Vivien Leigh and the Adaptation of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' | 1952

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In 1951, Vivien Leigh won her second Best Actress Oscar for playing Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire. In this video I look at some of the challenges posed by adapting that play for the screen and how she acted alongside the cast of the original Broadway production.
Here's my video about Vivien Leigh and Gone with the Wind: • Casting Scarlett O'Har...
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[@josephhillyard3040]

I'll always find it amusing that Vivien Leigh, one of the most British people to have ever lived, won both of her Oscars for (very convincingly) playing Southerners

[@GabyGibson]

Me, too. And marvelous roles to boot.

[@brianmagee6595]

Well the southern accents has its roots with the Brits. Particularly when you compare the two aristocrat's geological accents.

[@betteurbain7911]

@@brianmagee6595 Interesting! Would you tell me more please?

[@Kevin-rg3yc]

Hollywood have always had a weird obsession for British/non American playing American roles

[@TangoNoir798]

Also traditional british culture and traditional southern culture have a lot of similarities (adapted for region)

[@erenkran492]

Everyone blamed her performance as "old, classical era, over the top, overacting" including her peers and even the director; however, her performance entirely embraced and embodied Blanche's essentials and insecurities. She was utterly ahead of her time by insisting on giving that kind of performance. An acting master.

[@terrihilder8217]

Yes, I agree. However, let me just say that in Brando's biography he gave VL high praise in her role as Blanche. Brando said although he had worked with Jessica Tandy on stage in NY, he thought Ms. Leigh did a better job of acting and understanding the role of Blanche. I know that Kazan and some others had wanted Tandy as Blanche because they all had worked on stage together in NY. Apparently, Vivien even won Kazan over with all her hard work.

[@partycentralsales]

@@terrihilder8217 In the end Kazan said Leigh would have crawled across broken glass if she thought doing so would improve her performance. Williams also preferred Leigh’s performance over Tandy’s, saying she brought more to the role than even he envisioned.

[@kevinlatham5661]

i think it helped that Ms Leigh was seriously bi polar.

[@lixian0072000]

@@kevinlatham5661 Playing Blanche actually seriously worsened her mental illness, when she would break down later, she start saying the lines of Blanche in the film

[@timnail844]

Wonderful actress and yes she played a Southern lady so well!!

[@parsashojaei1352]

Her Blanche is even stronger than Scarlett. This performance is easily one of the best performances of all time in this history of cinema. Vivien Leigh has left her mark on cinema forever. May she rest in peace.

[@davy209]

I agree 100%! Yes Scarlett O Hara will always be Vivien Leigh’s most recognizable role but I think that Blanche Dubois is her personal best, in terms of acting!

[@felinequeen9243]

Yes her acting craft had been perfected and matured even further in The Streetcar Named Desire.

[@jeffreysuggs2799]

@@felinequeen9243 That goes without saying, life, & how one deals or at least confronts it will deepen or stifle our emotional intesity, studying, being a technically astute artist will allow this to be projected.. music dance drama all creative endeavors that requires the same sort of discipline

[@GA-1st]

Everything that's ever been said about Brando's acting talent is true. But when I first saw "Streetcar," it was Leigh's performance that stuck with me. Great video!

[@ahyan6681]

I don't hate him, I do like Brando, in my opinion he's the best actor of All time, but like I hate how he gets the attention

[@popgas3821]

I agree with this. For an old movie, this truly resonated with me due to Vivien Leigh’s stellar performance. Brando was there and amazing as per usual but not as amazing as his “On the Waterfront”. This movie was Vivien Leigh!

[@unpocodetodo33]

I'm totally with you, when I first saw the movie, I was like wow Vivien is so perfect in it

[@sit2go]

@@ahyan6681 Vivian Leigh gets attention too. She won her second Academy Award for this performance. So to say she doesn’t get credit is silly. Both gave equal great performances in this movie. The best part is that Brando and Leigh had different acting styles. One was Method and the other Classically trained theater. Both used their acting styles to creat electricity on screen.

[@flyingaviator8158]

same here, I knew her only from gone with the wind. Her charakter in a streetcar called desire seemed like a realistic version of that. This plastic theater worked so well becouse it had this two opposing elements of Vivien Leigh und Marlon Brando

[@skuLd20]

Author Tennessee Williams commented that Leigh's interpretation of the character was "everything that I intended, and much that I had never dreamed of," but in later years, Leigh said that her time as Blanche DuBois "tipped me over into madness".

[@crybabyland]

The Flamingo Hotel/Tarantula Arms scene with her and "Mitch" shows how amazing her range was. She went from coy and flirtatious to pitiful and distraught to bold and defiant in a matter of two minutes. I will always consider this woman the greatest actor that ever lived. It was in her bones.

