Item 130 - Letter from Maria Germanova to Elizabeth Trevelyan

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26 rue de la Tourelle, Boulogne s[ur]/Seine. - Very touched to receive Mrs Trevelyan's letter: knows her eyes are weak and it is an effort to write. Apologises for not answering at once: kept postponing the decision not to visit. Cannot come as it is the time when theatres in Paris make arrangements and she cannot afford to miss any offer. She has a part, but it is 'not very pleasant': very small and uninteresting, playing a comic charwoman. She is not ambitious to play big parts, but it is a 'very ungrateful task' to play small parts with Pitoeff's theatre company, as he does not care about them, and just makes them 'only a background for himself and his wife'; also he has the habit of not paying his actors. Her husband and son do not want her to take the part, seeing it as a 'compromise with [her] artistic conscience', but she is not brave enough to refuse; has always agreed that there 'are no bad parts, only bad actors', so will try her best. Not 'very agreeable' that the play is 'bolchevik', but she must say it is good. Has done four days film work recently, which she much enjoyed; hopes to be asked again as she thinks they were pleased with her work. It is a French film called "Rose" [directed by Raymond Rouleau], in which she plays a peasant woman, mother of a young man who is a chauffeur: it was a very small role, but she loved it, and her family said she said she looked much younger after the few days work. Apologises for talking so much about herself, but she enjoys it so much, and the thought of Mrs Trevelyan's 'warm attention and sympathie [sic]... stimulates [her] courage'. Is very glad to hear about Julian, and asks to be remembered kindly to him and his wife.

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