Somerset Maugham'a screenplay of "The Razor's Edge"?

May 30, 2012 7:23 AM

I am looking for the screenplay based on his novel "The Razor's Edge" that W. Somerset Maugham wrote (for free!) but which was not used for the 1946 film version of "The Razor's Edge." Any idea if it has been published?
posted by AArtaud to Writing & Language (4 answers total)

It does not appear to be available. The script by Lamar Trotti was used for the 1946 film version, and there appear to be varied opinions regarding how much of Maugham's adapted screenplay (if any) was subsumed into Trotti's version.

As Maugham's screenplay was deemed unacceptable by either Fox studio chief Darryl Zanuck or director Edmund Goulding, it is possible that none of these drafts survive.
posted by flyingrock at 8:14 AM on May 30, 2012

A finding aid for Somerset Maugham's papers is at the Library of Congress. You might find some clues for what you are looking for there.
posted by pickypicky at 8:33 AM on May 30, 2012

I would follow up with pickypicky's link and contact the curator. I have always found the staff at the Library of Congress to be extremely helpful in doing research, even by telephone. Odds are that someone on the LOC staff is a Maugham expert and may provide you with further info, even if they don't have a copy.

As much as I enjoy Maugham, I have never read any of his biographies, such as this. You may find some clues as to the fate of the rejected screenplay (one of Maugham's rare public failures) there.
posted by flyingrock at 10:02 AM on May 30, 2012

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. I'm surprised it's never been published in an edition of the book.
posted by AArtaud at 6:57 PM on May 31, 2012