Vivien Leigh in The Deep Blue Sea (1955)
07 Saturday Aug 2021
Posted Vivien Leigh
in07 Saturday Aug 2021
Posted Vivien Leigh
in05 Wednesday Nov 2014
Posted Recommendations
inTags
1948, Alexander Korda, Anna Karenina, Julien Duvivier, Kieron Moore, Ralph Richardson, Vivien Leigh
As we are celebrating today Vivien Leigh’s 101st birth anniversary, I decided to recommend one of her films, one of the many screen versions of Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina”. Even if most people appreciated the 1935 Hollywood version with Greta Garbo, I consider that Vivien Leigh was even more beautiful and emotionally more vulnerable in her depiction of the heroine. Vivien already had health problems and her marriage to Laurence Olivier was worse than in the beginning of the 1940s. She suffered because he didn’t agree to cast her as Ophelia in his monumental production of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, and so Vivien accepted Alexander Korda’s offer for “Anna Karenina”. The costumes, designed by Cecil Beaton, were exquisite, and there are plenty of impressive, iconic portraits of Vivien as Anna Karenina that are spread all over the world. But the film itself, which is almost 2 hours and 30 minutes, is very long, and Julien Duvivier’s direction is sometimes very stiff. Furthermore, Vivien had zero chemistry with her co-star Kieron Moore, as Count Vronsky. On the other hand, Ralph Richardson was excellent in the role of Karenin, and he and Vivien had many significant scenes, which lifted the film’s quality. Another remarkable scene, and very daring in the way it was made, is the one where Anna Karenina kills herself by throing herself in front of the train. You will actually see the train passing over Anna (Vivien) and the last image is very impactful emotionally, as we see her dead body lying on the rail (Vivien really excelled in all her scenes at the train station). The closing credits were: “And the light by which she had been reading the book of life, blazed up suddenly, illuminating those pages that had been dark, then flickered, grew dim, and went out forever”. I would say that this English version of the Russian story had the best ending and the best performance, as Vivien had many things in common with Anna, including her emotional turmoil and her family situation (leaving her husband and her child for her lover, Olivier, who later became her second husband). This is a nice tribute to Vivien, to remember her, and I recommend you to watch this film today or in any other occasion you may find it.
11 Wednesday Jun 2014
Posted Recommendations
inTags
1950, Alexander Korda, Cyril Cusack, David Farrar, David O. Selznick, Emeric Pressburger, Gone to Earth, Jennifer Jones, Michael Powell
My recommendation for this week is a famous and very much appreciated, but neglected treasure of the famous team Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, that was also supervised by producers Alexander Korda and David O. Selznick. The leading role was given to Jennifer Jones, the wife of Selznick. She reminds me here of Vivien Leigh’s appearance and role as Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone With The Wind”, and the rest of the characters resemble other GWTW characters, as well. I would mention here David Farrar as John Reddin, who looked and acted almost exactly like Clark Gable’s Rhett Butler in GWTW, but also Cyril Cusack as Edward Marston, who reminded me of Leslie Howard’s Ashley Wilkes. Of course, the story is different. It is the screen version of the homonymous novel by Mary Webb. The film was recently restored at its full length, after being cut by David O. Selznick in the 1950s. The star of the picture is obviously the charming and talented Jennifer Jones, who is much less known nowadays. “Gone to Earth” was named by British cinematographer Christopher Challis “one of the most beautiful films ever to be shot of the English countryside”. You will certainly enjoy the film very much, especially because of the colours, the picturesque settings, the direction, and the actors’ performances. A superb P&P production, an unforgettable piece of British artistry of the seventh art.
22 Wednesday Jan 2014
Posted Recommendations
inAs we are celebrating today the birth anniversary of Conrad Veidt, I thought it appropriate to recommend perhaps his most famous film, “The Thief of Bagdad” (1940). This review was published on my Conrad Veidt website, http://conradveidtforever.wordpress.com/.
“The Thief of Bagdad” is one of the best-known motion pictures of all time. This fairy tale on the big screen is a precious creation of the seventh art, very much acclaimed over the time by filmgoers around the world. It is also one of the few films of its period that were entirely made in colour, and it received 3 Academy Awards, for special effects, color cinematography, and art direction. But no nomination for Conrad, despite the fact that he played so wonderfully well the evil Grand Vizier Jaffar. This production of Alexander Korda was released in December 1940, after an entire year of filming and changes of script and directors. But it was worth the effort, because “The Thief of Bagdad” became an instant success, and it was very much appreciated by the public (both children and adults), and by the critics. Even if the colourful sets and costumes, and the musical score of Miklos Rozsa impressed the audience, everybody agreed – and still agrees – that the film’s value stands again in Connie’s brilliant performance. This was the only colour film he made, and even if his Jaffar is rather a symbolic presence than a large role, he still has the power to convince the public that he is the star (after all, he was the one who received top billing). Filmgoers were and will continue to be spellbound under the everlasting magic of Conrad Veidt with his azure eyes and supernatural skills, that could hypnotise, dominate and turn everyone into something else by his own free will, until fate has him disappear into the thin air forever.
