Guide to the Hammond Film Script Collection
ca. 1935-1996

Fales Library and Special Collections
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012

Phone: (212) 998-2596
Fax: (212) 995-3835
E-mail: fales.library@nyu.edu

© 2004 Fales Library and Special Collections. All rights reserved.
New York University Libraries, Publisher
Processed by Michael Zimmer, March – April, 2003
Machine-readable finding aid derived from a MS Word Document dated: 2003. Machine-readable finding aid created by Brian Stevens. Description is in English.


Descriptive Summary

Creator: Hammond, Robert M. (Robert Morris), 1920-
Title: Hammond Film Script Collection
Dates: ca. 1935-1996
Abstract: Robert Hammond (b.1920) is a dedicated educator and author in French literature and cinema. He has taught at the University of Arizona-Tuscon, Harvard University, and most recently at SUNY-Cortland, where he also served as chair of the International Communications and Culture Department. Hammond has published numerous analyses and critiques of French filmography, translated various texts, and has contributed countless papers and general scholarship on the French cinema. The Hammond Film Script Collection represents his personal collection of shooting scripts of feature films, the vast majority of which are French (along with assorted English, Spanish and Italian language scripts) spanning 1935 - 1996. Accretions to the collection include over 60 scripts from the collection of Marc Maurette, a French filmmaker (and friend of Dr. Hammond) who was assistant director on many of the films included in his gift. As of March 2003, the Hammond Film Script Collection consists of 454 scripts.
Quantity: ca. 40 linear feet (80 archival boxes)
Call Phrase: Hammond Film Script Collection
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Biographical Note

Robert Hammond (b. 1920) is Professor Emeritus of French Literature and Cinema from SUNY-Cortland. He earned a BA from the University of Rochester (1942), and both an MA (1947) and PhD (1952) from Yale University. He was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to France (1949-1950) along with numerous other honors, fellowships and grants. Hammond was an instructor, and then professor of French at the University of Arizona-Tuscon (1953-1967). He later was professor of French at Harvard University (1965-1966), and a visiting professor of French Literature and Cinema at Wells College in Aurora, NY (1967-1968). Since 1968, Hammond has taught at SUNY-Cortland, where he also served as chair of the International Communications and Culture Department. Hammond currently resides in Paris, France.

Along with being a dedicated instructor, Hammond has published numerous analyses and critiques of French literature and films, translated texts between French and English, and contributed countless papers and general scholarship on the French cinema. Much of Hammond's extensive scholarly work focuses on French filmmaker Jean Cocteau, and his bilingual edition of Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast (NYU Press, 1970) is a widely cited work. Hammond is also the author of over 40 plays in both English and French and various other works of both poetry and prose.

Hammond began collecting film scripts in 1953 when he realized that this category of literary production by such writers as Sartre, Cocteau and Prevert risked falling into oblivion. To Hammond, their work in film deserves the same literary merit as their poems, novels and plays; serious and thorough study of a writer requires consultation of almost everything he/she committed to paper. Further, he observed that critics blandly judged the quality of dialogues in a film from what they remembered having heard during the showing of the film, whereas, in the case of a play, the same or similar critics would spend significantly more time and attention studying the written dialogue before drawing a definite conclusion. Hammond concluded that the written script was crying out to be studied as a facet of literature. He decided to find as many scripts as he could, and to accumulate them in the hope that some day a new generation of scholars might find them a valuable resource.

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Scope and Content Note

The Hammond Film Script Collection comprises 80 boxes or approximately 40 linear feet of processed film scripts. Currently, the collection consists of 454 scripts of feature films, the vast majority of which are French (along with assorted English, Spanish and Italian language scripts), representing the years 1935 through 1996.

The majority of the scripts in the collection are otherwise unpublished texts, and appear as original typed manuscripts or reproductions of manuscripts through various methods such as photocopy, mimeo, carbon-copy, etc. Additionally, some scripts (Series G) are in microfilm format. While most scripts are unbound, some are stapled, glued, or bound in similar fashion. The scripts in the collection were "live" shooting scripts, often accompanied by significant handwritten annotations, diagrams and marginal comments by the director, cast or other production members who utilized the particular script in the course of shooting the film.

