George Orwell, Animal Farm and Sonia

December 29, 1954 - Dinner before the Opening of Animal Farm   
Left to Right: John Halas, Joy Batchelor, Borden Mace and Sonia Orwell

"It's ironic that George Orwell, whose books, Animal Farm and 1984, made him a world figure, never got to enjoy any of the monetary rewards of his major efforts. I first encountered his writing with Homage to Catalonia; the Spanish Wars against dictator Franco were always confusing until I read his book. When George Orwell and his wife, Eileen were in the trenches together and in pain, I felt as if I were fighting alongside them. And when Orwell, whose given name was Eric Blair, discovered that the Russian communists fighting in the trenches with them did not share the same democratic views that he did, I went along with Orwell.

"Years later, after Orwell's death, when I was helping bring Animal Farm to the world's screens, I met Mrs. George Orwell, Sonia Blair. She was charming and very bright. I thought she was delightful as well as beautiful! I must admit I had difficulty picturing her in the trenches with mud on her face, carrying her own rifle. It took me about three days to discover that she had not been in the trenches and that Eileen, his first wife, had since died. Sonia had been George's nurse in a hospital and married him three months before his death. He never got out of the hospital.

"Orwell had gone to Eaton but never went on to Oxford or Cambridge, yet his ability to use the English language is unsurpassed. He certainly experienced 'the hard life' growing up but never complained, instead he wrote about it. Down and Out in Paris and London, Shooting An Elephant in Burma as a British police guardian or The Road to Wigan Pier supply more than enough detail of making ends meet. 

"Despite the rumors that Sonia was a money-grubbing playgirl, the evidence is that Orwell was very lonely and had been pursuing her for some time. In my experience, living until 94, I'm appreciative that she finally accepted his offer of marriage. Hindsight has also brought me to the conclusion that she was a wonderful protector of his literary legacy, and that includes allowing the CIA to use his works as propaganda.

"The rumor, which circulated at the time, that she signed over the dramatic rights to Animal Farm to the CIA, was that she would not close the deal until the CIA promised her a date with Clark Gable. This rumor was printed in various places, and I think it was probably true, but in any event, when I became involved with making the firm with the British animators Halas & Batchelor and my boss and mentor Louis de Rochemont, the rumor was still alive.

"The film opened at the Paris Theater in New York City on December 29, 1954, and I was in charge of the affair, including being the escort for Sonia. Since I had not made a promise to deliver Clark Gable, I made no attempt to. (New York's literary set was agog at having Mrs. George Orwell in their presence. One night when William Faulkner was Sonia's escort at a press party, he got pushed outside of a swinging door. Sonia came to his rescue with 'Oh dear, someone's squashed poor Willie!') We had some press party drinks a the Plaza Hotel, across from the theater and I invited Sonia, John Halas and Joy Batchelor to join me for a dinner at a well-known nightclub owned by the father of a secretive CIA operative who had been assigned to 'follow the cash' through the de Rochemont organization of which I was president. (Only I could laugh at the irony of all of the inter-connections involved that night.) I got to know Sonia reasonably well and was very fond of her. That one night in New York, of all nights, I realized that she wanted to be with Clark Gable, literally. I was not Clark Gable. Whatever her disappointment, she was a lady to the end and never let me know the truth.

"This nightclub picture is the only momento of that night. It has been widely used, mislabeled, and its source incorrectly attributed, but the original belonged to me."
Borden Mace
Salisbury, CT
November 2, 2014