Olivier and Kubrick letters for sale

The Olivier letters are expected to fetch up to £60,000

Collections of private letters belonging to Lord Olivier and Stanley Kubrick are being put up for auction in London next month.

The Olivier papers, consisting of 250 letters and cards written by the legendary thespian and his family, are being sold at Sotheby's by his son Tarquin.

Kubrick's letters include correspondence with Dr Strangelove's author

They are expected to fetch between £50,000 and £60,000.

The Kubrick collection includes correspondence with the author Peter George, who gave the late American director the idea for Dr Strangelove.

In a statement, Sotheby's said: "Original material written by the notoriously reclusive Kubrick is of the utmost rarity.

Original material written by the notoriously reclusive Kubrick is of the utmost rarity

Sotheby's

"The 11 letters are expected to fetch between £14,000 and £18,000."

In one letter, Kubrick, whose films include A Clockwork Orange, 2001 and Full Metal Jacket, tells George that his draft for Dr Strangelove was marvellous but for "a couple of points" and "a few non-American things".

The sale also includes a series of drafts for the black comedy, with revisions by both men.

Lord Olivier, who died in 1989, confides to his son in one letter that he has "made rather a mess of a good many things".

Sotheby's said: "Besides touching on many aspects and details of his professional activities, the collection throws extensive light on Olivier's domestic life, on some of his closest personal relationships and on his own personality."

The auction, on 13 July, also features items from the late Denholm Elliott, including a copy of The Confidential Clerk given to him by T S Eliot.