The scripts were collected, in Hammond's words, "by tracking down and hounding anyone possible in the production hierarchy." There has been no systematic process to build the collection other than persistent and often serendipitous discovery by Hammond through his growing network of contacts in the French film industry. As a result, the collection lacks a certain unity, and there are some areas in the collection which have more development than others. For example, almost all of Cocteau, Tacchella and Truffaut are in the collection. Robert, Renoir and Resnais are also well represented. There is some lack of completeness of Spaak, Dreville and Delannoy, and films from the 1930s and 1940s are particularly thin. Among the English language scripts, the collection holds a series of drafts for the film Ragtime, based on E. L. Doctorow's book, along with screenplays for a handful Alfred Hitchcock films.

In addition to the film scripts collected by Hammond, the Collection includes a selection of plays, screenplays and scripts written by Richard Maibaum, a celebrated American playwright and screenwriter. Maibaum is best known for his work as screenwriter for the James Bond film series (1962-1989).

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

SERIES A: French Film Scripts

Series A contains 49 boxes of French film scripts and is divided into 8 subseries.

Subseries 1 contains one box of scripts directed by Jean Cocteau

Subseries 2 contains three boxes of scripts directed by Jean Dréville

Subseries 3 contains two boxes of scripts directed by Alain Resnais

Subseries 4 contains three boxes of scripts directed by Jean-Charles Tacchella

Subseries 5 contains three boxes of scripts directed by Bertrand Tavernier

Subseries 6 contains four boxes of scripts directed by Francois Truffaut

Subseries 7 contains 30 boxes of scripts from various directors, including some scripts where no director is indicated. (NB: This subseries includes non-consecutive boxes: boxes 15 through 43-A, as well as box 50)

Subseries 8 contains three boxes of scripts directed by Yves Robert

SERIES B: Spanish Language Film Scripts

Series B contains 6 boxes of (legal-sized) Spanish film scripts and is divided into 2 subseries. This series includes scripts from both Spain and Mexico.

Subseries 1 contains one box of scripts directed by Luis Bunuel

Subseries 2 contains 5 boxes of scripts from various directors, including some scripts where no director is indicated. (NB: This subseries includes non-consecutive boxes: boxes 45 through 48, as well as box 58)

SERIES C: Italian Film Scripts

Series C contains one box of Italian film scripts.

SERIES D: English Language Film Scripts

Series D contains 7 boxes of English language film scripts and is divided into 4 subseries. Many scripts in this series are organized and indexed by the screenwriter, rather than director.

Subseries 1 contains two boxes of scripts based on the writings of E. L. Doctorow

Subseries 2 contains one box of scripts written by Larry McMurtry

Subseries 3 contains one box of scripts of the film Prince of the City

Subseries 4 contains three boxes of scripts from various writers and directors.

SERIES E: Gift of Marc Maurette

Series E contains 11 boxes of various film scripts obtained by Robert Hammond as a gift from Marc Maurette, an assistant director who has worked with Renoir, Becker, Ophuls, and Bresson, as well as some American directors. This gift included not only many French films, but English language and Italian ones as well. Some scripts in this series are duplicated elsewhere in the collection.

SERIES F: Plays, Screenplays and Scripts of Richard Maibaum

Series F contains 4 boxes of numerous plays, screenplays and scripts written by Richard Maibaum. A one-time student of NYU, Maibaum studied acting at the University of Iowa. By age 30, Maibaum was a firmly established Broadway actor and playwright. He entered films as a screenwriter in 1937, spending the war years with the Army's Combat Film Division. In 1946, he joined Paramount as both screenwriter and producer, turning out such worthwhile projects as The Big Clock (1948) and the 1949 version of The Great Gatsby. Maibaum later formed a partnership with English producers Irving Allen and Albert Broccoli. This alliance eventually led to the James Bond film series, where Maibaum wrote or co-wrote the screenplay for every Bond film from 1962-1989. Included in this series is one play (The Lilac Bush), written by Maibaum's son, Matthew Maibaum.

