New 35mm Print

The Plot Against Harry
Directed by Michael Roemer

Saturday, June 1, 6 pm | BUY TICKETS

$12 | $8 Speed members

“Michael Roemer’s neglected masterpiece about New York Jewish gangsters makes absurdity eerily plausible.”—Richard Brody, The New Yorker

Dour Jewish mobster Harry Plotnick is finally released from prison after two decades. Returning to a very different world, Harry tries to ease back into his criminal ways on his old turf, but it soon becomes clear that he’s thoroughly outdated. When he encounters his ex-wife and his now-adult daughters, whom he doesn’t even know, he decides to clean up his act.

What follows is a world of call girls, bar mitzvahs, lingerie fashion shows, Cuban-Chinese mobsters, subway parties, Mafia barbecues, dog training classes, Congressional hearings, and hotel pajama parties.

Shelved by writer/director Roemer in 1969 following a laugh-less preview, The Plot Against Harry emerged two decades later when he overheard a technician performing a video transfer of the film laughing hysterically. On a whim, Roemer made two 35mm prints and sent them to the New York and Toronto Film Festivals (it was a hit with audiences), before releasing theatrically to great acclaim in early 1990 as a bona fide comedy classic. 1969, U.S., new 35mm print, 81 minutes. Recommended for 16+