By its 10th year, in 1945, the Film Library’s growing collection was already a stunning testament to curator Iris Barry’s keen curatorial acumen. The 1944 and 1945 acquisition files alone contain letters, internal memos, and wish lists that Barry sent to everyone from to studio heads and movie stars to colleagues and enthusiastic MoMA members. The films selected for this month’s series are all mentioned in these acquisition correspondences. Determined to strengthen the collection in the broadest manner possible, she focused on recent feature films made by major studios, using invaluable industry contacts she had made during an August 1935 visit to Hollywood and prudently nurtured for a decade.
Organized by Anne Morra, Associate Curator, Department of Film.