NB: There does not appear to be a direct connection between Robert Hammond and Maibaum, either personally or in relation to the acquisition of these scripts. Nevertheless, the manuscripts are cataloged within the Hammond collection.

SERIES G: Microfilm Negatives of Film Scripts

Series G contains 5 boxes of scripts that are stored in microfilm format.

Accretions:

There are 3 boxes of scripts that represent accretions to the original collection received in 1996.

NB: Prior to 1996, periodic donations by Hammond to the collection were inter-filed within the existing series of the collection. From 1996 to present, any additions to the collection have been processed as Accretions.

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Arrangement

Folders are arranged alphabetically by script title within each subseries.
The files are grouped into 7 series:
A: French Film Scripts
B: Spanish Language Film Scripts
C: Italian Film Scripts
D: English Language Film Scripts
E: Gift of Marc Maurette
F: Plays, Screenplays and Scripts of Richard Maibaum
G: Microfilm Negatives of Film Scripts
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Related Material at the Fales Library and Special Collections

Robert Hammond Papers

Aubrey Wisberg Papers

Papers of E. L. Doctorow

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Separated Material

There is no information about materials that are associated by provenance to the described materials that have been physically separated or removed.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Open to researchers without restrictions. Appointments are necessary to consult manuscript and archival material.

Use Restrictions

Collection use is subject to all copyright laws. Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the Director of Fales Library and Special Collections. For more information, contact :
Fales Library and Special Collections
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012

Phone: (212) 998-2596
Fax: (212) 995-3835
E-mail: fales.library@nyu.edu

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Access Points

Subject Names:
Becker, Jacques, 1906-1960
Buñuel, Luis, 1900-
Carné, Marcel.
Cocteau, Jean, 1889-1963.
Doctorow, E. L., 1931-
Dréville, Jean, 1906-
Hammond, Robert M. (Robert Morris), 1920-
Kaufman, Philip, 1936-
Maurette, Marc.
McMurtry, Larry.
Rabe, David.
Renoir, Jean, 1894-
Resnais, Alain, 1922-
Robert, Yves, 1920-
Tacchella, Jean-Charles.
Tavernier, Bertrand.
Truffaut, François.
Subject Topics:
Motion picture plays -- History and criticism.
Motion picture plays.
Motion pictures--France.
Document Types:
Screenplays.
Scripts (documents).
Shooting scripts.
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Administrative Information

Provenance

The Hammond Film Script Collection was acquired between 1983-1996 through generous contributions made by Dr. Robert Hammond. The original portion of the collection (approximately 275 scripts) were acquired from Dr. Hammond in April 1983. Hammond continued to donate scripts throughout the years since his original gift. Most notably was the major addition of over 60 scripts from the collection of Marc Maurette in 1990.

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:

Identification of item, date (if known); The Hammond Film Script Collection; MSS 76; [box number]; [folder number]; Fales Library and Special Collections,
New York University Libraries.

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Container List

[The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.]

 

Series A: French Film Scripts

 

Subseries 1: Jean Cocteau

Scope and Content:

Film scripts directed by Jean Cocteau

Box Folder Title Date
1 1 La Belle et la Bête undated     Barcode: 31142040615216
1 2 Orphée undated     Barcode: 31142040615216
1 3 Les Parents Terribles undated     Barcode: 31142040615216
1 4 Le Testament d'Orpheus undated     Barcode: 31142040615216
 

Subseries 2: Jean Dréville

Scope and Content:

