"Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait" Book Review and Interview with author, Kendra Bean

Author: Kendra Bean

Publication Year: 2013

Pages: 275

Publisher: Running Press

To purchase "Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait", please visit the below Amazon page.

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Vivien Leigh was one of the most talented and beautiful actors to have ever graced the cinema screen and will be forever remembered for her grace and versatility in both her film and theater roles. "Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait" gives a most in depth exploration of the woman behind such unforgettable characters as Scarlett O'Hara (Gone With The Wind, 1939) and Blanche Dubois (A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951). Kendra Bean's biography of the star is wonderfully written and accompanied by an absolute treasure trove of beautiful photos, many of which have never been seen before. There have been many biographies written about Vivien Leigh over the years, but "Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait" allows one to see her from a most unprecedented personal and loving perspective.

Vivien Leigh was born Vivien Mary Hartley on the 5th November 1913 in India (then known as British India). From when she was six years old, she was raised in England and began her lifelong passion for theatre and acting at a young age. Although she appeared in several British film productions, it wasn't until 1939 that she became a household name world over when she gave her Academy Award winning portrayal of southern belle Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind. She won her second Academy Award in 1951 for her portrayal of the damaged Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire. Off screen, she was part of the marriage which many referred to as being theater royalty as the wife of Sir Laurence Olivier. Despite her elegant public persona, behind closed doors Leigh fought demons which would haunt her until her untimely death in 1967.

"Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait" is unlike any other Vivien Leigh biography ever printed. This illustrated biography shows Leigh in a light which is loving, but extremely saddening and often heartbreaking. In her research for the book, Kendra Bean hadd access to the Laurence Olivier Archives, which allowed her to discover more about Leigh than any other past biographer. In the past, many Leigh biographers have struggled with understanding Leigh psychologically, as she never left behind a memoir of her own and Olivier refused interviews. With Bean's access to the Laurence Olivier Archives, Leigh fans and classic film fans alike are able to understand for the first time the extent of her illness (which would these days have been diagnosed as bipolar disorder) and what really went on behind closed doors in the Leigh/ Olivier marriage. There are some incredibly heartbreaking tales of Leigh in her darkest days, stories which those who are fans of Leigh's public persona and blissfully unaware of her private turmoil will find disturbing. However, Bean retells these times without judgement. She allows the reader to feel an intimate connection with Leigh and her love and warmth for her is contagious. Yet, in the harsh reality of the Olivier's marriage breakdown, there is also beauty. The way in which Leigh and Olivier still obviously cared for each other and had a lasting connection in spite of their divorce is wonderfully reassuring for all their fans. Bean's love and passion for Leigh radiates off each page and makes the reader care just as much for her as she does.

The biography is first and foremost an illustrated biography, as Bean had envisioned a coffee table book. The photos included are absolutely exquisite. Hundreds of these photos have never before been seen by the public and are an absolute treat. There are some incredible private moments captured from Leigh's life, including photos of her and Olivier before and during their marriage and shots from behind the scenes of many of her films. Leigh's beauty shines off the page with every photo and each photo has a beauty of it's own.

"Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait" is a wonderful treat for any Vivien Leigh or old Hollywood fan in what would be her 100th year. Although there is so much beauty in this biography, it is quite a powerful read in a most respectful way. A beautiful tribute to a beautiful woman.

9/10

Movie Critical were lucky enough to catch up with "Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait" author, Kendra Bean. Kendra, who is originally from California, has an MA in Film Studies from Kings College London and is the designer and editor of www.vivandlarry.com , an historical archive and film blog dedicated to Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier.

Firstly, congratulations Kendra on the amazing success of your first book, “Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait”! When you first had the idea to make a coffee table style book about Vivien Leigh, did you ever imagine it being so successful?
Thank you! Not really, and I mean, it’s not Harry Potter status or anything, but I’m so glad people have responded so positively to it. I knew the turnout for the recent Vivien Leigh centenary events would be pleasantly surprising to naysayers who thought no one was really interested in Vivien anymore. It’s a great feeling to have been a part of that in some way. 

