after "A streetcar named desire" she never recovered herself , i am sorry that their story didn't ended with HAPPY END, vivien was an incredibly beautifoul woman and such a great actress, olivier as well , they were a great couple .
Everybody here seems to blame either Vivien or Olivier for the breakdown of their marriage. In my opinion, it was a sad, unavoidable tragedy that just happened. As the documentary's last few minutes emphasise- both sadly had a terrible price to pay for their fame. She lost her mental health, he lost his peace of mind. Both were pained individuals looking for some deep kind of love, causing them to cheat on their spouses and eventually on each other. Despite their flaws, I have only empathy and respect for them. Part of me wants to go back in time and hug and comfort them both. The fact that they worked through it all is commendable. I wish Vivien had lived longer till 90, as she wanted. I wish Olivier found peace of mind. Through it all, they worked and left behind a body of work that has ensured their immortality. The last few minutes of this documentary, showing a retrospective montage of their work set to that melancholic music, moved me deeply. I hope both are at peace, wherever they are. Love and respect to them both.
Not nice to be put out of one life when you most need that person. he had nothing dignified about him . but he did the same to his first wife. She should have taken notes.
Thank you for posting this documentary. Was great to watch. Olivier & Leigh were the epitome of true love. It so devastating that her mental health failed her.
I'm a huge fan of Vivien Leigh and her work, particularly Gone With The Wind. But as individuals , she and Olivier were terribly selfish people. Their children, Tarquin Olivier and Suzanne Holman, were cast aside; Jill Esmond and Leigh Holman, their spouses, were cast aside. One can sense the pain in Tarquin during the interviews. Leigh and Olivier are living proof that forbidden relationships never end well. The old adage 'if they will cheat with you, they will cheat on you' proved true. One never gains lasting happiness by hurting other people.
I think they both predicted they would pay for it. People leave for others all the time, but you have to be careful about how you do it. It can come back and bite you.
For some strange reason some assume actors personal lives should be perfect almost mythical if they are brilliant/attractive performers on stage and screen. When in real life no one knows what a couple's married life is really like. A simple personal letter can be interrupted differently. We can forever assume and more often than not; we are completely and utterly wrong. What is obvious is that Olivier & Leigh both loved and suffered greatly.
She was Scarlett in real life too.!Tried to separate Ashley from Melanie in film and got Oliver separated from his wife in real.Ashley escaped. In movie Rhett suffered. In life oliver suffered and left her, to marry a good woman who would enhance his Career and got three childrenc -found domestic happiness. If Vivien had not played Cleopatra she would not have lost her baby.women have multiple roles to play in life. Over ambitious women like Ingrid and Vivien suffer a lot. They r torn between career and motherhood. Ingrid got her children raised by her husbands .vivien too had a daughter raised by her first husband. Finally they had to pay the price. Men become fathers and they can afford to go up in career while women have to sacrifice. That's the way of nature. Not all women cherish motherhood. As Rhett says "cats are better mothers than you"-scarlett was after money. Her life without money after war made her like that. She had to earn like a man when Men like Ashley lived in the past.war made her strong and ruthless.profession and ambition and love for a married man brought misery to vivien.she worked for morehours andslept only 3 hours to escape from Loneliness. Insomnia leads to all mental illness.so sad for such a great actress to suffer in the end!😥. No one could enter into her world and help her!
thank you very much for posting this very interesting documentary. it is really a sad ending. also, they did not mention vivien leigh's partner, jack merivale at all, which was a bit of an omission.
The real tragedy is that there weren't good treatments for bipolar disorder back in those days. You can't blame the guy for leaving when he originally fell in love with a beautiful, confident woman and she turned into a crazy, violent nymphomaniac. She just wasn't the same person anymore.
I find it ridiculous that her sexuality is labelled overt however men in Hollywood who had numerous sexual conquest were just men being men. I think she had a breakdown because of her own insecurities and guilt.
