The Lewis Gilbert Film Script and Production Archive

Bellmans to sell The Lewis Gilbert Film Script and Production Archive of the three-times James Bond & Alfie Director

Bellmans is pleased to announce the auction of The Lewis Gilbert Film Script and Production on Tuesday, 16th November 2021, West Sussex, as part of The Hylda & Lewis Gilbert Collection.

THE LEWIS GILBERT FILM SCRIPT AND PRODUCTION ARCHIVE

Film Director, Lewis Gilbert (1920-2018), best known for his 007 movies and Alfie, was married to his wife Hylda (1919-2005) for 53 years. Born into an antique dealer's family, Hylda had a career in modelling, but as a theatre lover she was often involved in spotting potential future films and was a most supportive, elegant film director's wife. Lewis Gilbert was very much a gentleman film director and a family man, and stayed close friends with his actors, especially sharing a sense of humour with Roger Moore.

Lewis Gilbert made more than 40 films during a directorial career spanning six decades, including three Bond movies - You Only Live Twice (1967), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979). He had his international breakthrough with Alfie (1966), which also launched Michael Caine's international career. Later successes such as Educating Rita (1983) and Shirley Valentine (1989) further displayed the prodigious talent and cemented the colossal reputation of Lewis Gilbert.

The Lewis Gilbert Film Archive is the first substantial archive associated with a British film director to come up for public auction. Spanning over 40 years of diverse British film classics from one much accoladed director, it embraces several landmarks in British culture and cinema history. The collection largely focuses on Gilbert's major commercial triumphs: Alfie (1966); his three Bond titles: You Only Live Twice (1967) The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) Moonraker (1979); also Educating Rita (1983) and Shirley Valentine (1989).

It includes Gilbert’s personal scripts, at various stages of a production’s development; also correspondence, agreements, press material, some storyboards, stills, contact sheets, snap-shots, premier programmes and a wealth of associated ephemera.

The archive also features related lots for the much-loved and multi award winning films Alfie (1966), with Michael Caine and Jane Asher and Educating Rita (1983) also with Michael Caine and with Julie Walters as well as various mixed lots relating to some of Lewis Gilbert's earlier films, such as Reach For The Skies (1956), Carve Her Name With Pride (1958) and Sink The Bismark (1960).

The Gilbert Collection auctions are:

16 November 2021 | The Hylda & Lewis Gilbert Collection of Furniture and Works of Art, West Sussex, 10am
16 November 2021 | The Lewis Gilbert Collection Film Script and Production Archive, West Sussex, 5pm
18 November 2021 | Asian Ceramics and Works of Art, including items from the The Hylda &
Lewis Gilbert Collection, West Sussex, 10am
18 November 2021 | Silver, including items from the The Hylda & Lewis Gilbert Collection, West Sussex 1:30pm

Further information and auction highlight details regarding The Hylda & Lewis Gilbert Collections are available in our news story available to read here. You can also find out more on The Hylda and Lewis Gilbert Collection of Furniture and Work of Art here. If you would like to bid in the auctions please register and bid here or to stay updated on our forthcoming auctions, subscribe to our mailing list via the form below.