Film scripts directed by Jean Dréville

Box Folder Title Date
2 1 Les Cadets de l'Ocean (1 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615224
2 2 Les Cadets de l'Ocean (2 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615224
2 3 La Cage aux Rossignols (1 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615224
2 4 La Cage aux Rossignols (2 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615224
2 5 Les Casse-Pieds (1 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615224
2 6 Les Casse-Pieds (2 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615224
2 7 Horizons sans Fin (1 of 3) undated     Barcode: 31142040615224
2 8 Horizons sans Fin (2 of 3) undated     Barcode: 31142040615224
2 9 Horizons sans Fin (3 of 3) undated     Barcode: 31142040615224
Box Folder Title Date
3 1 Lafayette, 1961     Barcode: 31142040615232
3 2 Normandie - Nieman (1 of 3) undated     Barcode: 31142040615232
3 3 Normandie - Nieman (2 of 3) undated     Barcode: 31142040615232
3 4 Normandie - Nieman (3 of 3) undated     Barcode: 31142040615232
3 5 La Sentinelle Endormie (1 of 3) 1965     Barcode: 31142040615232
3 6 La Sentinelle Endormie (2 of 3) 1965     Barcode: 31142040615232
3 7 La Sentinelle Endormie (3 of 3) 1965     Barcode: 31142040615232
Box Folder Title Date
4 1 Le Visiteur (1 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615240
4 2 Le Visiteur (2 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615240
 

Subseries 3: Alain Resnais

Scope and Content:

Film scripts directed by Alain Resnais

Box Folder Title Date
5 1 L'Amour a Mort undated     Barcode: 31142040615257
5 2 La Guerre est Finie (v.1) undated     Barcode: 31142040615257
5 3 La Guerre est Finie (v.2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615257
5 4 Mon Oncle d'Amerique (1 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615257
5 5 Mon Oncle d'Amerique (2 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615257
Box Folder Title Date
6 1 Providence (c.1) undated     Barcode: 31142040615265
6 2 Providence (c.2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615265
6 3 La Vie est un Roman 1982     Barcode: 31142040615265
 

Subseries 4: Jean-Charles Tacchella

Scope and Content:

Film scripts directed by Jean-Charles Tacchella

Box Folder Title Date
7A 1 Cousin Cousine undated     Barcode: 31142040615273
7A 2 Croque la Vie (1 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615273
7A 3 Croque la Vie (2 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615273
7A 4 Escalier C (1 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615273
7A 5 Escalier C (2 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615273
7A 6 Les Honneurs de la Guerre undated     Barcode: 31142040615273
Box Folder Title Date
7B 1 Les Derniers Hivers undated     Barcode: 31142040615281
7B 2 L'Homme de ma Vie (1 of 2) 1991     Barcode: 31142040615281
7B 3 L'Homme de ma Vie (2 of 2) 1991     Barcode: 31142040615281
Box Folder Title Date
8 1 Le Pays Bleu (1 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615299
8 2 Le Pays Bleu (2 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615299
8 3 Travelling Avant (1 of 3) 1987     Barcode: 31142040615299
8 4 Travelling Avant (2 of 3) 1987     Barcode: 31142040615299
8 5 Travelling Avant (3 of 3) 1987     Barcode: 31142040615299
8 6 Voyage en Grand Tartarie undated     Barcode: 31142040615299
 

Subseries 5: Bertrand Tavernier

Scope and Content:

Film scripts directed by Bertrand Tavernier

Box Folder Title Date
9A 1 L'Appat 1994     Barcode: 31142040615307
9A 2 Coup de Torchon undated     Barcode: 31142040615307
9A 3 Death Watch (3rd draft), 1979     Barcode: 31142040615307
9A 4 Les Enfants Gates undated     Barcode: 31142040615307
9A 5 La Fille de D'Artagnan, 1993     Barcode: 31142040615307
Box Folder Title Date
9B 1 L'Horloger de St. Paul undated     Barcode: 31142040615315
9B 2 Le Juge et l'Assassin undated     Barcode: 31142040615315
9B 3 L.627, June 11, 1991 1991     Barcode: 31142040615315
Box Folder Title Date
10 1 Monsieur Ladmiral Va Bientot 1983     Barcode: 31142040615323
10 2 La Passion Beatrice 1987     Barcode: 31142040615323
10 3 Que la Fete Commence undated     Barcode: 31142040615323
10 4 Round Midnight undated     Barcode: 31142040615323
10 5 Une Semaine de Vacances undated     Barcode: 31142040615323
10 6 La Vie et Rien d'Autre 1988     Barcode: 31142040615323
 

