10 facts about the film “Gone with the Wind” (Photos)

“I'm not a movie star. I'm an actress"

Vivien first announced her desire to play on stage in early childhood. However, her mother Gertrude, a devout Catholic, had other ideas about the girl's future. Vivienne was sent to study at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in England.

Vivienne as a child. (Pinterest)

Vivien's father, unlike her mother, supported her daughter on her path to her dream and helped her enter the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.

Vivienne with her mother Gertrude. (Pinterest)

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In the first years in the acting field, it was not easy for Vivienne. Her first husband, Herbert Lee, was prejudiced against people associated with the theater. And the directors were in no hurry to give her roles. Thus, Alexander Korda, to whom Vivienne was recommended by the actress’s first agent John Giddon, considered that the girl had no potential.

Vivien and her first husband Herbert Lee. (Pinterest)

Despite this, Lee stubbornly continued to move forward. Already in 1935, she played in the play “The Mask of Virtue,” for which she received rave reviews from critics and her first invitations to interviews. At this time, Laurence Olivier, the actress’s second husband, noticed her. They met on the set of the film Fire Over England. Lee then told her friend: “This is the man I will marry.” Lawrence and Vivien were not free, and therefore they managed to get married only four years later, since the actors’ spouses did not agree to divorce for a long time.

Lee at rehearsals for the play “The Mask of Virtue.” (Pinterest)

After filming the film A Yankee at Oxford, Vivienne earned herself the status of an eccentric and nervous person, and film critics predicted that she would not have the most brilliant career if she “didn’t change her behavior.”

Vivien Leigh: The Inimitable Scarlett O'Hara

early years

The English actress Vivien Leigh, who created one of the most famous images in the history of world cinema, had not only extraordinary talent, but also extraordinary beauty. Director Orson Welles once said about her that once in a generation a woman appears from whom the entire continent cannot take its eyes off. Of course he was right. But did this bring happiness to the actress? Advertising:
Vivian Mary Hartley was born on November 5, 1913 in the Indian town of Darjeeling. Her father was English and served in India, which by that time belonged to the British Crown. The mother was also European and had French, Irish and Armenian roots. Parents tried to instill in their daughter a love of literature, so she grew up as a smart, well-read child.

Vivien Leigh photography

Vivian's passion for literature led her to want to play on stage. While studying at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in England, she first admitted to her friend Maureen O'Sullivan that she wanted to become a great actress. The parents were not against their daughter’s choice and contributed in every possible way to her endeavors. In 1931, her father helped Vivian enter the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

In London, the future actress met lawyer Herbert Lee Holman, who was 13 years older than her. They say that as soon as Vivian saw him, she immediately said that she would marry him. And so it happened. After a short courtship, Herbert proposed to Vivian, and they married in 1932. He was a true gentleman who promised a good career in law. She is an innocent girl with a flawless figure and an angelic face.

Vivien Leigh photography

Despite the fact that a year later Vivian gave birth to a daughter, Suzanne, her marriage to Holman could not be called happy. She wanted to make a career in cinema, but Herbert had a negative attitude towards this. Despite her husband, Vivian hired agent John Giddon, who began looking for roles for her. He advised the girl to change her name to a more sonorous one, and she took the pseudonym Vivien Leigh, changing her name a little and adding her husband’s middle name to it. Herbert was beside himself with rage, but he could not stop Lee from acting in films.

Worldwide popularity

Vivien Leigh made her film debut with a small role in the film Things Are Looking Up (1935). However, this event did not affect her career in any way. Much more important was the actress’s participation in the play “The Mask of Virtue,” after which critics first started talking about her talent. It was in this image that actor Laurence Olivier first saw Vivien. After they got to know each other better, a friendly relationship arose between them, which soon grew into love.

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Lawrence was married, but neither his marriage nor Vivien's marriage became an obstacle to their passionate romance. They did not hide their relationship even in public, which was unthinkable in Puritan England. They lived like this for 5 whole years, until Holman agreed to divorce Lee, and Olivier divorced his wife. In 1940, Vivien and Lawrence tied the knot. The modest wedding, which took place in Santa Barbara, California, was attended only by friends Garson Kanin and Katharine Hepburn.

Vivien Leigh photography

However, long before this significant event, a lot of interesting things happened in Vivien’s life. In 1937, Olivier went to Hollywood to film the film Wuthering Heights. A few months later, under the pretext of being close to her husband, Lee moved to America. But the actress had completely different motives. Her American agent has long been in talks with producer David Selznick about filming the film Gone with the Wind. Vivien wanted to get the role of Scarlett O'Hara, for which 1,400 actresses applied!