06 Wednesday Nov 2013
Posted Recommendations
inAs we are celebrating this week the centennial of Vivien Leigh’s birth, I was thinking that the suitable recommendation would be one of her best-remembered films, That Hamilton Woman (1941), her third and last motion picture in which she co-starred with Laurence Olivier, the love of her life. This majestic production of Alexander Korda was, actually, a propaganda film during WWII for the benefit of Great Britain. Not surprisingly, it was a personal favourite of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who used to watch it many times. That Hamilton Woman tells the true love story of Emma Hamilton, the wife of Sir William Hamilton, British ambassador in Naples, and Lord Nelson, the legendary historical English figure who confronted Napoleon Bonaparte in the famous Battle of Trafalgar. Aside from the spectacular sets and costumes (especially the outstanding dresses that Vivien Leigh wears throughout the film), That Hamilton Woman has a haunting musical score, composed by Miklos Rozsa (a frequent collaborator of Alexander Korda). The film won an Oscar for Best Sound, and it was nominated for other three awards, for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Effects. The sea battles are superbly illustrated, but no one could possibly forget the memorable love scenes between Vivien Leigh and her husband, Laurence Olivier, in their iconic roles. That Hamilton Woman is a remake after the German silent film version from 1921, Lady Hamilton, with Liane Haid and Conrad Veidt. There are many similarities between these two films, but, of course, the 1941-version is technically superior and sufficiently modern even for these days. That Hamilton Woman was amply publicized around the world, and there are many sets of publicity photos, the most fascinating being the numerous lovely portraits of Vivien Leigh as Emma Hamilton.
I highly recommend you to watch this film, which you could find in its entirity here:
15 Wednesday Aug 2012
Posted Recommendations
inIdeal pentru o seară frumoasă de vară, „Hoțul din Bagdad”/The Thief of Bagdad (1940) a avut de fapt premiera de Crăciun, în 1940. Este un film fantastic, foarte reușit, luând în considerare faptul că a fost filmat în 1939, color! Veți întâlni multe personaje și simboluri magice, precum calul zburător, covorul zburător, duhul care iese dintr-o sticlă pierdută la capătul lumii, trandafirul uitării, păpușa din argint, cu șase brațe, alături de numeroase jucării frumoase din colecția sultanului. Căci, într-adevăr, filmul este populat de o sumedenie de protagoniști, ce simbolizează lupta dintre bine și rău. Dintre toți, trebuie remarcată reprezentația excepțională a lui Conrad Veidt, cel care a devenit idolul multor fani din întreaga lume după ce l-au văzut întruchipându-l pe Marele Vizir Jaffar. De fapt, el și actorul de origine indiană Sabu („hoțul din Bagdad”) sunt cei care domină această capodoperă pentru cei mici și cei mari, produsă la studiourile Denham ale lui Alexander Korda, din Londra, precum și la Marele Canyon, în SUA. Din distribuție mai fac parte John Justin, în rolul regelui care trece printr-o călătorie inițiatică, plină de transformări, și June Duprez, ce o întruchipează pe prințesa visurilor – deși inițial fusese aleasă pentru acest rol nimeni alta decât Vivien Leigh, care ar fi fost ideală în brațele lui Conrad Veidt, din nou, și ar fi adus un plus de farmec filmului; din păcate, ea avea alte proiecte la Hollywood la momentul respectiv. În mod regretabil, nu există niciun fel de chimie între Duprez și Conrad (nu au fost făcute nici măcar poze publicitare cu cei doi împreună, ci au fost realizate doar clasicele fotografii din timpul unei scene și intitulate movie stills), iar scenele relativ romantice sunt rezonabile datorită eforturilor colosale ale marelui actor, care punea suflet în fiecare rol al său. Desigur, în afară de câteva îmbrățișări, el și June nu au avut nimic în comun, actrița fiind destul de fadă chiar și în secvențele cu mult mai tânărul partener John Justin, perechea ei din film.
„Hoțul din Bagdad” a avut numeroși regizori (printre care Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell și Alexander și Zoltan Korda), însă cel mai important dintre toți a fost William Cameron Menzies, care a realizat, la fel ca și la „Pe aripile vântului”, decoruri și peisaje de vis. Muzica perfect încadrată în atmosferă a fost semnată de Miklos Rozsa, iar scenariul, ce are la bază cartea „1001 de nopți”, a fost scris de mai mulți autori, printre care Miles Malleson (care l-a interpretat pe sultan în film) și Lajos Biro (autorul scenariului peliculei „Călătorie suspectă”). S-au filmat enorm de multe scene, iar majoritatea au fost tăiate la montaj, astfel că filmul a ajuns la o durată de o oră și 46 de minute, suficient încât să captiveze generații întregi de cinefili. Din păcate, dezastrul de mai târziu de la studiourile lui Korda a făcut ca fragmentele scoase la montaj să dispară definitiv, din neglijența unor oameni pentru care, evident, cea de-a șaptea nu mai însemna nimic. „Hoțul din Bagdad” este o producție de referință în istoria cinematografiei britanice și a câștigat trei premii Oscar, pentru cea mai bună regie artistică a unui film color, cea mai bună cinematografie și culoare și pentru cele mai bune efecte speciale, și a primit o nominalizare pentru cea mai bună coloană sonoră. Legenda acestei transpuneri pe marele ecran a unei povești desprinse din 1001 de nopți este la fel de vie și astăzi, la mai bine de 70 de ani de la premieră! Prin urmare, merită să vizionați filmul și eventual chiar să îl comparați cu versiunea mută din 1924, cu Douglas Fairbanks.