Silver Screen Magic with Vivien Leigh

A star of Old Hollywood, Vivien Leigh was a leading lady spanning four decades. The actress was born in British India and began her acting career in both theater and films. Her first breakthrough came in the 1937 film “Fire Over England” with Laurence Olivier, which began their affair and resulted in a 20-year marriage. Over the course of her career Leigh won two Best Actress Academy Awards, one for “Gone with the Wind” and the other for “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

The 1940 melodrama “21 Days Together” is a British drama film based on the short 1919 play “The First and the Last” by John Galsworthy. It was directed by Basil Dean and starred Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, and Leslie Banks.

In the film plot, after Larry Darrent (Olivier) accidentally kills the husband of his lover, Wanda (Leigh), someone else is mistakenly arrested. Larry and Wanda have just 21 days together before the trial. If the other man is found guilty, Larry plans to turn himself in.

The film “Anna Karenina” is based on the Russian novel of the same name published in 1878 and written by Leo Tolstoy.

The story follows Anna (Leigh), who is traveling on a train to visit her family. On the train she meets Countess Vronsky (Helen Haye) and they become traveling companions. Arriving in Moscow, the countess's son, Count Vronsky (Kieron Moore), is there to meet her. She introduces him to Anna, and after they meet again at a party, they begin a passionate love affair. It's an epic tale filled with romance and tragedy.

Directed by Gabriel Pascal, the 1945 British film “Caesar and Cleopatra” is an adaptation of the 1901 play of the same name by George Bernard Shaw. It starred Vivien Leigh and Claude Rains.

The film depicts the story of Roman general Julius Caesar (Rains). He wants to control Alexandria, Egypt, but Caesar soon develops strong feelings for Cleopatra (Leigh), and this might threaten his own political power.

1937 London Film Productions’ “Fire Over England” was directed by William K. Howard and written by Clemence Dane. It is based on the 1936 novel of the same name by A.E.W. Mason. This film was the first pairing on Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh.

The historical drama tells the story of Queen Elizabeth I (Flora Robson) and naval officer Michael Ingolby (Olivier), who volunteers to go undercover in Spain. Queen Elizabeth I develops feelings for Michael, but he becomes infatuated with her lady-in-waiting, Cynthia (Leigh).

In 1939 Selznick International Pictures came out with the American epic historical romance film “Gone with the Wind.” It was directed by Victor Fleming and starred Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard, and Olivia de Havilland. It is based on the novel of the same name by Margaret Mitchell. I am sure that no one who has seen this classic film ever looked at the Civil War the same ever again. There can be no question the film depicts slavery, consent, and Civil War myths in a problematic manner. The movie brought Leigh instant fame and attention and the Academy Award for Best Actress.

The story revolves around the strong willed daughter Scarlett O’Hara (Leigh) of Georgia plantation owner Gerald O’Hara (Thomas Mitchell). The family lives on the plantation named Tara. In 1861, on the eve of the American Civil War, Scarlett is at Tara with her parents, two sisters, and their Black slaves. She is visited by her two beaux, Stuart Tarleton (George Reeves, who later became TV's Superman) and Brent Tarleton (Fred Crane). Scarlett is devastated to learn the at the big BBQ the next day at the plantation Twelve Oaks, Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), who she has taken a fancy to is going to announce his engagement to his cousin, Melanie Hamilton (Olivia deHavilland). At the party, she runs into the man who will turn her life around eventually, Rhett Butler (Clark Gable). Scarlett goes on to manipulate and get her way at every turn no matter that the Civil War is in full battle.

Warner Bros. 1961 British romantic drama “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone” was directed by Jose Quintero. It is based on the novel of the same name by Tennessee Williams. The film starred Vivien Leigh and Warren Beatty.

In the film Leigh portrays a disheartened, aging actress, Karen Stone. After her husband’s death, she travels to Rome, where she meets an Italian gigolo, Paolo (Warren Beatty). Leigh impressed audiences with her heartbroken, realistic portrayal of an actress told that she's past her prime and just wanted to feel beautiful again.

The 1965 American drama “Ship of Fools” was directed by Stanley Kramer. It starred a prominent ensemble cast of eleven stars—Vivien Leigh (in her final film appearance), Simone Signoret, Jose Ferrer, Lee Marvin, Oskar Werner, Elizabeth Ashley, George Segal, Jose Greco, Michael Dunn, Charles Korvin, and Heinz Ruhmann. The film was based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Katherine Anne Porter.

The film tells the story of a group of passengers aboard a cruise to Germany, pre-WWII. They form a unique society on board. A countess (Simone Signoret) is going to a German prison camp, another passenger has a fatal heart condition, and the recently divorced Mary Treadwell (Leigh) is trying to outrun time. Leigh's paranoid performance is arresting but also tragic, considering the real-life physical and mental health problems she was dealing with.

The 1938 British black and white comedy drama “Sidewalks of London” is also known as “St. Martin’s Lane.” It starred Vivien Leigh and Charles Laughton with co-stars Rex Harrison and Tyrone Guthrie.

In the film, street performer Charles Staggers (Charles Laughton) befriends aspiring dancer Libby (Leigh). When they meet songwriter Harley Prentiss (Rex Harrison), Libby pursues him. The film has plenty of laughs, and Leigh showcases that her talents don't solely lie in the dramatic.

The 1951 American Southern Gothic drama “A Streetcar Named Desire” was adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name by Tennessee Williams. It was directed by Elia Kazan and starred Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden. Vivien Leigh won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Blanche DuBois.

The story follows Mississippi southern belle Blanche DuBois (Leigh), who visits her sister, Stella Kowalski (Kim Hunter), in New Orleans. She immediately clashes with Stella's abusive husband, Stanley (Marlon Brando). Blanche is flirtatious and seemingly perfect, but she’s a complex woman with more problems than she likes to admit. As Blanche says in the end, “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”

The 1940 American drama film “Waterloo Bridge” was based on the 1930 play of the same name by Robert E. Sherwood. It was made by MGM and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The film starred Robert Taylor and Vivien Leigh.

The film tells the war romance of ballerina Myra (Leigh), who meets British officer Roy Cronin (Taylor). They fall in love, and Myra chooses to skip a ballet performance to meet with him. This decision has many consequences when she is dismissed from the ballet troupe and faces financial crises.