Cecil DeMille Signed Letter Archive.

DEMILLE, Cecil B. [Fortunino Matania].

$4,800.00

Item Number: 131466

Rare archive of typed letters signed by legendary American film producer and star Cecil B. DeMille to Italian artist Fortunino Matania discussing paintings commissioned to assist in the set design of the 1956 film The Ten Commandments. The archive contains 10 typed letters signed by DeMille dated July 24 1952 to November 18 1957 on DeMille’s Paramount Pictures Corporation letterhead as well as 32 additional letters of correspondence, 4 photographs and a first edition of Drawing From History: The Forgotten Art of Fortunino Matania. Italian artist Fortunino Matania became a war artist at the outbreak of the First World War and was acclaimed for his graphic and realistic images of trench warfare. It was after the war, however, when he began painting scenes of ancient high life for British woman’s magazine Britannia and Eve, that Matania found his true passion. His talents made him a popular illustrator for advertising, posters and catalogues and he was commissioned in 1952 by DeMille to create a number of paintings of Rome and Egypt from which authentic designs could be made for the movie. Filmed on location in Egypt, Mount Sinai and the Sinai Peninsula, The Ten Commandments was DeMille’s most successful work, his first widescreen film, his fourth biblical production, and his final directorial effort before his death in 1959. It is a remake of the prologue of his 1923 silent film of the same title, and features one of the largest exterior sets ever created for a motion picture. Four screenwriters, three art directors, and five costume designers worked on the film and the interior sets were constructed on Paramount’s Hollywood soundstages. In 1957, the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It remains one of the most financially successful films ever made. In near fine condition. A fascinating archive demonstrating the extent of DeMille’s labors in the creation of his masterpiece.

Between 1914 and 1958 American film director, producer and actor Cecil B. DeMille made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cinema and the most commercially successful producer-director in film history.