'Academicising elusive Elaine May and her unruly improvs risks landing one in an imaginary Nichols-May routine, but this lively collection fearlessly takes the plunge. Watching the resourceful, mainly Australian contributors confirm or contradict one another as much as any of May's mutually entangled duos is only part of the fun.' Jonathan Rosenbaum, author of Cinematic Encounters Spanning from obscurity to notoriety, the films of director, screenwriter, actor and comic Elaine May have recently seen 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 on the films she has directed and emphasises her work with other high-profile collaborators such as John Cassavetes, Warren Beatty and Otto Preminger. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas is an Australian film critic. She has written six books on cult film with a focus on gender politics, and has published in a variety of magazines, journals and edited collections. Dean Brandum gained his PhD at Deakin University and has taught at a number of universities in Melbourne. Cover image: Elaine May directing A New Leaf, 1971 (c) Photofest Cover design: Stuart Dalziel [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-4018-9 Barcode