Have to comment on this that Laurence got such a bad rap for leaving Vivien. If you have read anything at all about the 2, you will know how grotesly she treated him. She abused him mentally, emotionally, told him in 1945 she no longer loved him, he was like a brother to her, and she slept with taxi cab drivers, delivery men, etc. He suffered at least 15 years of cruel and inhumane treatment. Yes, she was mentally ill, and yes, he loved her, but self-preservation comes to play at sometime in one's life. Sometimes love is not enough for a relationship to work. It was told that Vivien relished flaunting her affairs under Larry's nose, even bringing Peter Finch home and having the affair in the house under Larry's nose. I don't know many men that would put up with that. I think he should be honored for staying as long as he did. Said he had affairs and maybe he was bisexual, so was Vivien. She is said to have had affairs with women also. Fires burn out quickly and so it was to be with the Oliviers. Joan brought him peace and contentment in his later years which he so desperately needed and Vivien could not provide that to him.
Mickey Nash Vivien had TB while she touring around North Africa, studies have proven that most patients who survive TB have an increase sex drive, mix that with her mental illness and their sure was going to be consequences her great uncle was sent to an Asylum for mental illness, so i'm guessing it runs in the family . By no means am I defending her behavior but Larry treatment and sometime emotionally neglect made her mental illness worse and somewhat encouraged her behavior, and her behavior cause him to look elsewhere. cause and effect. I understand and sympathize with both sides, tho i tend to lean on Vivien's side of the story. They're both very talented and loved each other so much it's created destruction around them and themselves but it made their careers soar. Larry after her death, started to overwork himself that he would become ill often, i think it's because he tried his best to keep himself busy so he won't think of her too often and somehow make it up to her through his work, since their both so passionate about the theater. sorry for the long post, i love them both so very much!
I am sorry but Viven was mentally unstable and prone to manic behaviours. Aside from Finch - most other sexual one nighters were when she was in these manic states. If she had been able to have the correct help - with what we know now, she could have been treated and those episodes controlled. I find it disgusting that you talk about how she emotionally and mentally and PHYSICALLY abused him - Leigh was the one who had her eye smashed in when he threw her across the room into the corner of a dresser. Olivier was a drunk and an abuser himself - and he doesn't have a reason. Leigh, was sick and had rages and manic episodes and breakdowns because of her mental health. Not only this, but she was also dealing with TB - these lung/chest issues which have numerous side effects in their own. He had affairs, his long term affair being with Plowright. Let's not pretend he is Mr Innocent here. Their marriage lasted 30 years and truly loved and adored each other - and if Leigh had access to medical treatments that we have available now..... It would have been a very different road for Leigh! For me, Olivier is not a nice person.
+Sezzy Says You do not think living with someone who verbally and physically abuses you is not a reason to drink? Yes, they both had affairs, but wake up Sezzy...a lot of media hype is involved in their relationship. In 1948 she told Larry she no longer loved him, and they lived with the façade for decades because they were the Oliviers. Even with his affair with Plowright, Vivien wanted the façade to go on...go on pretending and he had to end the lie. I see you still want to believe in fairytales and that is your privilege. But you show your idiocracy when you find my comments disgusting because they are an accumulation of what I have read and not in a fairytale book. As for as a 30 year marriage, there are a lot of them out there and they are marriages of convenience, nothing more. I do not know your age, but I would think you are somewhat young, 17 maybe. Oh, by the way, you do know Vivling enjoyed the bottle too? Yes, she had TB, but do you know she refused to do what the doctors suggested? She was quite the stubborn patient and even when it recurred, she did not want to seek treatment or do as suggested...told to rest, which her housekeeper Rosemary said she refused to do. Hope this wasn't too blunt for your sensitivities, you have your opinion and I have mine. Enjoy Disneyland Sezzy...
I hate they didn't mention Jack Merivale, her partner near the end of her life. He really helped her out.
I find it unfortunate that when the hard times came, he left her. For better or for worse" is how it goes, right?
after "A streetcar named desire" she never recovered herself , i am sorry that their story didn't ended with HAPPY END, vivien was an incredibly beautifoul woman and such a great actress, olivier as well , they were a great couple .
“Their love was founded on others people’s unhappiness. Karma. I’ll fated.
I think it talked WAY more about Larry than it did Viv. Still, interesting to watch all the same. Thanks for putting it up!
