Marcel L'Herbier handwritten signed letter to Maurice Toesca, mentioning IDHEC

  

Marcel L'HERBIER (1889–1979) – Film director and founder of IDHEC. Autograph letter signed, addressed to the writer Maurice Toesca. Le Touquet, August 17, 1950. 1 page, in-12 format, on Westminster Hôtel letterhead, written in blue ink on blue paper. Concerning a collaboration project and the reorganization of IDHEC.

“I do not want to wait until I return to Paris to tell you how delighted I am by the idea that you are not far from accepting the shift of your excellent work toward the rather summary treatments of The Cinematographic Art. I am therefore allowed to think about it. But unfortunately, it is only upon our both returning to Paris that we will really be able to examine this tempting project in depth.

I am returning to Paris in order to leave for Venice and its ‘biennale’ (annual). From there I will have to come back very quickly, where the difficulties I encountered for the production of... And also those caused by the (official) reorganization of the Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques.

In 1950, the Grand Prix of the Société des Gens de Lettres was awarded to the novel by Maurice Toesca, whose planned film adaptation did not come to fruition. That same year, Marcel L'Herbier released his penultimate film, The Last Days of Pompeii.