When did your book journey first begin and what made you want to write a book about Vivien?
It began in 2009. Through my work at vivandlarry.com, I had started collecting vintage magazines and accumulating a lot of photographs. I was also scouring local libraries for books that might contain rare photographs of Vivien to add to the online gallery, and it was through this interest in photography and fashion books that I decided to try and put together my own.  My original idea was actually to do a book that focused on Vivien and Laurence Olivier, and it was with that proposal that I landed my agent. However, after doing my MA in Film Studies, I decided that perhaps it would be a bit more interesting and timely to focus on Vivien’s life and career.

What were the high points and the low points of writing “Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait”?
The high was definitely getting the publishing deal after what seemed like years of waiting and shopping the proposal around. I also loved meeting and interviewing people who knew or had already written about Vivien, and, of course, digging through archives for photos and interesting information. I wouldn’t say it was a low point – I don’t think there was one - but it was definitely a challenging process trying to finish everything and get it in on time. I did it, but was totally knackered afterward. You hear about a lot of authors requesting deadline extensions and whatnot, but I didn’t really have that sort of leeway, and because I’m a first-time author, I felt it really important to meet whatever deadlines were set for me. It was a huge learning experience, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world because now I know that I’m capable of working under that sort of pressure.

Were there any parts of Vivien’s life which you found it particularly hard to research or to find any information about?
Even though I chose not to focus too much on the early years of her life, her childhood was difficult to research. This was because her personal archive was not available at the time, and as far as Vivien goes, Laurence Olivier’s archive really starts when they got together in 1936-37. There wasn’t a ton to go on for her early years other than what’s been printed in newspapers and previous biographies.

What was it like having the wonderful actress Claire Bloom write the foreword for your book?
That was a great honour. She was actually the first person I interviewed, and she has fond memories of Vivien. It was an even greater honour when she turned up at my book launch!

Besides Ms Bloom, who was the most exciting person you met during your journey?
Everyone was exciting in their own way! I was just really happy to be in the company of people with interesting experiences and stories. I was really lucky that everyone I met was very encouraging and supported my enthusiasm along the way.

Now for a question you probably get asked quite often, when did you first become a fan of Vivien Leigh?
When I was 18 and fell in love with Gone With the Wind.

If you could ask Vivien one question, or talk to her about anything that happened in her life, what would that be?
“Can you talk about what it was like to work on certain films, with certain directors?” That’s vague, but I’d love to find references to her speaking in-depth about her film career. She seemed to gloss over a lot of it with very trite answers whenever she was asked about it in interviews.

Do you think that Vivien is a good representation of a beauty of the golden age of Hollywood?
I think she transcended a lot of other actresses in terms of beauty, to be honest. A lot of female stars back then were very careful about make-up and requested specific lighting during photo shoots. Vivien had this to an extent, as well, but she also looked stunning with no make-up. 

Julia Ormond played Vivien Leigh in the film, My Week With Marilyn. Do you think she was the perfect person to play her, or can you think of another actress who would be perfect in portraying her?
I didn’t like how Vivien was portrayed in that film (actually I didn’t think very highly of the film as a whole, but c’est la vie), but I don’t think it was Julia Ormond’s fault as much as it was the script, costumes, and make-up. I thought she was wonderful in Legends of the Fall, but in this film she just plays a side character and is portrayed as a stereotypical , frumpy ageing actress. 

As the centenary celebrations of Vivien Leigh’s 100th birthday are still continuing, what events do you know that are coming up? What should a Vivien Leigh fan do to celebrate?
There’s the Gone With the Wind 75th anniversary celebration in Atlanta in June. In London, the Starring Vivien Leigh exhibit runs through the end of July at the National Portrait Gallery before going up to the Laing Gallery in Newcastle in September.

If someone was to travel to England and wanted to visit some of the places associated with Vivien and her life, where would you recommend them visit?
I did a blog post about this a few months ago actually, http://www.vivandlarry.com/the-oliviers/12-mustsee-vivien-leigh-locations-in-london/

And for our final question, Vivien Leigh related or not, what are some of your all-time favourite movies?
Gone With the Wind, Wuthering Heights, Waterloo Bridge, Brief Encounter, Nights of Cabiria, Plein Soleil

We thank Kendra Bean for taking the time to speak to us at Movie Critical and wish her all the best of luck! Kendra will be signing books and introducing A Streetcar Named Desire on the 16th of July at the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. Tickets are available through Fandango.

Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)

 

Year: 2014

Running Time: 165 minutes

Director: Michael Bay

Writers: Ehren Kruger

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Jack Reynor, Sophia Myles

 

The Transformers franchise is turning into the franchise that just keeps on giving. That doesn't mean that what it gives is particularly good, but there seems to be no stopping these films. Even when the last film wasn't particularly a masterpiece, that's still doesn't stop people getting excited about the next film and this trend appears to be continuing with Michael Bay's fourth Transformers film. Transformers: Age of Extinction is the victim of a disastrous screenplay which proves that sometimes we really don't learn from our past as it makes the same mistakes as the third film. While some of the sound editing and special effects are well done, it is gift-wrapped in the ridiculousness of the situation that it is impossible to take even the action sequences seriously, which is what Transformers is all about.

 

It has been three years since the battle of Chicago and the Autobots have all gone into hiding after the government has ruled that all Transformers are now considered a threat. A struggling Texan inventor, Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) is the one who finds the incognito and injured Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) and restores him to health. There is a huge bounty on his head which would help Cade and his teenage daughter, Tessa (Nicola Peltz) out immensely and even though Cade is hesitant about giving away the whereabouts of the head Autobot, they are soon found out and it becomes not just the Autobots who are running for their lives.

 

Sequels are often talked about as being films which take the things that worked in the first film and exaggerating them in hope of continuing that success. So what happens when you get to the fourth film? You would think that if a franchise has got to a fourth film the screenwriters would have worked out what works and what doesn't, but if Transformers: Age of Extinction is anything to go by, this is quite clearly not always the case. The screenplay is absolutely atrocious and it's dialogue particularly dreadful. It is usually acceptable for the dialogue in an action film to be a little bit corny, but this film takes it to a whole new level. It is the type of dialogue you would expect to hear in a B grade movie. Many of the words that come out of the character's mouths are just laughable and the result of screenwriter, Ehren Kruger trying to do too many things at once. There is no way which the actors could have delivered some of these lines and not have them sound ridiculous. For example, a line like "My face is my warrant" makes very little sense and Mark Wahlberg's Cane exclaiming "I'm an inventor!" prompts you to wonder "Who really calls themselves an inventor in this age?"

 

Time is something which Transformers: Age of Extinction has little grasp of on various levels.   Firstly at two hours and 45 minutes, it is needlessly long. Much like the third film, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, there comes a point in the film which feels like a finale and if it had finished here, it would have been almost bearable. However, it drags on for another hour while the audience still remains ready for it to finish. From a production side, the film is terrible at representing time and distance. The Yeager family begin in Texas, then travel by truck/Optimus Prime to Monument Valley on the Utah/Arizona border and then in no time they are in Chicago. This whole trip would take them at least 35 hours if they drove non-stop, but seems like it happens in the blink of an eye in the film. The drive from Monument Valley to Chicago itself takes 22.5 hours at least, but this isn't represented at all.

 

However, Transformers films have always been more about the action and special effects than the brilliant story and witty dialogue. As one could expect, the CGI used to create the Transformers is quite impressive, but there are also some scenes in which the CGI looks removed from it's live action surroundings in a way which it shouldn't. Another failing occurs when the situation is so ridiculous that the special effects seem comical. The slow motion screaming in the car is more funny rather than thrilling. With such wonderful special effects and also impressive sound editing on hand, it feels as if they are wasted by trying to support and save the screenplay.

 

Again, with a screenplay such as this there is little hope for any good performances, not that one would be expecting any Academy Award performances in a Transformers film. While Mark Wahlberg's performance is lacking emotion (especially when his daughter has a gun to her head), he is a more convincing Transformers lead man than Shia LaBeouf. While the two characters are quite different, physically and characteristically Wahlberg gives the impression that he belongs in the film more than LaBeouf. Stanley Tucci's Joshua Joyce has one too many comical lines and starts to waver on the brink of becoming annoying.

