Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau
By RAY KELLY
Julien’s Auctions has a Wellesian treasure trove of materials related to Orson Welles’ unfinished thriller “The Deep” on the block on Nov. 9-10. The items are part of its “Icons & Idols” auction.
According the Beverly Hills auction house, production notes, correspondence, film rolls, contracts, scripts, and other materials were left by Welles to Bill Cronshaw, described as a longtime friend and London manager.
The lot description states: “Included in this archive are color film clippings and black and white film rolls, with various clips attached to production notes with direction and dialogue; correspondence relating to the production of the film including notes, letters, and telegrams to and from agents, prop merchants, actors, and producers, some in Welles’ hand and others signed by Welles; signed and unsigned copies of contracts, including a signed contract for Welles to act in the 1969 film The Battle of Neretva ; and various letters relating to the financing and production costs of the film. Also included are copies of portions of the script, some annotated by Welles, and noting changes in dialogue.”
Bidding starts at $1,500 for the lot, which has an estimated value of $3,000 to $5,000.
Filmed off the Dalmatian coast of Yugoslavia on two yachts between 1966 and 1969, “The Deep” stars Laurence Harvey, Jeanne Moreau, Orson Welles, Oja Kodar, and Michael Bryant. Filming and post-prodction was not competed before the death of Harvey in 1973.
The original negative has been lost and a restoration using a workprint has been undertaken by the Munich Film Museum.
juliensauctions.com