[@44032]

I think having a 'classical' actor play Blanche was perfect because Blanche was so different than her surroundings and so afraid of dealing with reality, which eventually caved in on her. It was perfect casting.

[@alinasalageanu8676]

According to Hitch: "Vivien Leigh was absolutely right to play Rebecca, but Rebecca never appears in the film..".

[@2345678902345671]

Exactly.

[@ruthiehenshallfan99]

Her screen test was simply amazing... But not what they were looking for. A shame, as she and Olivier never did a Hollywood movie together like they wanted.

[@alinasalageanu8676]

@@ruthiehenshallfan99 There is no doubt about her acting abilities. However, I believe Hitch was right as her exceptional beauty and poise would not be a match for this particular role. It would be hard to believe she feels haunted or inferior to a former Mrs. de Winter.

[@macc.1132]

I think she could have pulled it off, however Joan Fontaine was incredible in the role, that of an insecure 20 year old "imposter" that moves into a haunted English manor. Rebecca is fantastic the way it is, no need to swap out anybody!

[@marypagones6073]

I kind of agree with Hitchcock, but I think it might have been an interesting choice. My Cousin Rachel, though, would have been perfect for her.

[@champagnesocialist3716]

The bkr stans are eatin good this month!!

[@GatorGirl04]

Leaving NO crumbs...we don't deserve such a creator🙌🙌🙌

[@yeowza564]

I tell you i screamed out loud when I saw this on my feed

[@ccwalksinthesun]

@@yeowza564 I also screamed! First I thought it was the other video of Vivian, but then I saw her tweet and rushed back to yt

[@champagnesocialist3716]

@@yeowza564 too relatable haha

[@bonganjalofuku471]

we really are

[@TeamSukiyo]

This movie, is the only movie I have ever seen, I felt that could rightfully have deserved to win *all 4 acting categories at the Oscars*

[@paulsuchy6210]

Agreed; although I would probably add "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?".

[@orpheus9037]

I would add Network to that group. Ned Beatty, who recently passed away, was nominated as supporting actor for his Network role and probably should have won. Bob Duvall should also have been nominated but wasn't.

[@ozybeastias8893]

It probably would’ve if Humphrey Bogart had won for Casablanca. In a lot of ways, his win for The African Queen was a career win. No disrespect to Bogart, but come one - everyone knows that was Brando’s Oscar.

[@paint9er]

fully agreed: easily the grandest quartet ever nominated.

[@jackroche5235]

Especially since Bogart wasn't that good in the African Queen

[@eamonndeane587]

It's tragic that Vivian Leigh would mirror her second Oscar winning character's mental degradation to the point that her career was severly hampered.

[@katemaloney4296]

Well, the tons of electro-shock treatments she received couldn't have helped her mental condition. And add in the TB, Vivien was a hot mess internally.

[@eamonndeane587]

@@katemaloney4296 Mental Health treatments in the Golden Age of Hollywood were the Pits, I will grant you that....

[@allisonchainz82]

I disagree that it was ruined. She was great in Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone and Ship of Fools. She even won a Tony for a broadway play Tovarich. She still excelled despite her illnesses, her directors were often beyond amazed at how strong she was, that she could go on stage right after electro shock treatment and not miss a beat in her performance. Your comment is such a disrespect to Vivien's accomplishments.

[@terrihilder8217]

@@allisonchainz82 Agreed! Even with her mental and physical issues throughout her life, VL still gave iconic performances. She won two best actress Academy Awards out of being in nineteen movies. Not too shabby. Can't help but wonder if she had focused on her film career more, no telling how many more Oscars she probably would have won. VL stayed active and worked right up until her death at 53.

[@eamonndeane587]

@@allisonchainz82 I apologise if my comment came off as derogatory. I will argue though that Ryan Murphy's depiction of Vivian Leigh in 'Hollywood' is one that's genuinely disrespectful.

[@MariaLuisa-vv4ug]

Love that Bogart said "The Academy Awards don't prove anything" to seem nonchalant and dignified just for Katharine Hepburn to then out his ass in the Cavett interview talking about how much he loved and cared about the whole thing

[@TheSongwritingCat]

That seems like an actor thing. If they didn't like attention/praise, they'd be in a different business.

[@freshname]

There's no contradiction at all. It's nice to be accepted by the people of your industry (that's the thing to love about getting an Oscar), but the award says nothing about the actual performance and one's acting powers. That's two completely separate things.

[@CatSharkie]

She deserved so much better and we were all robbed from the complicatedly beautiful performances she might have delivered. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on both the movie and this actor.

