Spring Shower

Budapest: Hunnia Filmstudio, 1929. Presentation copy of an Early Draft script for the Hungarian film, released in Hungry in 1932 as "Tavaszi zapor," in Frace in 1933 as "Marie, Legende Hongroise," and in the United States in 1935 as "Spring Shower." Housed in a (likely hand-sewn) floral cloth-covered portfolio, the script is INSCRIBED by the Hungarian-American feminist and radical socialist screenwriter Ilona Fulop on the title page: "To Mac: / Because You still trust me! / Ilona / Christmas, 1929 / Hollywood, Cal." A unique and attractive item, and probably the only surviving copy of the script.

The story of a poor girl driven out of her village when she becomes pregnant by her employer's wealthy fiance, finding refuge working as a maid in a brothel. After her daughter is taken from her, however, she falls into alcoholism and dies. A maid in Heaven as she was on earth, she saves her daughter from befalling a similar fate by "emptying her mop bucket" on her daughter's head via a rain shower at a pivotal moment.

A multinational production in which a Hungarian screenwriter and Hungarian director, both with experience in Hollywood, shot a film starring a French actress using frozen assets from a French producer that had been mandated for exclusively Hungarian use. Though not a box office success at the time, it is now regarded as one of the all-time great films originating from the country. In a 1919 article entitled "What is 'Revolution' Doing to Love?," screenwriter Fulop describes herself as a socialist radical, as opposed to a revolutionary or a Bolshevik, and her desire to further equal rights for women strongly defines her as a modern-day feminist as well. "Spring Showers," with its women- and proletarian-friendly plot, thus comes as little surprise.

Housed in floral cloth-covered portfolio titled wrappers. Title page present, with credits for screenwriter Fulop. 78 leaves, with last page of text numbered 77. Carbon typescript. Pages Very Good, portfolio Very Good, bound with a single line of hand-stitching.

[Book #137372]