[ 'The Girl on a Motorcycle', 1968 film starring Alain Delon and Marianne Faithfull. ] Material relating to arbitration by Jack Pulman, for the Writers' Guild of Great Britain, of dispute over credits between Jack Cardiff and Ronald Duncan.

Six items relating to Pulman's arbitration, including 'a careful breakdown [by him] of scene continuity of the Bourguignon script, the Duncan script and the final shooting script', these three breakdowns (Items Two to Four below) totalling 8pp. In his four-page arbitration, Pulman gives a detailed account of the process of the film's composition, of all the more interest as coming from a master screenwriter and contemporary. All six items in good condition, lightly aged. ONE: Carbon copy of Pulman's signed four-page 'Arbitration - "GIRL ON A MOTORCYLE" | Writers involved - S. Bourguignon, Ronald Duncan, Jack Cardiff, Gillian Freeman'. A full description of the case in fourteen numbered sections, giving a great deal of detail regarding the composition of the script (beginning with a list of six 'writing stages'), and Pulman's reasons for reaching his conclusion. He describes the film as 'a story, done very much in the style of “Un Homme et Une Femme”, using a very similar continuity of flashback and throught [sic] track'. On reading through the material presented to him, Pulman found that 'one impression emerged clearer than ever – that the final shooting script (6) differed very little from Bourguignon's adaptation which Cardiff says could “never be used on a professional basis.” To see whether this impression was correct or not, I made a careful breakdown of scene continuity of the Bouguignon script, the Duncan script and the final shooting script, and compared them. These are enclosed with this opinion.' (The are Items Two to Four below.) He does not 'believe that anyone, comparing these breakdowns, could come to any conclusion other than that the screenplay credit belongs niether [sic] to Cardiff nor Duncan but solely to Bourguignon'. Since Bourguignon 'seems to be claiming no credit' he proposes to amend the credit to: 'SCREENPLAY by S. Bourguignon. | Additional Scenes by Ronald Duncan and Jack Cardiff.' TWO: Two-page typescript headed 'Continuity - BOURGIGNON [sic]'. Twenty-four points, beginning with 'Rebecca rises from her husband's bed, puts on her black suit, takes her motorcycle and sets off to see her lover, Daniel.' Last point: '24. She leaves the cafe and gets on her motor cycle again. She is going very fast. She is killed in a collision.' THREE: Three-page typescript, headed 'Ronald DUNCAN - Continuity. | Second Draft'. Twenty-seven numbered points, beginning with: '1. Rebecca rises from her husband's bed, takes her black suit and motorcycle and sets off for her lover.' Last point: '27. She leaves the grass verge and drives on. She arrives at Daniels. He is not present but she sees the photo frame, this time with the woman in it which is [sic] obviously always takes out when he visits her. She walks out of his life, leaving the motor cycle there.' FOUR: Three-page typescript headed 'Continuity - Final Script | Jack Cardiff'. Thirty-one points, beginning with: '1. Rebecca, asleep with her husband, has a dream about him and Daniel.' Last point: '31. She leaves the grass verge and gets back on the road again. Thinking of Daniel, she has a collision with a car and is killed.' FIVE: Copy of typed 'postscript to my opinion dated 29th April, 1968', by Pulman. On his letterhead. Dated 6 May 1968. 1p., 4to. Amending his proposed credit, following a discussion 'at some length with Dick Sharples', to 'Screenplay by - RONALD DUNCAN | Adapted by - JACK CARDIFF'. SIX: Copy of letter from Alan Griffiths, General Secretary of the Writers' Guild, to Stuart Freeman, 14 May 1968. 1p., 4to. With Griffiths' compliments slip.