its own, or bundled with the hardcover book Miss May Does Not Exist by Carrie Courogen (book details can be seen below). This Limited Edition Slipcase + Book bundle is limited to 100 units.
Taking its name from the Lumière Brothers invention of the same name, Cinématographe is a new sub-label from Vinegar Syndrome that seeks to fill gaps in the canon of American cinema. Offering a mix of auteur driven studio films produced during the New Hollywood era of the late 1960s and 70s all the way through the indie boom of the 1980s and 90s, Cinématographe will explore the wide breadth of American moviemaking, spanning numerous genres and scales of production. Curated and produced by Vinegar Syndrome's Justin LaLiberty, each limited edition release will be housed in a specially designed, cloth-bound, media book with embossed foil titles and custom molded disc trays accompanied by a slipcase featuring newly commissioned art and an individually numbered J-card.
Henry Graham (Walter Matthau, The Bad News Bears), a descendant of a wealthy New York family, has exhausted his inheritance, leaving him near penniless, much to the dismay of his uncle Harry (James Coco, Murder By Death), who refuses his request for a loan. Upon suggestion of his valet driver Harold (George Rose, The Flesh and the Fiends), Henry devises a plot to marry wealthy professor Henrietta Lowell (played by writer/director Elaine May) and murder her, becoming the beneficiary of her fortune. Along the way, Henry faces various obstacles, including unexpectedly falling in love.
The first feature film to be written and directed by noted playwright and comedian Elaine May (Mikey and Nicky, Ishtar), A NEW LEAF is a calling card of the highest order. Showcasing May as a triple threat, behind and in front of the camera, and offering a canvas for her rapid fire, often acerbic, humor that would define her work. Nominated for two Golden Globe Awards in 1972 – Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical) and Best Actress for Elaine May – and adopted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2019, A NEW LEAF is one of the great American comedy films of the 1970s and is often cited as the crowning achievement of May’s illustrious, albeit often controversial, career. Cinématographe is proud to present the world 4K UHD debut of Elaine May’s romantic comedy masterpiece, in a new restoration from the original 35mm camera negative.
directed by: Elaine May
starring: Walter Matthau, Elaine May, Jack Weston, George Rose, James Coco, Dorris Roberts, Renée Taylor
1971 / 102 min / 1.85:1 / English DTS-HD MA 1.0
Additional info:
2-Disc Set: 4K Ultra HD + Region A Blu-ray
New audio commentary by film programmer, writer and educator K.J. Relth-Miller and Maya Montañez Smukler, author of Liberating Hollywood: Women Directors and the Feminist Reform of 1970s American Cinema
Director Jail - a new video interview with Carrie Courogen, author of Miss May Does Not Exist: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood’s Hidden Genius
Looking for Elaine May - a new video essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, co-editor of ReFocus: The Films of Elaine May
Elaine May and Mike Nicholas In Conversation - an hour long post-screening discussion between Elaine May and her frequent collaborator, conducted at Film at Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater in New York City in 2006
Elaine May's A New Leaf 50th Anniversary - an episode of the Silver Streams podcast from the American Film Institute featuring programmers of the AFI Silver Theater discussing May's film
The Cutting Room Floor - an archival interview with assistant editor Angelo Corrao
Women in Hollywood: A Tragedy of Comic Proportions - an archival appreciation of Elaine May with filmmaker Amy Heckerling
Theatrical Trailer
New text essays from film writer Sarah Fensom; film critic Elena Lazic; queer historian and film critic Willow Catelyn Maclay; and film critic and editor Hannah Strong as well as a previously published piece by film critic Richard Brody
Fold out poster featuring new art by cartoonist Michael DeForge