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Guide to the Jay and Si-Lan Chen Leyda Papers and Photographs
TAM.083
Descriptive Summary
| Creator:
|
Leyda, Jay, 1910-1988 |
| Creator:
|
Leyda, Si-lan Chen |
| Title: |
Jay and Si-Lan Chen Leyda Papers and Photographs |
| Dates [inclusive]: |
1913-1987, bulk 1930-1980 |
| Dates [bulk]: |
Bulk, 1930-1980 |
| Abstract:
|
Jay Leyda (1910-1988) was a leading film historian, filmmaker, photographer, archivist,
translator, teacher, and noted Sergei Eisenstein, Emily Dickinson and Herman Melville
scholar. Leyda studied directing with Sergei Eisenstein at the Moscow State Film School,
became a correspondent for
Theatre Arts Monthly and
New Theatre, and was an art critic for the
Moscow News. In 1936, Leyda was Assistant Curator of Films the Museum of Modern Art, but resigned
amidst allegations that he was a subversive agent. Leyda went to Hollywood in 1942
where he was a technical advisor on films on Russian subjects and began work on Herman
Melville documents which led to a number of books on the subject. In 1973, Leyda became
professor of Cinema Studies at NYU. He died in 1988. His wife, Si Lan Chen Leyda (1909-
), was a modern dancer who pioneered the use of Chinese dance elements. Si-Lan Chen
was born in Trinidad and attended the Bolshoi Ballet School and Vera Maya's school
in Moscow where she met and married Leyda. Throughout the late 1930s and early 1940s,
she toured and worked in Hollywood as a choreographer and dance instructor, and occasionally
appeared in films. The collection includes their biographical material, correspondence,
writings, and material pertaining to their various pursuits.
|
| Quantity: |
17.5 linear feet in 33 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize flat box, and 2 folders |
| Language of Materials note:
|
Materials are principally in English, with some materials in Russian, Chinese, and
various European languages.
|
| Call Phrase: |
TAM.083 |
| Sponsor: |
Processing was generously supported by the Estate of Jay Leyda (Elena Pinto Simon,
Executrix).
|
