Interesting ALS, three pages, 8.25 x 10.5, Jason Monica Monmouth letterhead, January 18, no year but 1961/1962. Letter to Arturo, in part: "Received the manuscript—read it within a few days of receipt—wanted the director Marty Ritt to read it before writing to you. He has been engulfed by work and has been unable to do so and I have been pretty busy myself which explains in some way my delay in writing. I want to qualify whatever follows. I am not an articulate writer nor a critic—and most particularly not a critic of the novel—so you must consider my comments as those of an illiterate actor. But whatever their feelings they are immediate and genuine. Firstly—you made me feel as though I was in the presence of an extremely gifted artist. (Most likely you are impatient with such compliments, but I extend them anyway). I was struck by your persistence of observation, the choice and inventiveness of your imagery, your people, but mostly by a sense of affirmation and tolerance…it was a delicate and painful exposure. Now then—for crass commercialism. Most certainly it does not suit my talents since it requires something other than the cynicism of my thirty-six years. But beyond that it represents something very special, perhaps too special for the screen. You have used the best character of the novel to express yourself and as a result—at least in my opinion, it gathers its strength from something that is uniquely internal. I think your manuscript would be difficult to dramatize with the kind of scale and pace that seems necessary for the American motion picture. This letter is not designed as a polite brushoff—I would say the same to most of J. D. Salinger, McCullers or Malamud. What I am interested in, again, is your plays because I think there is a different obligation in the manner of expression." In fine condition, with scattered light creasing, and a few small smudges and missing lower right corner to the first page only. Newman and Ritt made three films together around this particular timeframe—Paris Blues in 1961, Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man in 1962, and Hud in 1963. Pre-certified Beckett Authentication Services.
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