In 1969, following the critical success of Nothing But a Man (1964), still his best-known film to date, Michael Roemer made The Plot Against Harry. Centred on Harry Plotnick (Martin Priest), a smalltime racketeer who attempts to rehabilitate himself in the Jewish community after a stint behind bars, the film is a shimmering satire that balances a scrupulously researched portrayal of its milieu with a rollicking, carnivalesque atmosphere. The trouble with Harry, though, was that when it first screened for audiences, no one laughed. The project was then shelved indefinitely until, in 1989, a combination of accident and initiative led Roemer to strike a new 35mm print of the film and submit it to various festivals. It was subsequently selected for the New York Film Festival—giving the director his second main slate selection after Nothing But a Man—and was shown out of competition in Cannes a year later.
This tale of rediscovery is ubiquitous in accounts of Roemer’s career, and now the story seems to be repeating itself. His 1984 film , originally broadcast on PBS’ under the title , is in 2004. So he is—the past, it seems, will not let him alone.
