MOULIN ROUGE 1952 Colette Marchand ERIC GRAY Ballerina 10x8 PORTRAIT #24

Original 10 inch x 8 inch Black and White Portrait of ballerina COLETTE MARCHAND in the 1952 John Huston Drama MOULIN ROUGE, based on the novel by Pierre La Mure.

”Marchand performed as a première ballerina on Broadway: Roland Petit's Les Ballets de Paris (1949 & 1950) and Two on the Aisle (1951). She was cast in the role of "Marie Charlet" for the British movie Moulin Rouge (1952), for which début she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1953, she received a Golden Globe as Most Promising Newcomer - Female for her performance in the film. Her other film appearances were rare: "Ungarische Rhapsodie", "Par Ordre du Tsar" and the musical short "Romantic Youth" (also as choreographer) (all 1954).”

Portrait by Eric Gray. Gray entered films as assistant cinema manager in 1919. His first film still assignment was with Herbert Wilcox in 1926. After this he worked for First National of America in France and England, and Welsh-Pearson films in 1927. He covered Shooting Stars and Cottage on Dartmoor for Anthony Asquith.
He had his own portrait studio from 1931-1940 at 17 Rupert Street in central London and was in the Royal Observer Corps from 1939-1945. He returned to production in 1941 working on One of Our Aircraft Is Missing and A Matter of Life and Death for Michael Powell. He joined P.F.F. in charge of still photographic research for Independent Frame Experiments. He toured the U.S. and Mexico to investigate still photographic equp=ipment and colour processes for the J. Arthur Rank Organisation and was in charge of still photographic developments for D. and P. Studios.

The portrait is in very good condition with small creases in both bottom corners, minor surface marks. and a caption loosely tacked to the reverse.