RE: Karajan's Bata film contract?

["Junichi Miyazawa" <walkingtune@bigfoot.com>]

It's me, Junichi.  A self-response:

Just the same as other GG letters in those days,
the mail to Paul Myers might have been 
dictated by telephone.

If it was, what about reading it as
"Karajan's *barter* film contract".
Does it make sense?

Regards,

Junichi

---


>Sorry for bothering you. A question for translation.
>
>In the GG letter to Paul Myers dated (December 29, 1968),
>GG mentions a possibility to make a film with Karajan.
>GG wants to do that in Toronto when the Maestro
>comes to North America.  In the letter:
>
>  . . . he [Karajan] is flying up in February [1969] to have 
>  a look at local facilities--but if he could be so persuaded, 
>  and it was *his* idea, I, needless to say, as the least 
>  confident Trans-Atrantic traveller in history, would be 
>  delighted.  His reasons for the switch are rather 
>  complicated though they have principally to do, as I 
>  understand it, with the termination of his Bata film contract 
>                           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>  and the development of a more flexible attitude in regard 
>  to the facilities which might be more available to him in 
>  North America during the fairly frequent off-weeks of 
>  his Met. . . . (GGL, p.111)
>
>
>Does anyone know or can anyone guess what "Bata" is like?
>Is it a name of a film company? 
>If not, what is it?
>
>As I checked the photocopy of the typescript, 
>it *is* spelled as "his Bata film contract".
>
>Help me.  Thank you in advance.
>
>Regards,
>
>Junichi
>
>****************************************