G | 1h 42min | Comedy, Romance | 11 March 1971
Director: Elaine May
Writers: Elaine May, Jack Ritchie (story "The Green Heart")
Stars: Walter Matthau, Elaine May, Jack Weston, James Coco
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067482/
First of 4 director credits for EM, 1st of 9 writer credits, 4th of 9 acting credits. First woman in H'wood to write/direct/costar.
I like WM, especially when he gets to be funny, and he is very much so here. EM also plays her part perfectly.
This film reminds me of Monsieur Verdoux ('47), except that WM is on his first attempted murder, and doesn't have ambitions to become a serial husband. I like the ending here; apparently the original script called for 2 deaths.
For a while, the commentary track on this Olive Films blu-ray seemed informative, scholarly, but devolved into banal observations. One quibble: she likens Rene Taylor's libidinous character to the song I Am Woman Hear Me Roar, but the movie was released 2 months before the Helen Reddy album where the song debuts. I made a list of the 25 women directors mentioned in the track; it was just a list, not much else.
Fascinating that EM hated this studio-cut release (the only one circulating now) of the film. Sued to have her name taken off. But the critics loved it, while sympathizing with her desire for creative control.
Featurettes are short: 13 minutes on the editing, 7 on women in H'wood, plus a 7-screen essay. The trailer is fascinatingly horrible.
indie, Paramount, dir. May; 7