Everybody here seems to blame either Vivien or Olivier for the breakdown of their marriage. In my opinion, it was a sad, unavoidable tragedy that just happened. As the documentary's last few minutes emphasise- both sadly had a terrible price to pay for their fame. She lost her mental health, he lost his peace of mind. Both were pained individuals looking for some deep kind of love, causing them to cheat on their spouses and eventually on each other. Despite their flaws, I have only empathy and respect for them. Part of me wants to go back in time and hug and comfort them both. The fact that they worked through it all is commendable. I wish Vivien had lived longer till 90, as she wanted. I wish Olivier found peace of mind. Through it all, they worked and left behind a body of work that has ensured their immortality.
The last few minutes of this documentary, showing a retrospective montage of their work set to that melancholic music, moved me deeply. I hope both are at peace, wherever they are. Love and respect to them both.
Thanks for sharing this great documentary with us. It was interesting to watch. But also very sad how her illness broke down their marriage...
Thank you for posting. I loved it. Vivien Leigh was my favorite actress. How beautiful she was. The most beautiful of all.
Trader's words that end this documentary are so true and profound.
a very articulate summarization of their life events by the man who spoke last
Living w person w bipolar quite a challenge.
Not nice to be put out of one life when you most need that person. he had nothing dignified about him . but he did the same to his first wife. She should have taken notes.
An excellent documentary of these great actors. Thanks for posting
Thank you for posting this documentary. Was great to watch.
Olivier & Leigh were the epitome of true love. It so devastating that her mental health failed her.
Along time ago my dad told me when your in relationship someone loves one more than the othed! Yep, he was right!
I'm a huge fan of Vivien Leigh and her work, particularly Gone With The Wind. But as individuals , she and Olivier were terribly selfish people. Their children, Tarquin Olivier and Suzanne Holman, were cast aside; Jill Esmond and Leigh Holman, their spouses, were cast aside. One can sense the pain in Tarquin during the interviews. Leigh and Olivier are living proof that forbidden relationships never end well. The old adage 'if they will cheat with you, they will cheat on you' proved true. One never gains lasting happiness by hurting other people.
very true...they were both self absorbed and very selfish people....and he was very jealous of her that is so obvious....never a recipe for happiness
I think they both predicted they would pay for it. People leave for others all the time, but you have to be careful about how you do it. It can come back and bite you.
Thanks for putting this up, nice to know that people really do fall in love like that.
Trade one wife for another. That is his style. Poor woman she suffered so much.
Thanks for posting this. They where so cute together.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIVI !
For some strange reason some assume actors personal lives should be perfect almost mythical if they are brilliant/attractive performers on stage and screen. When in real life no one knows what a couple's married life is really like. A simple personal letter can be interrupted differently. We can forever assume and more often than not; we are completely and utterly wrong. What is obvious is that Olivier & Leigh both loved and suffered greatly.
She was Scarlett in real life too.!Tried to separate Ashley from Melanie in film and got Oliver separated from his wife in real.Ashley escaped. In movie Rhett suffered. In life oliver suffered and left her, to marry a good woman who would enhance his Career and got three childrenc -found domestic happiness. If Vivien had not played Cleopatra she would not have lost her baby.women have multiple roles to play in life. Over ambitious women like Ingrid and Vivien suffer a lot. They r torn between career and motherhood. Ingrid got her children raised by her husbands .vivien too had a daughter raised by her first husband. Finally they had to pay the price. Men become fathers and they can afford to go up in career while women have to sacrifice. That's the way of nature. Not all women cherish motherhood. As Rhett says "cats are better mothers than you"-scarlett was after money. Her life without money after war made her like that. She had to earn like a man when Men like Ashley lived in the past.war made her strong and ruthless.profession and ambition and love for a married man brought misery to vivien.she worked for morehours andslept only 3 hours to escape from Loneliness. Insomnia leads to all mental illness.so sad for such a great actress to suffer in the end!😥. No one could enter into her world and help her!
thank you very much for posting this very interesting documentary. it is really a sad ending. also, they did not mention vivien leigh's partner, jack merivale at all, which was a bit of an omission.
The real tragedy is that there weren't good treatments for bipolar disorder back in those days. You can't blame the guy for leaving when he originally fell in love with a beautiful, confident woman and she turned into a crazy, violent nymphomaniac. She just wasn't the same person anymore.
and that is why i will never marry,there is a happening that u can never redo, how much u try,but u can live a different sort of life
If you sleep with someone withought marriage you will go 2 hell.
Not worth it. Marriage is ordained by God.