 

Michael Bay loves his Transformers leading ladies. First there was Megan Fox, then Rosie Huntington-Whitely and now there's Nicola Peltz. Tessa is quite a weak character and is regrettably so as she has the potential to be a strong character. Towards the beginning of the film, she points out to her father all the things she helps him with and how he couldn't get by without her, which would normally indicate that this is a strong and independent woman to be able to take on the role as woman of the house. Yet, she rarely puts up a fight during the film and is more than often the damsel in distress. This is no fault of Peltz as this is what the screenplay calls for, but with a character like this there is really no way to be able to acknowledge what type of actress Peltz actually is. There is very little chemistry between her and on screen boyfriend, Shane played by Jack Reynor, or between her and Wahlberg. Also, what girl wears incredibly high wedges to school and to walk along a long dirt road when she comes home? A Michael Bay Transformers girl, that's who.

 

The incredibly funny thing is that when the fifth Transformers film will be released, nothing that has been said about Transformers: Age of Extinction will matter. The pull of the Transformers franchise is too strong to allow the previous film's success to detract from the excitement of future films. All we can hope is that Ehren Kruger will learn from the mistakes of this film and make up for it in the next film.

 

3/10

 

Exclusive Interview with THE LAST IMPRESARIO Director, Gracie Otto

With The Last Impresario opening in cinemas across Australia this week, director, Gracie Otto took time out of her incredibly busy schedule to have a chat to Movie Critical about the film. Otto, 27, comes from one of the most well known Australian entertainment families which includes father, Barry and half-sister, Miranda. However, she has made a name for herself with her incredible documentary about English producer, Michael White. The film has screened at both the BFI London Film Festival and Sydney Film Festival to positive reviews, and with the opening on the film in Australia on Thursday, Otto is currently travelling around the country participating in a set of Q&A's about the film.

Firstly, congratulations on the success of The Last Impresario! You must be absolutely thrilled with the way people have responded to it!
Yeah! So far the response has been quite positive. I mean, it's always exciting to have your work seen by others and it's now about finding the right audience and about people finding out who Michael is. As we say, he is the most famous person you have never heard of and I think that's true and I think it's great that people are starting to find out about him and learn what an incredible human being he is and career he has had.

So let's go back in time to that party at the Cannes Film Festival four years ago when you first met Michael. He must have been completely in his element in that environment. What was going through your head the first time you met him?
Well, I guess in all honesty when I first met him I didn't think anything of it. You know, I didn't think in four years time there will be a film about him! I had just noticed him at a party I had been at and later I had ended up at his table with a person I had just met who was a friend of a friend of his, it was just one of those things. So I just met him there and I still have the little drink coaster which he wrote his number down on. Well first he gave me his address and I was like, I'd never been to London before except for one day and I had this address which had a weird postcode on it and I was like "Why are you giving me this? Am I going to send you a letter?" and he said "Oh I will give you my mobile!", and I said "You've got a phone?!"
He just said "You've got to come and visit me!" and I was like "Yeah, sure!", as you are after you have had five or so drinks! And then the next day I was walking down to a meeting and he called me and I was like "Oh my god! Michael White! That old guy!" How funny that he was actually calling me! I mean, he doesn't talk that much, so I was saying 'Hey! Michael White!" and he said to come to the hotel that night and he barely gave me any details. So I was deciding whether I really wanted to go, but I put a dress on and I remember the first people I saw were Mick Jagger and Loretta Scott, she was so tall and had this beautiful elegant dress on and I thought "Oh my God, I am wearing this little cocktail dress!" I didn't know they were going to this dinner I was going to. Then Michael saw me and was telling me to come through, as all these people with clipboards were saying 'Who are you?" It was about a week before Dennis Hopper died so they were honouring him there.

