Details
BARRIE, Sir JAMES. Autograph manuscript dialogue cards for subtitles used in the early portion of the film Peter Pan or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, comprising approximately 600 words in Barrie's hand, n.p., n.d. [l921]. Three pages, large 8vo, closely written in Barrie's extremely tiny upright hand, with Barrie's typed address (including his telephone number) on a small oblong piece of paper given to Mrs. Robertson (Josephine Lovett).
"JAMES HOOK, THE PIRATE CAPTAIN (ETON AND BALLIOL)": BARRIE'S DIALOGUE CARDS FOR THE FIRST MOVIE OF "PETER PAN"
A highly interesting manuscript which reveals the elderly novelist transmuting his classic imaginative children's tale into the new medium of film. The first page of the manuscript is headed by Barrie "P.P.," and his subtitles are numbered in the left-hand margin 1 through 22; he has indicated the scenes, from 1 to 35, to which they pertain. No. 1 is "Subtitle in author's handwriting ''When the first baby laughed,' &c (signed J.M.B.)" -- a paraphrase of the opening passage of his book. The subtitles for Scene 5 explain material not in Barrie's novel: "His [Pater Pan's] father was already planning out his future. We see the father writing. The writing is flung on screen - 3 pieces of letters: 1) To the headmaster, Eton College, Sir, Twelve years hence I propose sending my son, Peter, to Eton. He...... 2) To the Committee, Lords Cricket Ground, Sirs, At the age of 21 I should like my son, Peter, to become a member of Lords C. C. 3) To the Athenaeum Club, Sirs, Please immediately enter my son Peter's name for election....' Then we see a picture of these sheets on the fllor with the baby Peter crawling over them." In subtitle 5, "'Peter is alarmed to discover how soon he will become a man'"; and in the next subtitle, Barrie specifies, "'He decides that it will be better always to a boy and to have fun.' We see the father continuing to talk to mother, and Pete...crawling on hands & knees out of room into another room from the window of which he flies away...."
Later in the film, for Scene 14, Barrie suggests the subtitle "'If any child says "I don't believe in fairies", there is a fairie some where who drops down dead.'" In Scene 15, one subtitle is to read: "'He made his home on a mysterious island called the Never Land,' and Barrie directs that "Here we should show a birds-eye view of the island, taken from the picture in the book, Peter and Wendy, with pirates, redskins, Boys, animals, &c. It is glorified map.'" At Scene 17 we are introduced to a principal character, "'Jas. Hook, the Pirate Captain (Eton and Balliol)'"; and then, to Captain Hook's lieutenant, "'Pathetic Smee, the Nonconformist Pirate,'" and in Scene l9 we are treated to the sight, according to the author's direction, of "Smee on ship, drinking tea from saucer." Hook and his crew, the next subtitle tells us are "'Every one of them a name of terror on the Spanish Main.'" Then, "We see the dreadful crew. They are in the hold, some of them in their bunks, some gambling or playing cards. It is the same hold in which we are afterwards to see the children asleep with Wendy watching over them." The next subtitle, number 14, introduces "Tiger Lily and her braves." Here, in Never Land, "'Peter Captained the Lost Boys, who are children that have fallen out of their prams while the nannie was looking the other way.'"
In later scenes. Peter discovers a source for the stories he loved to hear: "'A good home for stories belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Darling, who were very poor.'" In Scene 26, we are to see a "Picture of their children playing about," and the next subtitle is to read, simply, "'Wendy.'" Subsequent shots are to show Michael and John, Wendy's young siblings, Liza, the maid and Nana, their nurse, "a faithful dog." Later scenes Barrie describes as "Peter flying over the pirate ship, and they take [cannon] shots at him." At the very end of his subtitles, Barrie adds the note: "...a real baby is used as Peter in the babyish episode, while it is the real boy Peter on goat &c."
"JAMES HOOK, THE PIRATE CAPTAIN (ETON AND BALLIOL)": BARRIE'S DIALOGUE CARDS FOR THE FIRST MOVIE OF "PETER PAN"
A highly interesting manuscript which reveals the elderly novelist transmuting his classic imaginative children's tale into the new medium of film. The first page of the manuscript is headed by Barrie "P.P.," and his subtitles are numbered in the left-hand margin 1 through 22; he has indicated the scenes, from 1 to 35, to which they pertain. No. 1 is "Subtitle in author's handwriting ''When the first baby laughed,' &c (signed J.M.B.)" -- a paraphrase of the opening passage of his book. The subtitles for Scene 5 explain material not in Barrie's novel: "His [Pater Pan's] father was already planning out his future. We see the father writing. The writing is flung on screen - 3 pieces of letters: 1) To the headmaster, Eton College, Sir, Twelve years hence I propose sending my son, Peter, to Eton. He...... 2) To the Committee, Lords Cricket Ground, Sirs, At the age of 21 I should like my son, Peter, to become a member of Lords C. C. 3) To the Athenaeum Club, Sirs, Please immediately enter my son Peter's name for election....' Then we see a picture of these sheets on the fllor with the baby Peter crawling over them." In subtitle 5, "'Peter is alarmed to discover how soon he will become a man'"; and in the next subtitle, Barrie specifies, "'He decides that it will be better always to a boy and to have fun.' We see the father continuing to talk to mother, and Pete...crawling on hands & knees out of room into another room from the window of which he flies away...."
Later in the film, for Scene 14, Barrie suggests the subtitle "'If any child says "I don't believe in fairies", there is a fairie some where who drops down dead.'" In Scene 15, one subtitle is to read: "'He made his home on a mysterious island called the Never Land,' and Barrie directs that "Here we should show a birds-eye view of the island, taken from the picture in the book, Peter and Wendy, with pirates, redskins, Boys, animals, &c. It is glorified map.'" At Scene 17 we are introduced to a principal character, "'Jas. Hook, the Pirate Captain (Eton and Balliol)'"; and then, to Captain Hook's lieutenant, "'Pathetic Smee, the Nonconformist Pirate,'" and in Scene l9 we are treated to the sight, according to the author's direction, of "Smee on ship, drinking tea from saucer." Hook and his crew, the next subtitle tells us are "'Every one of them a name of terror on the Spanish Main.'" Then, "We see the dreadful crew. They are in the hold, some of them in their bunks, some gambling or playing cards. It is the same hold in which we are afterwards to see the children asleep with Wendy watching over them." The next subtitle, number 14, introduces "Tiger Lily and her braves." Here, in Never Land, "'Peter Captained the Lost Boys, who are children that have fallen out of their prams while the nannie was looking the other way.'"
In later scenes. Peter discovers a source for the stories he loved to hear: "'A good home for stories belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Darling, who were very poor.'" In Scene 26, we are to see a "Picture of their children playing about," and the next subtitle is to read, simply, "'Wendy.'" Subsequent shots are to show Michael and John, Wendy's young siblings, Liza, the maid and Nana, their nurse, "a faithful dog." Later scenes Barrie describes as "Peter flying over the pirate ship, and they take [cannon] shots at him." At the very end of his subtitles, Barrie adds the note: "...a real baby is used as Peter in the babyish episode, while it is the real boy Peter on goat &c."