After dozens of screen tests, the circle of contenders was narrowed to Joan Bennett, Jean Arthur, Paulette Goddard and Vivien Leigh. Ultimately, Lee was able to prove that she could play better than others. Director George Cukor praised the actress's incredible recklessness. It was his word that became final in the choice of the contender. And Vivien Leigh did not let him down. Largely thanks to her charm and talent, Gone with the Wind (1939) became a hit movie of the year, receiving ten Oscar statuettes. The actress also won an Oscar for Best Actress.

After the incredible success of the film, Vivienne began to be called a Hollywood movie star, although she did not like it when people talked about her like that. She called herself an actress, believing that being a movie star meant living a false life. Vivien really differed from other actresses in her modesty and hard work. She loved her job and gave it her all.

Vivien Leigh photography

Despite this, after the film Gone with the Wind, Lee starred in only eight films. The reason for this was the poor health of the actress, who had been battling tuberculosis for decades. In addition, Vivienne suffered from a mental disorder, so it was extremely difficult for the directors to work with her. In 1941, Lee played with her husband in the film Lady Hamilton, and in 1945 she appeared as Cleopatra in the historical drama Caesar and Cleopatra.

Vivien Leigh photography

In the early 50s, Vivien Leigh again created a sensation in the world of cinema. After the success of the play A Streetcar Named Desire, where she played the role of prostitute Blanche DuBois, the actress was offered to star in a film adaptation of the play. The film version of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) became a landmark film of the 20th century. Vivienne received her second Oscar and incredible reviews from critics, who called her acting work one of the most thorough transformations of all time.

Vivien Leigh photography

Last years

Olivier first witnessed the manic-depressive syndrome that Vivienne suffered in the 30s, when they were not married. Before entering the stage of the theater, where the actress played Ophelia, she suddenly began to scream hysterically, and then became quiet and stared at one point for a long time. Such seizures occurred systematically, and over time Lawrence got used to them.

Vivien Leigh photography

Vivienne's condition deteriorated sharply after filming the film A Streetcar Named Desire. An exacerbation of tuberculosis and a failed pregnancy, which ended in miscarriage, further undermined the actress’s mental health. She could not get rid of the image of Blanche DuBois and often said that he haunted her. There were multiple personality syndromes, as this case eloquently demonstrates. When Leigh was admitted to a psychiatric clinic, one of the nurses called her Scarlett O'Hara, after which the actress shouted that she was Blanche DuBois.

Vivien Leigh photography

At some point, Laurence Olivier could not stand it and left Vivien. This was a real blow for the actress. She lived out her last years alone in a small lakeside village in Sussex. In May 1967, Lee began having further bouts of tuberculosis and died on July 7.

Vivien Leigh lived a short but bright and eventful life. She pursued her dream at all costs and always achieved her goals. It is difficult to say whether her life was happy. Despite the tragedy of her fate, Vivienne remained a woman who believed in the beauty and kindness of this world, wanted to love and be loved. She will forever go down in history as one of the most beautiful and most talented actresses.

Best
Nora
04/16/2006 08:06:07

Vivien Leigh is an impeccable actress and of course it’s a pity for her!

Fee for talent
сrying angel
06/01/2008 10:17:54

In this life, everyone has to pay something. I think that she paid too much for what was rightfully hers. But we will never forget her and in our memory she will remain the same beautiful goddess, the greatest actress and simply kind and welcoming woman

Amazing actress and woman
Elize
04/19/2009 04:30:46

Vivien Leigh is a wonderful, brilliantly talented actress, but first of all she is a strong woman!! She played all her roles in such a way that people have never ceased to admire her for many years!!

Vivien Leigh
Lidusha
09.17.2009 11:00:55

She was a very talented, beautiful woman and also very strong in spirit. I will always watch her roles and films with great desire and she will always be my idol!!!!!!

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"Gone With the Wind"

Inspired by Margaret Mitchell's book Gone with the Wind, Vivien stated in an interview that she "saw herself in the role of Scarlett O'Hara." She moved to Los Angeles to spend more time with Olivier, who, shortly before Vivien herself, left for the States to conquer Hollywood. In reality, Lee went through lengthy and tedious auditions in an attempt to achieve the leading role. David Seleznick, the producer of the film, at that time had already looked at the small but very catchy filmography of the young actress, and singled her out among all the contenders for the role.