I find it ridiculous that her sexuality is labelled overt however men in Hollywood who had numerous sexual conquest were just men being men. I think she had a breakdown because of her own insecurities and guilt.
He was dedicated to his career, not his wife.
Had she been a man none of what she did would be considered insane.
Thank you Vivien for everything! Here’s a little something for you: czcams.com/video/v3qnouiFDjQ/video.html
Have to comment on this that Laurence got such a bad rap for leaving Vivien. If you have read anything at all about the 2, you will know how grotesly she treated him. She abused him mentally, emotionally, told him in 1945 she no longer loved him, he was like a brother to her, and she slept with taxi cab drivers, delivery men, etc. He suffered at least 15 years of cruel and inhumane treatment. Yes, she was mentally ill, and yes, he loved her, but self-preservation comes to play at sometime in one's life. Sometimes love is not enough for a relationship to work. It was told that Vivien relished flaunting her affairs under Larry's nose, even bringing Peter Finch home and having the affair in the house under Larry's nose. I don't know many men that would put up with that. I think he should be honored for staying as long as he did. Said he had affairs and maybe he was bisexual, so was Vivien. She is said to have had affairs with women also. Fires burn out quickly and so it was to be with the Oliviers. Joan brought him peace and contentment in his later years which he so desperately needed and Vivien could not provide that to him.
Mickey Nash I agree with this comment so, so much
Mickey Nash Vivien had TB while she touring around North Africa, studies have proven that most patients who survive TB have an increase sex drive, mix that with her mental illness and their sure was going to be consequences her great uncle was sent to an Asylum for mental illness, so i'm guessing it runs in the family . By no means am I defending her behavior but Larry treatment and sometime emotionally neglect made her mental illness worse and somewhat encouraged her behavior, and her behavior cause him to look elsewhere. cause and effect. I understand and sympathize with both sides, tho i tend to lean on Vivien's side of the story. They're both very talented and loved each other so much it's created destruction around them and themselves but it made their careers soar. Larry after her death, started to overwork himself that he would become ill often, i think it's because he tried his best to keep himself busy so he won't think of her too often and somehow make it up to her through his work, since their both so passionate about the theater.
sorry for the long post, i love them both so very much!
I understand. It was a sad situation all the way around...
I am sorry but Viven was mentally unstable and prone to manic behaviours. Aside from Finch - most other sexual one nighters were when she was in these manic states.
If she had been able to have the correct help - with what we know now, she could have been treated and those episodes controlled.
I find it disgusting that you talk about how she emotionally and mentally and PHYSICALLY abused him - Leigh was the one who had her eye smashed in when he threw her across the room into the corner of a dresser. Olivier was a drunk and an abuser himself - and he doesn't have a reason. Leigh, was sick and had rages and manic episodes and breakdowns because of her mental health. Not only this, but she was also dealing with TB - these lung/chest issues which have numerous side effects in their own.
He had affairs, his long term affair being with Plowright. Let's not pretend he is Mr Innocent here.
Their marriage lasted 30 years and truly loved and adored each other - and if Leigh had access to medical treatments that we have available now..... It would have been a very different road for Leigh!
For me, Olivier is not a nice person.
+Sezzy Says You do not think living with someone who verbally and physically abuses you is not a reason to drink? Yes, they both had affairs, but wake up Sezzy...a lot of media hype is involved in their relationship. In 1948 she told Larry she no longer loved him, and they lived with the façade for decades because they were the Oliviers. Even with his affair with Plowright, Vivien wanted the façade to go on...go on pretending and he had to end the lie. I see you still want to believe in fairytales and that is your privilege. But you show your idiocracy when you find my comments disgusting because they are an accumulation of what I have read and not in a fairytale book. As for as a 30 year marriage, there are a lot of them out there and they are marriages of convenience, nothing more. I do not know your age, but I would think you are somewhat young, 17 maybe. Oh, by the way, you do know Vivling enjoyed the bottle too? Yes, she had TB, but do you know she refused to do what the doctors suggested? She was quite the stubborn patient and even when it recurred, she did not want to seek treatment or do as suggested...told to rest, which her housekeeper Rosemary said she refused to do. Hope this wasn't too blunt for your sensitivities, you have your opinion and I have mine. Enjoy Disneyland Sezzy...
You would think LO would have had more patience with Marilyn Monroe since Vivian suffered from bipolar disorder.