Sacha Guitry
French actor, 1885-1957
"Alexandre-Pierre Georges ""Sacha"" Guitry was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the Boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French actor, Lucien Guitry, and followed his father into the theatrical profession. He became known for his stage performances, often in boulevardier roles, in the many plays he wrote, of which there were more than 120. Guitry's plays range from historical dramas to contemporary light comedies. From the 1930s to the end of his life he enthusiastically embraced the cinema, making as many as five films in a single year. His best known works include ""Die Perlen der Krone"" (1937) and ""Versailles – Könige und Frauen"" (1954)."
Source: Wikipedia
Schriftsteller, Schauspieler und Filmregisseur (1885–1957). Typed letter signed. O. O. ½ S. Gr.-4to.
$ 846 / 800 €
(24816)
To an unnamed addressee: „Je tiens à vous remercier personnellement de ce que vous avez fait pour la Représentation d’Adieux de Noblet. En présence du résultat magnifique – 95.000 francs de recette – il serait injuste d’oublier ceux qui en ont assuré l’efficace et gracieuse publicité [...]“. – Slightly browned due to paper and somewhat spotty.
French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre (1885-1957).
Autograph manuscript notes. no place, no date. 4to. 2 pp.
$ 1,058 / 1.000 €
(91246)
„Notes sur le Cinema“. Autograph manuscript notes, in pencil on blue 4to paper. Margins a bit frayed, browning.
French actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright (1885-1957). Autograph letter signed. Honfleur (Calvados). 10.07.1911. 4to. 2 pp. In French.
$ 3,703 / 3.500 €
(49678/BN34148)
Beautiful and highly interesting letter to a close friend and collaborator, possibly a stage designer or impresario, concerning Guitry's next play "Un Beau Mariage" with two sketches for stage designs and three sketches for theater posters. Guitry apparently reacted to criticism of delays, arguing that what the recipient takes "for slowness" is actually him "working with relentlessness". Furthermore, he blames postponements on his "brilliant idea" of having the manuscript published before the premiere, satirically ascribing the quote "Sir, I lack character" to the head of the print shop.
Nevertheless, the recipient "mustn't worry" as Guitry gives him instructions for the sets, including two sketches: "The only things that are indispensable in these two sets are the two doors, the antechamber and the staircase banister in Act 2. In Acts 3 and 4, what is indispensable is the grass, the apple trees, the entrance to the house, the driveway and a panorama in the background" (transl.). Not expecting high returns for the play, Guitry expresses his wish to cast friends, mentioning Arlette Dorgère and Henriette Henriot as potential cast members. - "Un Beau Mariage" premiered on 17 October 1911 at the Théâtre de la Renaissance, while the publication was only finalized in 1912. Guitry ultimately played alongside Charlotte Lysès, Marie Samary, Alexandre Arquillière, and Suzanne Derval, among others. - Some browning. With old repairs and minimal tears..
French actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright (1885-1957). 2 autograph working manuscripts. No place. 4to. (54), (68) ff. Mostly in pencil, a few sections in pen, 3 ff. typescript.
$ 4,761 / 4.500 €
(82926/BN54296)
Drafts for the play "Beaumarchais" (1950) and for the film "Franklin et Beaumarchais", announced in 1949, both adapted by Edouard Molinaro for his film "Beaumarchais, l'insolent" (1995). - The manuscript for "Beaumarchais" is made up for the largest part of dialogue between Beaumarchais and the Chevalier d'Eon, also including the last stanza of the revolutionary song "Chant du départ", titled "Trois guerriers". The three typescript leaves cover a diaglogue between Beaumarchais and Louis XVI. - The manuscript for the film "Franklin et Beaumarchais", treating Franco-American relations and France's support of the recently-founded United States, consists mostly of the narrator's part.
French actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright (1885-1957). Autograph quotation signed. N. p. o. d. 4to. ½ p. In pencil.
$ 370 / 350 €
(85892/BN56567)
To Simone Belin, daughter of the inventor Édouard Belin (1876-1963): "En respectueux et vive sympathie, car moi aussi j'avais un admirable père". - The context of this autograph remains unclear: while the message appears to be an expression of condolences on the death of Belin's father, Édouard Belin survived Sacha Guitry. - Well preserved.
Schauspieler, Filmregisseur, Drehbuchautor und Dramatiker (1885-1957). Eigenh. Visitenkarte mit U. O. O. u. D. 1 S. Visitkartenformat.