Vivienne and her second husband Laurence Olivier. (Pinterest)

The filming process was very difficult for Vivien. She wrote to Lee Holman: “I can’t stand Hollywood... I’ll never get used to it—as much as I hate making movies.” Between takes of Gone with the Wind, Lee smoked 4 packs of cigarettes a day. As a result, in 1944 she was diagnosed with chronic tuberculosis. Doctors prescribed her a medicine, which, as it turned out later, had a negative effect on her psyche.

For 125 days of filming, Vivien received a fee of only 25 thousand dollars, while Clark Gable, who played Rhett Butler, was paid 120 thousand dollars for 71 days of filming.

"A Streetcar Named Desire"

After the success of Gone with the Wind, Vivien did not even think of stopping there. Immediately after touring with Olivier, she auditioned for the role of Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire.

Vivienne as Blanche DuBois. (Pinterest)

At first, the film's director Elia Kazan did not take the actress seriously. Only during filming was he able to verify her professionalism. “She would crawl on broken glass if she thought it would help her perform her role better,” he said of Vivienne.

Vivien Leigh, who swore with feeling and great skill, recalled that on the set of A Streetcar Named Desire she worked well with Marlon Brando, who played Stanley - they both “loved to use strong words in conversation and laugh.”

Vivien Leigh was Winston Churchill's favorite actress, and he regularly invited her and her husband to dinner parties. During one such celebration in honor of Lawrence, Churchill showed the actress a collection of paintings of his own authorship, promising to give one of them for Christmas. However, after two weeks, Vivienne received a parcel with a painting and a letter that contained only one phrase: “I couldn’t wait for Christmas.”

Health problems

During the tour with Olivier, Vivienne had seizures and outbursts of aggression. All this was caused by tuberculosis pills, which triggered bipolar disorder. The peak of depression came after the miscarriage. At that time, Lee already had a daughter, Suzanne, from her first marriage to Holman. Laurence Vivien was never able to give birth to a child.

Vivienne and her daughter Suzanne. (Pinterest)

Lawrence announced to Lee that he wanted a divorce on her birthday, presenting her with the keys to a Rolls-Royce. Vivien was having a hard time with the breakup. And even after the breakup, she left the letter VLO (Vivienne, Lady Olivier) on the license plate of her car. For the rest of her life, Vivien asked to be addressed as Lady Olivier and kept a photograph of Lawrence on her bedside table.

Lee and Lawrence. (Pinterest)

Last years

Despite repeated bouts of depression, Vivien continued to play in theaters and get roles. Filming in “Ship of Fools,” the actress’s last screen film, worsened her emotional state. Producer and director Stanley Kramer later recalled Vivien's behavior on the set as follows: "She was sick, but she had courage and she went forward, it's just incredible."

Vivienne in 1967. (Pinterest)

On July 8, the day after Vivien Leigh's sudden death from an attack of tuberculosis, all London theaters turned out their lights for an hour. By the will of the actress, her body was cremated and her ashes were scattered over a lake in East Sussex, near her home.

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For a long time, Vivienne struggled with severe depression. She went through incredible despair, fits of anger, and nervous breakdowns. Vivien Leigh's long illness changed not only her psyche, but also weakened her immunity. In addition to all the existing psychological problems, Vivienne had to experience two miscarriages. These losses left their mark on her difficult life.

Vivien's numerous illnesses became her evil fate. Treatment with electric shock and antidepressants did not pass without a trace. Due to poor health, a disease arose that would later be stated as the cause of Vivien Leigh’s death. At the age of 30, she was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis. The drugs prescribed to treat a complex disease caused even greater mental problems.

At the age of 50, Vivien was prescribed treatment for tuberculosis in hospital, but she refused it. The disease killed her day after day. In May 1967, the disease entered a severe stage, and attacks became more frequent. The actress's lungs could no longer cope with the function of breathing. The most difficult period of her life had come.

On July 7, fans of the talented actress learned that Vivien was no more. The lights of London theaters that went out on this day in memory of the beautiful Scarlett evoked thoughts of the vanity of the world, and symbolized the bright ray of Vivienne’s talent that had gone out forever.

In October, the year of her death, her ashes were scattered over the lake located near the actress’s country house. Nobody knows how the actress died. With the departure of the great Vivienne to heaven, there is one less self-sufficient, talented soul in this world, and less impeccable beauty.