After such an informal greeting to him, was it actually a shock to find out how popular and famous he really was?
I guess it didn't come until I was making the film. After the week I had spent going to every party and meeting every person with him, I realised that he was obviously quite well respected among celebrities and I knew that he produced The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Monty Python and The Holy Grail. You can say the name to most people and they will know at least one of those productions. Then it wasn't until I went to Sussex. I went to visit him in London because I had never been to London. I went down to visit my family friend, Greta Scacchi and I just told him that I had met this guy named Michael White and she said "He started my career! You have read his book, right?" and I said "No..he has a book?" So she gave me his autobiography and I started reading it. I don't read that many books, but I love autobiographies and I love old Hollywood and the Bette Davis and Ava Gardner era. The fact that he was helping put on these shows and Marilyn Monroe would go and see them. The book got up to the time The Rocky Horror Picture Show finished in 1984, so then I was like "Then what happened?"
 I felt like I had learnt so much about him by reading this book because he doesn't really talk that much anymore. They are actually re-releasing it later this year, it's called "Empty Seats" and it is a really fascinating memoir. So I really felt like I needed to fill in the gap between 1984 and 2010. I was working on a documentary as Assistant Editor and I went to London a few months later and went to this party with Michael that Harvey Weinstein was at. I asked Michael that night if I could make a film about him and he had said no. It was an idea I had been thinking about, but even then I knew he was good but I didn't know he was a documentary worthy subject because I didn't know how much potential it had to be a film. It was really when all these celebrities would come up and give a story about meeting him that I realised how prolific and revolutionary what he was doing is and was.

When you asked him if you could make a film about him and he said no, did you really feel as though you had to earn his trust so that he would agree to this?
Well the way he does stuff is a bit like the way I do stuff. I knew that he liked having me around and when I was around we would go out to dinner and meet people, so it was kind of an excuse to be overseas and I was funding it myself at the time. I had a camera and I was staying with friends and staying at cheap places. It was only when my producer, Nicole O'Donohue came on board that she asked if I had a contract with me and then said "What do you mean you don't have a contract?!"
So then we drew up a contract and then it felt more like we were making a film. That was when I went and interviewed 65 people in total.

As you said in the film, Michael doesn't really like talking about the negatives in his life, yet it is the other people you interview who fill everyone in on the more negative things that have happened in his life. How did he feel about someone else saying these things about him?
I actually think he was interested to find out what people thought of him. He knew I was interviewing all these people but he wasn't there for any of the interviews with me besides Kate Moss' one. I asked him once about drugs and he made a valid point and said "If drugs were legal, there wouldn't be all these issues". He has interesting ways of thinking about things. I think mainly he didn't like seeing himself with the walking sticks. The health side of it has been something which has been hard for him to deal with on a personal level, and then to see himself walking was confronting and something he really didn't like.

Michael does come across as an extremely charismatic man, and this is proved by how many people adore him. Was it easy to get people such as Kate Moss, Yoko Ono and John Cleese to want to take part in the film?
Yeah well, John Cleese I thought may be a bit hard but I e-mailed his website one night in Paris when I was killing time. I was meant to be interviewing Anna Wintour, but that was when Hurricane Sandy hit and I was kinda stuck in Paris waiting to hear back from Vogue. And then Yoko Ono was one of the first people on board. After two days of working with my producer we just looked up contact details and we thought we would have to send letters and do it all the right way. For most people I just said to them "Michael gave me your number..", or they were told that I was going to call, but for Yoko Ono her publicist just picked up the phone and within 24 hours I was going to New York to meet her. The same with Kate Moss, she was really easy going and she doesn't really do many interviews so I felt really privileged that she took the time to talk to me. She gave Michael the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Laurence Olivier Awards in London as he was in a wheelchair.

So these people all really wanted to talk about him. This must have made your job a lot easier!
There was still a lot of hard work as it wasn't easy doing 65 interviews. It's actually quite insane, especially as I'm not from any cities and I'm from Australia! I did do about six interviews here though which was easy as I just got in my car and bought a mate along! Some of the ones that killed me were getting to Kate Moss' Bulgari Hotel on the tube with camera equipment and all these things you can't get insurance on. Things like that were just always a bit tedious and carrying a lot of equipment. Once I was carrying two suitcases and a handbag and hand luggage and a computer when I was in Paris on the Eurostar and no one would even help me off the train! I do love the French though!

