1 / 23
several old letters and papers are stacked on top of each othera close up of a piece of paper with handwriting on ita piece of paper with handwriting on itan old letter and a piece of paper with writing on itan old black and white photo of a man in a suit and tiean old black and white photo of a group of people in front of a letteran old letter with a picture of a man on it and a letter from a womantwo old letters are sitting on top of a piece of papera letter from the president of the united states to his motheran old handwritten letter with a picture of a man on ita close up of a piece of paper with writing on ittwo old black and white photos of a man and a womanseveral old letters and envelopes are on display on a white surfacea black and white photo of a man in a kilt with a swordan old black and white photo of a woman in a dressa close up of a piece of paper on a white backgroundseveral pages of old french language books on a white backgroundfour books on a white background with a drawing of a woman sitting on a chaira close up of a piece of paper with writing on itseveral paintings of indian women are displayed on a white surfacean old book sitting on top of a table next to another bookan old book with a picture of a man on it and a picture of a woman on the coverseveral books are stacked on top of each other on a white surface
Premium ROUILLAC

47 - René Benjamin: The World of Theatre and Cinema
See original version (French)

Estimate €1,500 - €2,500
Sale commission
Description
René Benjamin: The World of Theatre and Cinema A collection of correspondence, programmes, photographs and publications FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE AUCTION CATALOGUE Lot comprising over 200 letters from the sender (L.A.S.) and from the addressee (P.A.S.), and postcards (L.S.) from artists and theatre directors, 1919–1950, including: Personal letter (P.A.S.), with envelope, Paris, 14 November 1940, from Maurice Chevalier, singer, actor and lyricist Autograph letter (L.A.S.) from Yvette Guilbert, café-concert singer, lyricist and actress 2 autograph letters (L.A.S.) and 4 photo cards with autograph items signed by Mary Marquet, actress and member of the Comédie-Française; who was originally cast to play the role of Mme Hanska in Balzac’s play (1936), a role she ultimately turned down, and a long letter explaining the vote by the members’ committee to stage either Luc Durtain’s play ‘Le mari Singulier’, which won the majority of votes, or René Benjamin’s play ‘Balzac’ 5 letters/postcards, 1927–1932, Henry Bernstein, playwright for boulevard theatre 34 L.A.S./P.A.S., 1924–1950, René Fauchois, writer, playwright and stage actor 2 letters, Pontoise, April 1944, Jacques Reynaud, poet, playwright and theatre company director, a key figure in the revival of Christian and spiritual theatre around the time of the Liberation (1944–1945), founded and directed the Association des Spectacles de l’Arbre (often referred to as the Compagnie de l’Arbre) + Note on a theatre project, typescript, 4 pp., in-4 12 letters from the author/to the author, 1940–1942, Max Maurey, playwright and theatre director, of Jewish origin, concerning the revocation of his nationality by the Vichy regime in the summer of 1940 + letters from his solicitors 7 L.A.S./P.A.S., 1916–1934, Léon Bernard, actor and member of the Comédie Française + obituary notice, press cuttings, 3 photographs, including 2 with signed autograph inscriptions, 1917–1918 P.A.S., 5 December 1925, Tristan Derème, a poet who wrote and signed a verse on a menu, paying tribute to Léon Bernard 10 L.A.S./P.A.S., 1922–1941, Léon Chancerel, author, actor and director, a pupil of Jacques Copeau at the Théâtre du Vieux Colombier in Paris and later with the Copiaus in Burgundy 2 letters from Béatrix Dussane, actress and member of the Comédie-Française 7 letters, postcards and notes from Émile Fabre, playwright and administrator of the Comédie-Française from 1915 to 1936, concerning in particular the refusal by the members’ committee to stage the play written by René Benjamin ‘Balzac’ – not because of the play itself but because of its author, who was perceived as a controversial figure, whose right-wing political views and scathing criticism of institutions (such as the Sorbonne or the judiciary) had earned him many enemies in Parisian intellectual circles 5 L.A.S./P.A.S., 1925–1942, Lucien Callamand, actor 4 L.A.S. and L.S. from Matei Roussou, editor of the journal *Choses de Théâtre*; Including a long letter defending the publication of the first issue of his journal, which contained a review of René Benjamin’s play; and a letter in which he approaches him 16 L.A.S., 1924–1936, Georges Chaperot, screenwriter, co-author of the screenplay for the film *La Cage aux Rossignols* (1945), nominated for an Oscar in 1948, and adapted in 2004 by Christophe Baratier under the title *Les Choristes* Handwritten draft concerning the management and administration of the Comédie Française, and the appointment of Émile Fabre; and 7 letters from the author/printed letters, 1922–1934, Lugné-Poe, actor, director and founder of the Théâtre de l’Oeuvre 12 theatre programmes from Parisian theatres: Porte Saint-Martin 1931–1932 and 1932–1933; the Châtelet 1931–1932; the Théâtre Michel; the Théâtre de Paris 1931–1932; the Bouffes-Parisiens 1933–1934; the Comédie des Champs-Élysées 1924–1925 and 1936–1937; Comédie Française: *L’école des maris*, 1936; *L’Avare* and *Poil de carotte*, 1929; La Petite Scène 1931–1932; Théâtre de l’Œuvre (cover art by Kees Van Dongen) Folder entitled *The Theatre in Paris – Its Misery and Its Hopes*, containing handwritten notes on loose sheets in 12mo and 8vo formats by René Benjamin, press cuttings on Lugné-Poé, Herbétot, Dullin Etc... FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE AUCTION CATALOGUE
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale René Benjamin, the 20th-century Balzac scholar
Auction location
Auction time 10/06/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like