This collection is located on-site.
This collection has no restrictions.
A series of letters from Rotha to his wife, containing personal and professional observations during his early career in England and in New York. Also, one letter from Rotha to Peter Hunt.
Arranged in chronological order.
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
This collection is located on-site.
This collection has no restrictions.
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Paul Rotha letters; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
Source of acquisition--736556. Method of acquisition--Purchase; Date of acquisition--07/--/79. Accession number--M-79-07.
Purchase: 736556 (July 1979).
Gift of Winifred A. Mysers, 1980.
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Cataloged by Henry Rowen, September 1979 and July 1980. Cataloged Christina Hilton Fenn 09/--/89.
2010-02-24 Legacy finding aid created from Pro Cite.
2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.
Film director, producer, author of works on the history of films, journalist, pioneer in documentary films.
Paul Rotha was born Paul Treeve Fawcett Thompson in Wealdstone, England on June 3 1907. He took the name Paul Rotha in 1926 while in art school on the advice of a teacher. He authored several important books on film history and theory including The Film Till Now (1930), Documentary Film (1936), Movie Parade (1936), and Documentary Diary: An Informal History of the British Documentary Film, 1928-1939 (1973). He was a major pioneer figure in the British documentary film movement. A producer, writer and director, his films include Contact (1932), Shipyard (1934), The World is Rich (1947), Cradle of Genius (1958), and The Life of Adolf Hitler (1960-1962). Rotha died on March 7, 1984.
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
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| Name |
|---|
| Hunt, Peter |
| Subject |
| Authors |
| Documentary films |
| Journalists |
| Motion picture industry -- England |
| Motion picture industry -- New York (State) -- New York |
| Motion picture producers and directors |
The series is arranged in chronological order.
The 1930 letters were written when Rotha was in London finishing up the publication ofThe Film Till Now, organizing a film group, writing articles for film magazines, and seeking work in film.
Box 1 Folder 1
Box 1 Folder 1
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Box 1 Folder 1
During this period, Rotha was writing articles forFilm Quarterlyand making documentaries for British Instructional Films. The letters mention work on the filmsContact,Rising Tide, andShipyard. They also mention the encouragement Rotha received from John Grierson and others.
Box 1 Folder 2
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In 1937, Rotha received a Rockefeller Foundation Grant to promote British Film through the Museum of Modern Art Film Library. In his letters to his wife, he describes his reactions to New York and to the people he meets there.
Box 1 Folder 3
Box 1 Folder 3
Box 1 Folder 3
After Rotha returned from America, John Grierson offered him a staff position with his documentary consultant firm, Film Centre Ltd. The following letters appear to have been written in 1939 when Rotha was directingThe Times. Preproduction for theThe Timeswas through Film Centre while Realist Film Unit handled production.
Box 1 Folder 4
Box 1 Folder 4
Box 1 Folder 4
Box 1 Folder 4
Rotha was head of documentary film department for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) from 1953 to 1955. This memo is a gift of Winifred A. Myers, 1980.
Box 1 Folder 5