The Clark partners with Images Cinema to present a film series that captures the explosion of creativity, critical acclaim, and box office success that Hollywood directors found after the fall of the studio system.

The second film in in the series is A New Leaf (1971). Elaine May’s antic and macabre comedy reveals the essence of marital love more brutally than many melodramas. Walter Matthau plays Henry Graham, a lazy Manhattan heir who is stopped cold by the news—delivered in riotous euphemisms by his lawyer—that he’s broke. After a terrifying vision of having to buy ready-to-wear, he must marry rich, fast. Henry impresses his chosen prey, Henrietta Lowell (May), an awkward, lonely heiress and a botanist, with his displays of chivalry. With his imperious managerial style, he puts her chaotic household in order—because he plans to inherit it, sooner rather than later. Having started out with the hatred, dependency, and surrender that it takes most couples years to achieve, Henry and Henrietta prove as suited as regular folks for marriage until death do them part—one way or another. (Run time: 1 hour, 42 minutes)

Free. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524.



Image: A New Leaf, Elaine May, 1971