elstree studios (4 risultati)

Elstree's Studios' damning original reader's report for Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar. 3pp. Typed on rectos only. Reader's delivery stamp to first page dated 5th February 1963. Elstree Studios' original reader's report rejecting The Bell Jar, written weeks after Sylvia Plath's only novel was published, and issued just nine days before her death. The Bell Jar was Sylvia Plath's own novel, and was published under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas in January 1963. The reader's report for Elstree notes the Type of Material as "Mental breakdown", and that they obtained the book on 29th January 1963. The man who wrote the reader's report for The Bell Jar was Jack Common [1903-1969]. A regular contributor at Elstree's Reading Department, Common, a working-class socialist, was a novelist and essayist from Newcastle who became friends with George Orwell when both were writing for The Adelphi magazine early in their careers. Common rose to edit The Adelphi in 1935-6, but could never make an adequate living from his published writing despite critical acclaim, and in the last twenty years of his life wrote innumerable reader's reports for Elstree, before his death from lung cancer in 1969. Common, usually a safe pair of hands, did not warm to The Bell Jar. His report's conclusion finds the book not only unfilmic but unliterary: 'This one lacks vividness and passion, reads in fact almost like a second-hand account. The experiences recorded here have been much better handled elsewhere, in THE HA-HA [by Jennifer Dawson, pub. Anthony Blond, 1961] and several others. I see no reason for buying this version.' Plath herself was also unsure about the novel. She doubted its chances of success, and was worried about making public the scenes which were clearly autobiographical. The Bell Jar was published by Heinemann on 14 January 1963 and, like the first edition of the book, this report credits the author as 'Victoria Lucas'. Jack Common's report was written on 2 February and submitted to ABPC's Reading Department three days later, on the fifth. Sylvia Plath died by suicide on 11 February 1963. Film production companies have been basing themselves at Elstree since 1914, and in most cases, their archives have been dispersed, lost or destroyed. This unique and hitherto unknown document from surviving ABPC reader reports has not been seen since its composition sixty years ago and has never before been offered for sale.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See MP's entry in the Oxford DNB.) Nash made around 70 films between 1912 and 1927, and was a key figure in the creation of Elstree Studios. His career as a film maker was effectively ended following the screening of his 1921 film 'How Kitchener was betrayed'. See Bernard Ince, ' "For the Love of the Art": The Life and Work of Percy Nash, Film Producer and Director of the Silent Era', 'Film History', September 2007. Both items in good condition, lightly aged, each with light rust staining at one corner from paper clip. LETTER: 1p, 4to. Signed 'Percy Nash'. He begins by stating that he has enjoyed 'immensely' MP's 'articles re the Theatre World', as well as his book 'Carriages at Eleven'. He continues: 'I got quite a thrill when I read that you appreciated the dance in front of the Act drop in the "merry wives" production at His Majestys. I suggested the idea during rehearsals but Tree didn't catch on to it at the time, but when the Curtain was lowered and raised a dozen times at the end, he screamed "Do what you wanted to do". Naturally a thing like that required rehearsing, but I risked it and luckily, it came off all right.' Although 'past the age for personal publicity to attract me', he is enclosing 'a list of my various adventures in the World of Entertainment'. He will be happy to allow MP to consult his 'good amount of data such as Programmes, Private letters from many Stars of the bygone Firmament etc.' TWO: Signed Typed CV: 2pp: the first a full single-spaced A4 page, the second (last five lines of typed text and autograph name and address) on cut-down top part of A4 page, now 1p, landscape 8vo. Signed on p.2: 'Percy Nash / 2 Bristol Court West / Marine Parade. / Brighton. / Sussex'. The list is headed 'PERCY NASH. born December 5th 1868.' Begins: 'Began thetrical [sic] career as assistant at Theatre Royal Bournemouth in 1889. Whilst there Toured the West Country with John L. Toole, The Gilbert and Sullivan Operas, German Reeds, Georg[e] Grossmith (on leaving the Savoy Theatre). Paderewski (First Tour), Sims Reeves and other famous Concert artistes.' Contains the following: 'Became a pioneer in the British Film World, organised and Directed the first pictures for the original London Film Company. Built the first Film Studios at Elstree. Directed Pictures in Rome for the CINES and TIBER Film Companies and the UNIVERSAL Film Co of America'. / First President of the British Association of Film Directors / Film Producer for the Federation of British Industries / Production Manager of the British Lion Film Corporation'.

