VIDOR KING: (1894-1982) American Film Director, Academy Award winner. A bold blue ink autograph with amusing ...

VIDOR KING: (1894-1982) American Film Director, Academy Award winner. A bold blue ink autograph with amusing inscription, `I must write this now as I understand I will be shot after War & Peace. King Vidor´, one page, 8.5 x 10.5 (21,5 x 27 cm) page removed from an autograph album. Also dated in Rome, 1955, in his hand. Bearing to the verso an autograph inscription by the musical duo Benno Rabinof (1902-1975) and Sylvia Rabinof (1913-2001), Viloinist and Pianist respectively, stating `To Marina Chaliapin - A beautiful lady and a real musical soul - With happy remembrance of a wonderful trip on the Andrea Doria´, signing attractively in a drawn musical quote. The present autographs were obtained by Marina Chaliapin during her cruise trip on board the Andre Doria in May 1956. Only two months later, on 26th July 1956, the Andrea Doria sunk after a collision near Nantucket Island. Small overall minor age toning to edges, otherwise VG War & Peace was a film based on Tolstoy´s novel (1869), directed by King Vidor and premiered in August 1956. The film stars Audrey Hepburn and Henry Fonda. The SS Andrea Doria was an Italian ocean liner, the largest, fastest and safest Italian ship of all times, an icon of national Pride. Its first Genoa-New York trip took place in 1953. On July 1956, the Andrea Doria sunk after suffering a collision with the Stockholm, a passenger liner of the Swedish American liner. Most passengers were rescued and 46 died. Provenance: The present page originates from the personal autograph album of Marina Chaliapin (1912-2009), the daughter of Russian opera singer Feodor Chaliapin (1873-1938), widely regarded as one of the finest bass singers of the 20th century, and his mistress Marina Petsold (1882-1964) who became the singer's second wife in 1927. Chaliapin's daughter was married to Luigi Freddi (1895-1977) the Italian journalist and politician who edited the journal Il Popolo d'Italia and who was also hugely influential in Italian political cinema in the second half of the 1930s and beginning of the 1940s