Subseries 6: Francois Truffaut

Scope and Content:

Film scripts directed by Francois Truffaut

Box Folder Title Date
11 1 L'Amour en Fuite undated     Barcode: 31142040615331
11 2 L'Argent de Poche undated     Barcode: 31142040615331
11 3 Baisers Voles undated     Barcode: 31142040615331
11 4 Une Belle Fille Comme Moi undated     Barcode: 31142040615331
11 5 La Chambre Verte undated     Barcode: 31142040615331
11 6 Le Dernier Metro undated     Barcode: 31142040615331
11 7 Le Dernier Metro (English trans.) undated     Barcode: 31142040615331
Box Folder Title Date
12 1 Les Deux Anglaises et le Continent undated     Barcode: 31142040615349
12 2 Domicile Conjugal undated     Barcode: 31142040615349
12 3 L'Enfant Sauvage undated     Barcode: 31142040615349
12 4 La Femme d'a Cote, 1981     Barcode: 31142040615349
12 5 L'Histoire d'Adele undated     Barcode: 31142040615349
12 6 L'Homme Qui Amaint les Femmes 1976     Barcode: 31142040615349
12 7 Je Vous Presente Pamela undated     Barcode: 31142040615349
Box Folder Title Date
13 1 Jules et Jim undated     Barcode: 31142040615356
13 2 Jules et Jim [microfilm] undated     Barcode: 31142040615356
13 3 La Mariee Etait en Noir undated     Barcode: 31142040615356
13 4 La Nuit Americaine ("Action!") 1971     Barcode: 31142040615356
13 5 La Nuit Americaine undated     Barcode: 31142040615356
Box Folder Title Date
14 1 La Peau Douce undated     Barcode: 31142040615364
14 2 Les Quatre Cents Coups (1 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615364
14 3 Les Quatre Cents Coups (2 of 2) undated     Barcode: 31142040615364
14 4 La Sirene du Mississippi undated     Barcode: 31142040615364
14 5 Tirez Sur le Pianiste undated     Barcode: 31142040615364
14 6 Vivement Dimanche undated     Barcode: 31142040615364
 

Subseries 7: Various Directors

Scope and Content:

Film scripts with various directors. Director's name (if provided) is listed after name of film.