The Last Impresario is such a fun film, but I'm sure it was hard work as though like you just said! Was it fun to explore Michael's crazy life?
Yeah, definitely. There was a moment in the film which I didn't include in the film when he took me out to dinner in London and took me past one of his old haunts and said "The end of an era". I looked at the house and I could just see Linda Hobbs and all these interesting people just having a great dinner party. I would just love to go back to that time for just one night!

So is that the point in Michael's life that you would most like to go back in time to experience with him?
Definitely! I think after just meeting all the Australian's who were in London at that time, it would have been such a great time to be there. I know my mum was planning on going to London then but she ended up meeting my dad and staying here.

One of the most memorable parts of the film is when you are going through Michael's medical appointment book and Michael then reveals to you how close he came to death at one point in time, which completely shocks you. Were there any times during filming when you really worried about his health?
Yeah, I mean he is incredible and I worry every time I see him if it is for the last time, I always kind of get a bit upset. Yet recently just after the film came out, he was in hospital for about a month. It was really bad and I thought that was definitely the end and all of his family friends were going to see him nearly everyday at hospital. I had to come back to Sydney, which I was really sad about. He saw the film and he was really happy about it, and then he got the Lifetime Achievement Award and he was out in a wheelchair and at rehab! Then he went to Italy last week because we were playing the movie there. We wanted to bring him out to Australia, but it was just too far for him to go. So I organised him to go to Italy instead and he had a great time there. He was happy as it was 35 degrees and he wanted to know were the party was. The film is coming out in the UK in September. So this is probably the longest I haven't seen him. I normally see him every few months and last time he was in hospital so I didn't really get to hang out with him. He still see's the humour in it all.

You two have obviously became really good friends then?
Yeah, I think so!

And how does he feel about the movie? Is he happy with it?
He is really happy with it. He says he is, but I mean he changes his mind about things from time to time. Mainly the walking sticks shocked him and stuff like that, but obviously he would love to have had the whole film just about the early days. I keep telling him that I met him as he is now and I found him interesting, and other people are going to find that fascinating about you.

That's really sweet! I'm sure he appreciates that!
I think he does! I'm sending him all the reviews and things like that, but I have to send originals of all the press clippings and that. I've got a few with me and I have to go and put them in the post today, because he doesn't have e-mail. I try to explain to him that it is going really well, and everyone knows who you are now! It's funny!

What has been your highlight in the journey with this film so far?
I mean, the funnest day was one that didn't actually make the cut of the film. It was going to Jack Nicholson's house and that was one of the first people I had met. Then we went out to dinner at Chateau Marmont in LA, and he just told my best friend who is an editor about Easy Rider and what fun they had making that film. It was just like a cool thing that will never happen again! He was just such an awesome dude who made you feel like you were just sitting down for dinner with one of your mates talking about Easy Rider. It was just so cool for me because I am such a film buff and love all that kind of stuff. The Chateau Marmont night wasn't in the film and he didn't do an interview, but that was probably my highlight. Also when we went out to dinner at Matteo's in LA, which is quite an expensive and good restaurant and Michael got a tap on his shoulder and he turned around and it was Elton John. That was also really cool.

Who would you say has been the greatest influences on your career so far?
I think definitely...well, in Australia Gillian Armstrong. I've known her since I was a baby and I think we really became close when I was in the movie, Three Blind Mice and she was on the jury at Sydney Film Festival. Then overseas, Sofia Coppola definitely and then David Lynch is someone I really admire. In terms of influences, Gillian Armstrong because she has always been kind of pro me directing. The other day I told her I went to an audition and didn't get it and she said "You don't want to be an actress! You want to direct!" I wouldn't mind doing both! Sofia Coppola's movies I love because they are all about relationships.

Anyone who follows you on Twitter will notice that you have the Alfred Hitchcock quote, "Blondes make the best victims. They're like virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints", as your description. Are you a Hitchcock fan?
Yeah., I have watched all of his movies and I just love that quote. I think it is such a great quote.

So which Hitchcock blonde are you then?
Oh! I don't know! Um...we'll go with Kim Novak! She's pretty awesome.

A big thankyou to Gracie Otto for her time and we wish her all the best of luck with her continuing The Last Impresario journey!