Letter from James Ivory, Claverack, New York, to Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, London, England, 1977 July 4 : autograph manuscript signed.

Describing the first screening of "Roseland," attended by producers John Heyman and Michael Murphy, Kay Brown, Dick [Robbins], composer Michael Gibson, and a number of others, all of whom were enthusiastic about the film; saying this has contributed to Merchant's unusually good mood; mentioning in passing that Madhur and Sanford are there; describing a dinner party they held for ten people the previous night, at which Ivory finally met Jeremiah Rusconi, who told him all about the details of the Claverack house; shifting focus to Ava and Renana-- declining to comment on Ava ("I can say nothing constructive") but asserting that Renana seems to be "hanging on ... to the constant deferral of really entering life"; describing a conversation with Tony and Audrey Chase over Tony's odd behavior in running away from Jhabvala; recalling an obscure item of furniture he saw at an historic house in the area-- an adult-sized cradle, which he was told was a "senility cradle"; imagining himself in it-- "How angry Ismail will be to have to sit in Claverack and rock me while he talks on the phone! What vicious kicks he'll give that cradle!"