The Plot Against Harry
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Synopsis
Harry Plotnick (Martin Priest), a New York City numbers runner, is back on the streets after a nine month prison stint, looking to reclaim his turf. Along with his sidekick Max (Henry Nemo), Harry accidentally crashes into the car of his ex-wife Kay (Maxine Woods), ex-brother-in-law Leo (Ben Lang), and his daughter (Sandra Kazan), who he hasn't seen in decades. Caught in a whirlwind of Jewish family life and all kinds of New York strivers, Harry encounters mobsters, lawyers, caterers, an overbearing sister, another daughter he has never met, cops, rabbis, and radio hosts.
Discouraged by laughless test screenings, director Michael Roemer pulled the film from release. The film finally surfaced in 1989, and was immediately heralded as one of the greatest of all American independent films. Re-released theatrically in 2023, and recognized by a new generation, The Plot Against Harry is a true masterpiece.
Picture 8/10
Michael Roemer’s The Plot Against Harry makes its Blu-ray debut courtesy of The Film Desk, presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on a dual-layer disc. The 1080p/24Hz high-definition presentation is sourced from a new 4K restoration from the original 35mm negatives.
Considering the film’s unorthodox history (filmed in 1969 but not officially released until 1989), it’s quite the surprise that the elements have held up so well. The frame can shift following most cuts, and some more significant bits of damage (larger scratches, bigger marks) remain, but the image is spotless otherwise, and the level of detail captured from the scan can be astounding at times. Grain looks excellent and is rendered beautifully thanks to a solid encode, retaining a natural texture that never looks like noise. Finer patterns and textures are rendered cleanly without shimmering artifacts, and the entire image maintains a wonderful film-like texture.
Contrast and grayscale are also impressive, showing a wide range within the grays and blending smoothly. Black levels are deep, though some details can get lost in darker shots, slightly flattening the image. Still, this release is a wonderful surprise. It looks outstanding.
Audio 6/10
The disc includes two audio tracks: a 2-channel monaural soundtrack and a remixed 5.1 surround soundtrack, both offered in DTS-HD MA. The mono soundtrack sounds surprisingly good, with voices and music displaying decent fidelity and ample range, particularly at various gatherings and parties. However, things can get a bit edgy during higher moments, and distortion becomes more noticeable during the film’s climax.
I was surprised by the inclusion of a 5.1 presentation, as the film doesn’t really call for it, but the results are decent. The overall quality is similar to the monaural track: clean, with a slight edge here and there, and more pronounced distortion during the climax. Range can be a bit wider, though. The 5.1 mix expands the soundstage in the front channels, even directing voices between the fronts when appropriate. The surrounds pick up subtle background noises, including music and crowd sounds, without ever feeling forced or distracting.
While I find the 5.1 option unnecessary, it’s mixed well and provides a solid alternative. Personally, I'll probably stick with the monaural track.
Extras 7/10
Film Desk digs up some archival features, starting with a 2005 interview with Roemer and producer Robert M. Young. Taken from an earlier DVD release, the discussion begins similarly to the archival one found on Criterion’s Nothing but a Man disc, with the two discussing their early TV work and their desire to transition to film before delving specifically into The Plot Against Harry.
This leads to a discussion about the hectic schedule, the intense editing process, and the film’s eventual shelving, all of which are also covered in the other features on this disc, including a 27-minute Q&A session with Roemer following a 2023 screening of the film. Moderated by Azazel Jacobs, Roemer repeats some of what he covered in the 2005 interview but delves deeper into the personal pain he experienced from the film's initial failure and his shock at its rediscovery and success two decades later. This rediscovery was all because someone transferring the film to VHS for Roemer’s personal collection found it funny and laughed while watching it, leading Roemer to give the film another go. He also talks more about directing the cast (never telling them he was directing a comedy, which is why everyone plays it so straight). After taking a question from the audience, he explains the film’s frantic pace and quick editing, which was possibly one of the many reasons audiences were alienated by it in 1969. Interestingly, this wasn’t done intentionally as a stylistic choice but rather to help scenes that just weren’t working, quickly moving to another shot or moment to keep things going. With limited resources, he couldn’t just go and do reshoots. This approach probably helped the film in 1989 when the style of editing had become more commonplace.
This Q&A expands nicely from the 2005 interview, but the crown jewel of this release’s features is possibly the 73-minute audio interview with Roemer, recorded in 1990, following the film’s release and rediscovery. Again, some details about the film’s background are repeated, but he talks more about the film’s failure and rediscovery, expanding on how that all played out. He also discusses some of his other work, including Nothing but a Man. Roemer extensively covers his film influences, mentioning noir, early Fellini, the Maysles’ documentaries, and even René Clair’s Le million. He dives deeper into specific sequences in The Plot Against Harry and shares backstories that influenced particular moments and characters (these are also mentioned in the other features but are expanded upon here). This leads to a discussion about the film’s themes and his portrayal of the Jewish community of the time. It’s very insightful and the strongest addition to the set.
No academic material has been recorded, sadly, but the included booklet packs in quite a bit. Following a reprint of the intro Roemer wrote for the screenplay, Film Desk includes articles and reviews from 1990 written by Stuart Klawans and Georgia Brown for The Village Voice and J. Hoberman for Premiere, as well as a 2023 article written by Richard Brody for The New Yorker. Interestingly, it also features a transcript from Siskel & Ebert’s final summary of the film (sadly, not their actual review and discussion) and then finally a page devoted to Roemer’s filmography and a reprint of character descriptions written for the 1990 pressbook. This will prove helpful as it can be challenging to keep track of everyone on the first viewing.
Despite the lack of new material, it’s a solid collection of content.
Closing
The film reenters the limelight (again) thanks to a solid Blu-ray release featuring a sharp new presentation.
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