Box Folder Title Date
15 1 L'Air de Paris -- Carne, Marcel undated     Barcode: 31142040615372
15 2 Allez France -- Dhery, Robert undated     Barcode: 31142040615372
15 3 Ali Baba et les Quarante Voleurs -- Becker, Jacques undated     Barcode: 31142040615372
15 4 Les Amants de Bras Mort -- Pagliero, Marcello undated     Barcode: 31142040615372
15 5 Amants, Heureux Amants -- [none] undated     Barcode: 31142040615372
Box Folder Title Date
16 1 Antoine et Antoinette Becker, Jacques, 1946     Barcode: 31142040615380
16 2 Les Assassins de l'Ordre -- Carne, Marcel undated     Barcode: 31142040615380
16 3 L'Atalante -- Vigo, Jean undated     Barcode: 31142040615380
Box Folder Title Date
17 1 L'Auberge Rouge -- Aurenche, Jean undated     Barcode: 31142040615398
17 2 Avant le Deluge -- Cayatte, Andre undated     Barcode: 31142040615398
17 3 Babel Opera -- [none] 1984     Barcode: 31142040615398
17 4 Le Ballot -- Dewever, Jean 1972     Barcode: 31142040615398
17 5 Le Banquet -- [none] undated     Barcode: 31142040615398
17 6 La Battaille de l'eau Lourde -- [none] undated     Barcode: 31142040615398
Box Folder Title Date
18 1 La Bataille du Rail -- Clement, Rene undated     Barcode: 31142040615406
18 2 Le Beau Marriage -- Rohmer, Eric undated     Barcode: 31142040615406
18 3 Le Beau Serge -- Chabrol, Claude undated     Barcode: 31142040615406
18 4 Bebert et l'Omnibus -- Robert, Yves undated     Barcode: 31142040615406
18 5 La Belle Image -- Heymann, Claude undated     Barcode: 31142040615406
18 6 La Belle Otero -- Pottier, Richard undated     Barcode: 31142040615406
Box Folder Title Date
19 1 Benvenuta -- [none] 1982     Barcode: 31142040615414
19 2 Billy ze Kick -- Mordillat, Gerard 1985     Barcode: 31142040615414
19 3 Le Boulanger de Valorgue -- Vernevil, Henri undated     Barcode: 31142040615414
19 4 La Braconnier de Dieu -- Darras, Jean-Pierre undated     Barcode: 31142040615414
19 5 La Cage aux Filles (1 of 2) -- Cloche, Maurice undated     Barcode: 31142040615414
19 6 La Cage aux Filles (1 of 2) -- Cloche, Maurice undated     Barcode: 31142040615414
19 7 La Caleche [TV] -- Barma, Claude 1973     Barcode: 31142040615414
19 8 Le Caporel Epingle -- Renoir, Jean 1961     Barcode: 31142040615414
Box Folder Title Date
20 1 Casque d'Or -- Becker, Jacques undated     Barcode: 31142040615422
20 2 Cavalcade d'Amour (1 of 2) -- Zimmer, Bernard undated     Barcode: 31142040615422
20 3 Cavalcade d'Amour (2 of 2) -- Zimmer, Bernard undated     Barcode: 31142040615422
20 4 Cela S'Appelle L'Aurore -- Bunuel, Luis undated     Barcode: 31142040615422
20 5 Le Cercle Vicieux -- Pegas, Max undated     Barcode: 31142040615422
20 6 Cesar Grand blaise (versions 1-2) -- Dewever, Jean undated     Barcode: 31142040615422
20 7 Cesar Grand blaise (version 3) -- Dewever, Jean undated     Barcode: 31142040615422
20 8 Cesar Grand blaise (1 of 2) -- Dewever, Jean undated     Barcode: 31142040615422
20 9 Cesar Grand blaise (2 of 2) -- Dewever, Jean undated     Barcode: 31142040615422
Box Folder Title Date
21 1 La Chevre (1 of 2) -- Veber, Francis undated     Barcode: 31142040615430
21 2 La Chevre (2 of 2) -- Veber, Francis undated     Barcode: 31142040615430
21 3 Un Condamne a Mort -- Bresson, Robert undated     Barcode: 31142040615430
21 4 La Confession d'un Enfant du Siecle (version1) -- Santelli, Claude undated     Barcode: 31142040615430
21 5 La Confession d'un Enfant du Siecle (version2) -- Santelli, Claude undated     Barcode: 31142040615430
Box Folder Title Date
22 1 Coplan Prend des Risques -- Labro, Maurice undated     Barcode: 31142040615448
22 2 Les Creatures -- Varda, Agnes undated     Barcode: 31142040615448
22 3 Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne -- Bresson, Robert undated     Barcode: 31142040615448
22 4 La Decharge ou la Rencontre -- Alaouie, Borhane undated     Barcode: 31142040615448
22 5 Le Defroque -- Joannon, Leon undated     Barcode: 31142040615448
Box Folder Title Date
23 1 Les Demoiselles de Rochefort -- Demy, Jacques undated     Barcode: 31142040615455
23 2 Le Diable au Corps -- Autant-Lara, Claude undated     Barcode: 31142040615455
23 3 Dolmance -- Nuridsany, Michel undated     Barcode: 31142040615455
23 4 Le Dos du Mur -- Molinaro, Eduard undated     Barcode: 31142040615455
23 5 A Double Tour -- Chabrol, Claude undated     Barcode: 31142040615455
23 6 L'Enfant Touve -- [none] undated     Barcode: 31142040615455
23 7 Les Enfants du Paradis -- Carne, Marcel undated