ReFocus: The Films of Elaine May
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Dean Brandum
Abstract
This book explores the diverse career of director, screenwriter, comic and actor, Elaine May Spanning from obscurity to notoriety, the films of director, screenwriter, actor and comic Elaine May have recently experienced a long-overdue renaissance. Although she made only four films — A New Leaf (1971), The Heartbreak Kid (1972), Mikey and Nicky (1976) and Ishtar (1987) — and never reached the level of acclaim of her frequent collaborator Mike Nichols, May’s work is as enigmatic, sophisticated and unceasingly fascinating as her own complicated, reluctant star persona. This collection focuses bo ... More
This book explores the diverse career of director, screenwriter, comic and actor, Elaine May Spanning from obscurity to notoriety, the films of director, screenwriter, actor and comic Elaine May have recently experienced a long-overdue renaissance. Although she made only four films — A New Leaf (1971), The Heartbreak Kid (1972), Mikey and Nicky (1976) and Ishtar (1987) — and never reached the level of acclaim of her frequent collaborator Mike Nichols, May’s work is as enigmatic, sophisticated and unceasingly fascinating as her own complicated, reluctant star persona. This collection focuses both on the films she has directed, and also emphasises her work with other high profile collaborators such as John Cassavetes and Otto Preminger.
Keywords:
Elaine May,
Women’s Filmmaking,
Women Directors,
John Cassavetes,
Mike Nichols,
Screenwriting,
Comedy
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2019 |
Print ISBN-13: 9781474440189 |
| Published to Edinburgh Scholarship Online: May 2020 |
DOI:10.3366/edinburgh/9781474440189.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, editor
independent scholar
Dean Brandum, editor
independent scholar
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