Wednesday 19 January 2011

Iconic Women: Part 2

You may have seen an earlier post I wrote about women who inspire me in whatever way, if you missed it, you can catch up here - it's a corker!

So on with Part 2 and after muchos musing I decided it has to be Vivien Leigh. Not only was she incredibly beautiful but she was an amazing actress. Married to Laurence Olivier and winner of TWO Academy Awards, she led a complicated life battling bipolar and tuberculosis.

You probably know her primarily for Gone with The Wind but for me her performance as Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire opposite Marlon Brando is one of the most consistently electrifying things I have ever seen.

Technically their individual approaches and varying methods could not have been more different but together Brando and Leigh combined to make something incredible.



Her beauty and style obviously hugely contribute to her iconic status however she felt her beauty hindered her as an actress, she felt the parts she was offered were often less challenging then if she looked more like...a character actress. This is one of the main reasons I really admire her, a great credible talent. Someone you can still look up to in today's often aesthetically obsessed arts industry.



I am hoping to learn more about her by reading this.


"I'm not a film star, I am an actress. Being a film star is such a false life, lived for fake values and for publicity."
- Vivien Leigh 

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