$ 296 / 280 €
(88639/BN58532)
In französischer Sprache an einen Freund mit Dank: "Merci cher monsieur [...]".
French actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright (1885-1957). Autograph letter signed. Paris. 8vo. 2 pp. on bifolium.
$ 899 / 850 €
(91576/BN60897)
Interesting letter to Albert Carré, then administrator of the Comédie-Française, asking him to authorize the actor Édouard de Max to perform in a play at the Théâtre des Variétés: "Je viens vous demander si vous voulez bien autoriser de Max à jouer avec moi au Théâtre des Variétés pendant huit jours à partir du 22 de ce mois. Vous me feriez plaisir en donnant au porteur votre réponse". - The play in question can only be the one-act comedy "Une vilaine femme brune" that premiered in late November 1915 at the Théâtre des Variétés, albeit without De Max.
Albert Carré (1852-1938) served only briefly as administrator of the Comédie-Française, from 1 January 1914 to 30 November 1915, when he joined the war. - In a somewhat cryptic second part, Guitry informs Carré that the film he had recently spoken to Carré about "cannot have links to the Théâtre Français [i. e. Comédie-Française]", for reasons that he will tell him personally: "Autre chose. Je vous avais dernièrement demandé quelque chose au sujet de mon film cinématographique - pour des raisons que je vous donnerai la prochaine fois que j'aurai le plaisir de vous voir, la chose ne peut pas avoir lien au Théâtre Français [...]". This is very likely a reference to Guitry's first professional film "Ceux de chez nous", a 50-minute documentary that features some of the most important French artists and authors of the time, including Sarah Bernhardt, Edgar Degas, Anatole France, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Auguste Rodin, Edmond Rostand, and Camille Saint-Saëns. "Ceux de chez nous" premiered in Paris on 22 November 1915, only a few days apart from the play mentioned above. - On stationery of the "Théatre du Palais-Royal". Minor ink stains and browning..
French actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright (1885-1957). Autograph manuscript signed. N. p. 4to. 1 p. Black ink on lined paper.
$ 846 / 800 €
(91577/BN60898)
Charming short literary portrait of his friend, the playwright Edmond Sée (1875-1959): "Il a l'air d'être en deuil et de chercher de qui. Vous lui parlez... il semble distrait... et il paraît ne pas vous écouter... Non seulement il vous écoute, mais encore il vous répond [...] Il a été précoce et comme ça lui a réussi, il est resté jeune pour toujours. - Il a un fils, c'est son bâton de jeunesse ! - Edmond Sée a commencé par nous donner les Miettes, nous attendons maintenant le grand repas, auquel nous serons conviés.
Souhaitons ce repas copieux ! que les plats soient moins recherchés mais qu'il y en ait pour tout le monde". - As Guitry indicates that the text should be illustrated with a drawing, it seems very likely that it was intended for his collection of caricatures of friends "Des Connus et des Inconnus" that was published in 1903 as a portfolio of lithographs. A copy of this work with an original caricature of See by Guitry and a typed version of the manuscript at hand was sold by Drouot in 2021. - Minor tears to the folds and toning..
French actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright (1885-1957). Autograph manuscript signed. [Paris. 4to. 4 pp. on 2 ff.
$ 2,645 / 2.500 €
(91578/BN60899)
A charming Christmas poem for his charity-gala "Noël dans les ruines" that was held on 19 December 1922 at the Théâtre des Variétés to raise funds to buy children's toys for regions devastated by the recent war. The first stanza of the poem in 62 verses reads: "Dieu sait si le plaisir de recevoir est doux... / Mais à mon humble avis, / Je ne crois pas qu'on puisse atteindre un certain âge / Sans tout à coup / S'apercevoir que dans la vie, / Le plaisir de donner c'est encore davantage !".
- The poem was published in the literary journal "Comœdia" on 21 December 1922; parts are reprinted in Jacques Lorcey's 2007 biography "Guitry de A à Z". In the manuscript at hand, two stanzas are repeated and revised, one in pencil underneath Guitry's signature. However, small discrepancies with respect to the published version remain, and the direct address "Mesdames", which is absent from the publication, indicates that this manuscript was used for the gala itself. A slightly later manuscript of the poem in its published version is known on the market. - Minor creases and very lightly stained..