Vivien: The Life of Vivien Leigh

An excellent portrait of a talented and troubled woman. "Gone With the Wind" was one of the first movies I ever saw and I've watched it many times since then. I had read the book first and, to me, Vivien WAS Scarlett. I didn't follow Vivien's career very closely, and only had the incorrect impression that she had gone insane and died in a mental institution.The author did a good job of being both objective and compassionate, painting a vivid picture of how personal qualities like "creativity" and "passion" can deteriorate into the demons of manic depression. Having lived with a person suffering from manic depression, I know that the author didn't sugarcoat both Ms. Leigh's distress and the impact her behavior had on those around her - I've been at the receiving end of manic behavior myself and it nearly tore me to pieces. The author also does an excellent job of presenting the big picture, not only of Vivien, but of her relationships with her parents, first husband, and especially Olivier. I too remember feeling relieved when I was finally able to divorce myself from a situation that was drowning me. Those who love manic depressives will have a lot of happy times and certainly shed a lot of tears.Couldn't put the book down, well worth the read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hard not to be a fan of Vivian Leigh's if you love movies, period. This is a very insightful and well written biography, and nearly as much about Lawrence Olivier as Leigh herself. At times I found myself not really liking the snobbish self-centered actress portrayed here. And then her personal demons, and they were extreme and many, causes you to overlook her personality traits and concentrate on how much her mental problems played into whatever flaws she exhibited to those around her throughout her short life. One of the most beautiful and talented actresses that film and stage has ever produced, though a fierce competitor, sadly had so many demons that she could never conquer. Great book, a must read for fans of her films. She really in fact was, Scarlett O'Hara.

.In this seemingly fair and accurate portrait, common pitfalls of a celebrity biography are avoided, such as a gossipy tone, sensationalism, and gushing admiration. Such writing shows respectable restraint, as Miss Leigh's life has all the makings for a tawdry tale.The only faults are that at times the business end of Ms. Leigh's career is overemphasized, such as contract and agent negotiations. However, facts more interesting to a movie fan take up less space. For example, there are only a few backstage stories on the making of "Gone With the Wind", with even less on "A Streetcar Named Desire". One interesting story told is that Vivien Leigh refused to perform Scarlett O'Hara's retching sounds, as it would be undignified.Olivia De Haviland therefore filled in the sounds. Perhaps the author felt this kind of backstage story is available elsewhere and does not belong in a biography. Though I accept that, I would have preferred more backstage stories than the business end of Ms. Leigh's career, which slowed down the reading.Also, Ms. Leigh's erratic behavior is often understated. Some incidents are told as if a friend was telling you dinner recipes, then informs you that her daughter set fire to the school, followed by more recipes. In the way you would say, "She did what?" to your friend, I found myself rereading certain paragraphs, because I did not fully capture the extent of Miss Leigh's behaviour on a first read due to its factual presentation. More vivid descriptions would have been appropriate, without necessarily being sensationalistic.Perhaps the author was too restrained for this fan of both movies and Vivien Leigh. But I felt this to be a worthwhile read, because more importantly, I felt as though I had gotten to know Ms. Leigh, as a woman who loved deeply, suffered much, worked hard and at times acted thoughtlessly, while happening to act in movies.