Landmark French movie script will auction priced £300,000

A rare original 500 page manuscript of a French cinema classic will be offered for sale by auction house Ader David Nordmann in Paris on June 9.

The manuscript is an original screenplay for the 1938 classic Le Quai des Brumes (or Port of Shadows), produced and directed by Marcel Carné and written by Jacques Prévert (pictured top right).


The film is a renowned example
of the poetic realism genre

Carné's film was notable for bringing together the legendary French acting couple Jean Gabin and Michèle Morgan onscreen for the very first time.

Prévert's script, based on the 1927 novel by Pierre Mac Orlan, is seen as a key example of the poetic realism genre and integral to the film's historic stature and legacy.

The script will appear for sale as part of a collection consigned by Eugenie Bachelot Prévert, Jacques Prévert's only granddaughter. It carries an estimate of €200,000-300,000.

As well as being a renowned poet and screenwriter Prévert participated actively in France's surrealist movement and the famed Rue du Château group, along with Marcel Duchamp.


The rare manuscript of Jacques Prévert's screenplay for Le Quai des Brumes

Among the other highlights from Prévert's collection is an oil painting by Picasso, and a gouache by Miro.

Fourteen autographed letters signed, illustrated and otherwise personalised by the likes of Matisse, Picasso, Miro and Chagall will also appear for sale.

The auction will take place at Drouot Richelieu in Paris.

Elsewhere, collectors of Marc Chagall may be interested in an authentic signed artwork by the artist that is currently available on the market.

A superb print featuring a colourful woman dancing is a perfect entry-level investment for collectors, autographed by Chagall himself and valued at £895 ($1,475).

 

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