Nash made around 70 films between 1912 and 1927, and was a key figure in the creation of Elstree Studios. His career as a film maker was effectively ended following the screening of his 1921 film 'How Kitchener was betrayed'. See Bernard Ince, ' "For the Love of the Art": The Life and Work of Percy Nash, Film Producer and Director of the Silent Era', 'Film History', September 2007. See also Macqueen-Pope's entry in the Oxford DNB. The collection of eleven items is in fair overall condition, with minor creasing and aging to some items. Nash's eight letters are all signed 'Percy Nash', and the first (and longest) has a long postscript in autograph. The eight total 9pp: four in 4to and five in 12mo. All are addressed to 'My dear Popie'. (The two men are clearly well acquainted - to one letter Nash adds the autograph note 'Come & see us soon!!!'.) The first letter contains personal information about the 1897 murder of the actor William Terris outside the Adelphi. 'I was producing a Panto for Charles Denton at the time at the Parkhurst Theatre, and I was short of a Chorister, Denton phoned to say that he would have one for me the following morning. I called next day at Maiden Lane and he told me that he had a man but as he had a "Wall" eye he sent him away. It was Prince. [Terris's murderer] E Dagnall (Daggie) was a member of the Adelphi Co at that time and he told me that Prince was a small part merchant who was spasmodically engaged there. He considered himself badly treated by the Management.' He concludes in the same vein. Letter of 3 August 1950 begins: 'I am under the impression that I am the last living "Acting" (Not 'Walk on') member of Irvings Lyceum Theatre Company.' After describing a visit to Irving's centenary service at St Martin's in the Fields he adds, 'I am sure that I am the only one left connected with his Stage Management. Lionel Belmore, who was with me at the time, migrated to America, and, I am informed, passed on, a year or two ago.' On 9 November 1950 he writes intriguingly: 'Re the G. B. Shaw incident you will be surprised at the undignified pranks that they got up to in the film at the behest of the little Scotchman.' Letter of 14 December 1950 describes 'a long queue waiting to book and a slip of a girl solo to do the work [.] I am often in touch with Emily Norton (Freds sister) and she says she is very hard up, perhaps this revival will healp. Jack Gladwin called in on Tuesday and I showed him the great "Write up" of Chue in "Everybodys".' On 24 June 1951 he praises Popie's new book 'Ghosts and Greasepaint': 'Every word and picture takes me back through my whole life, from the 'Fly posting' inside cover of Drink which we used to call "Lets av some more?" to the index pages. I saw Warner first at the Princess in it and I signed the pledge. / My word! as I turn the pages over I see pictures of the "Gone befores" and I feel strangely lonely, but when I pass over (and it can't be long now) I shall tell them all what a Champion they left behind them to keep their memory green.' The last letter, 10 October 1951, concerns a radio broadcast featuring Popie: 'What a glorious night you must have had last Sunday. I listened in to the first part and it all seemed to go so slick and the applause was never allowed to "peter" out. I was connected in one way or the other, with The Nellie Farren, H.I. and Ellen Terry similar shows and they were nothing like I.N's.' The carbons of two of Popie's replies are both unsigned. Each 1p, 4to. The first, 5 July 1949, discusses of the Terris murder. The second is a response to Nash's last letter. The final item is a typescript of reminiscences, titled 'The Tragic Comedians / Laughter and Tears.' 2pp, 4to. Whether this is by Popie or Nash or another party is unclear. There is one autograph emendation. Observations on George Formby ('I have been present at a performance when the audience were screaming with merriment at him during his "Turn" and he was compelled to turn his back on them to conceal his terrible cough which eventually closed his career.'), George Bastow, Melville Gideon, Leslie Stuart, and a final long passage on Dan Leno ('The greatest tragedy of all, was, to my thinking, that every Panto first night at the Lane, Two boxes were reserved for the members of his TWO families. The Boxes were placed one over the other on the same side of the Theatre, so that they never knew each other were there, or even that they existed. This fact used to worry Sir Augustus Harris, and after him Arthur Collins lest they should make the discovery, but they never did, what a time of anguish it must have been for Dan').

Elstree's Studios' glowing original report on The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings 11pp. Typed on rectos only. Reader's delivery stamp to first page dated 27th February 1968. Elstree Studios' original reader's report on The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings, made at a significant moment in the history of the film rights for Tolkien's work. Tolkien's Hollywood agent had first sold the film rights for The Hobbit in 1962 to Rembrandt Films, resulting in the first ever screen adaptation of Tolkien's work, Gene Dietch's 1967 film for The Hobbit. Following this, Sassoon sought to sell the future rights for both The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings to a single rights holder. Clearly working to a tight schedule, ABPC's Mr. R. Groves borrowed The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings from Boreham Wood Public Library on 13 February 1968, spent six days reading them, and then wrote a lengthy, highly detailed report, synopsising the cycle over nine typed, single-space, highly detailed pages. Groves' analysis of the books' long-term commercial prospects was astute: "The Hobbit' seems the most promising subject -- either for film or TV use. It introduces those strange, attractive creatures, hobbits, it has a hobbit as a main character, and the story-line is fairly straightforward. Gollum and Smaug are other figures likely to win wide popularity, and perhaps afford opportunity for exploitation on a large scale. This strange world and its creatures can be realised visually only in the cartoon film, on Disney lines -- and a feature film might therefore be preferable to a TV series or serial. Success with 'The Hobbit' might then make possible a series, based on the various parts of 'The Lord of the Rings. These books tell a series of most complicated, involved stories, contain hundreds of characters, and include massive spectacular scenes. [.] By centring the story on the four hobbits, and seeing the vast events through their eyes, as it were, it might be possible to make one or more films from the three books." On the basis of Groves's recommendation, ABPC would have presumably tried to secure the new rights package being offered by Tolkien's agent. However, in the end, these rights were secured on 3rd May 1968 by Katza-Berne Productions, who then sold the rights to United Artists Corporation. In 1976, they sold the rights to Saul Zaentz, who have licenced all subsequent adaptations of Tolkien's work through Midde-earth Enterprises. Film production companies have been basing themselves at Elstree since 1914, and in most cases, their archives have been dispersed, lost or destroyed. This unique and hitherto unknown document from surviving ABPC reader reports has not been seen since its composition sixty years ago and has never before been offered for sale.