"Vivien Leigh: Scarlett & Beyond" is a decent 1990 bio of Vivien Leigh, who gave us such a vivid portrayal of Scarlett O'Hara, Blanche DuBois, and appeared with great success in films like "Waterloo Bridge," "That Hamilton Woman," and "Ship of Fools." There are some wonderful clips and photos of the young Leigh, supplied by her daughter Suzanne, as well as home movies of Leigh and Olivier and film clips of early performances. The focus of the bio is her rise to stardom and her love affair and marriage to Laurence Olivier.
Though there are many references to her mental illness, it seems to be downplayed. It isn't clear why - it certainly wasn't the poor woman's fault that she suffered from manic-depression, but the effects of this were not mentioned: her removal from an airplane, her attempt to run away with actor Peter Finch (the inspiration for the film "The VIPS"), and the most stunning effect of all - that she would stand backstage hallucinating and walk onstage and be letter perfect. The pity is that back then, there was nothing to help her.
The effect of Leigh's illness on her marriage is mentioned, but one is left with the impression that Olivier dumped her for a younger woman. He did, but don't tell me this disease, uncontrolled, is easy to live with. Rachel Kempson (Mrs. Redgrave) said "Larry got tired." Tired? An understatement I'm sure.
Vivien Leigh was a tremendous actress and an equally great beauty. Though this is a good documentary, with interviews with the aforementioned Rachel Kempson, Garson Kanin, John Gielgud and others, it could have been more in depth. Yes, she was beautiful, yes, she was fragile, but she was so much more. Narrated and hosted by Jessica Lange, an odd choice, and the result is uneven.