[@Ava-dx6zl]

I love this film so much, especially when you find out how much she was struggling with her mental health yet continued to go on filming

[@2615ParkAvenueAssociates]

Your videos have been a highlight for me on KZbin. I've loved Vivien Leigh's performances since I saw her first in "Gone With The Wind," and to know what she face off-screen is harrowing and only adds to the brilliance she brought to the screen. Thank you for honouring her in a way that shows her as one of the world's greatest actresses of all time. Her characters and acting stand the test of time. Thank you!

[@rebeccatucker-weidman495]

Thank you for giving Vivien the respect and admiration she so certainly deserves!

[@ladyreverie7027]

It's fascinating how Leigh's acting actually perfectly matches her character!

[@evanseago2301]

Vivien Leigh, one of the greatest actors, PERIOD!!👏🏻👏🏻

[@DanielPerez-pw1sr]

Vivien Leigh is easily my favorite actor/actress of the classic hollywood era. The little we have of her on screen is impactful and masterful.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Vivian Leigh was the OG “I’m a human beeeeeeeing”. I like how she’s savvy and aware of the roles she can perform.

[@carrieheffernan1685]

I feel that the narrator glossed over how extraordinary she was in Waterloo Bridge. If I am not mistaken it was Vivien's favorite movie that she did.

[@lumberlikwidator8863]

Ms. BKR, you are a born storyteller. Thanks for sharing your gift!

[@arman0612]

Vivien Leigh as Blanche DuBois gives the single best performance by a human being in film history. Another amazing video.

[@Mark-Smeaton]

It's hard to measure such a thing but I actually agree with you. And yet time and again, Kazan and Karl Marlden have slagged Vivien's performance, saying they preferred Jessica Tandy. Marlon Brando, to his credit, disagreed with them both and said he thought Vivien was brilliant.

[@2615ParkAvenueAssociates]

@@Mark-Smeaton It makes sense that Hunter, Kazan, Malden were akin to Tandy's broadway performance and loyal to her and perhaps--since I never saw Miss Tandy in this role on stage--(although I loved her in "Driving Miss Daisy") felt Miss Tandy originated the role as an American actress and should have the precedence in an American film. People may not know that Miss Leigh 'originated' the role on the London stage under Sir Olivier's direction. Perhaps there was a bit of America vs British rivalry as well: Kazan's stage direction vs Olivier stage direction. In the end, Lady Olivier was the bigger name which is what a film production cared about and in my humble opinion they weren't wrong. The woman sacrificed her own health for this role and deserved a second Oscar for a tremendous performance.

[@terrihilder8217]

@@Mark-Smeaton In fairness to Kazan he also said VL won him over with her hard work on the film. I have read that Karl Malden and his wife were very good friends with Jessica Tandy and her husband. Tandy worked with Kazan and the others on stage in NY. No doubt there was loyalty to Jessica Tandy because of that. Interesting that Kim Hunter and Vivien became good friends during the filming.

[@EarnestDavis-xt3uw]

I saw Miss Leigh's performance as Blanche for the first time at a showing at UNC Chapel Hill on campus in around 1981. I had seen Gone With The Wind many times before this, and i must say that this creation of Blanche just blew me away. I had researched Miss Leigh over the years, and new of her successes and struggles in life since Gone With The Wind. Somehow Miss Leigh's Blanche represented the changes in Miss Leigh's life herself. It is no wonder the performance affected Miss Leigh's mental health. She gave everything to that role. Even though i am male I related to her depiction of the woman who is cast aside and trying to stay relevant and desired. Blanche made some bad choices but who doesn't. It is a testemant to Miss Leigh;s talent and belief in the role that i actually pitied and admired Blanche at the same time. "Straight?....A line can be straight or a street, but the heart of a human being?" A wonderful line. Like you, i was astounded by how few films Miss Leigh agreed to do, but she won Oscars on both of her nominations. Like you, I wish there were more. Thank you Vivien Leigh for your artistry and your sharing it with us!

[@jacobinman7054]

I am obsessed with this series. Do you have any intention of getting around to supporting actresses? I’d eat my own hands to see you do a video on Ruth Gordon’s win.

[@eamonndeane587]

She did do a video on Rita Moreno's Supporting Actress win.

[@MiamiPush2theLimit]

Yesss! Ruth Gordon!!

[@katherinea.williams3044]

@@MiamiPush2theLimit She did one & it was PHENOMENAL! I hope you see it! Love & Light from Miami Shores🦚 Stay safe mate🌎🙏🏼 Peace & Prayers for Ukraine🇺🇦 Reasonable Pro-Lifer✨

[@chocolatesouljah]

This was an excellent tribute to the 2nd half of Ms. Leigh's career. Although she wasn't as busy as one would like for her to have been in Hollywood, her post "Streetcar" stage career was very busy. From 1951 - 1966 (1 year before her death) she had over a dozen credits in New York, London, and Australian/New Zealand tours. She even starred in a Broadway musical "Tovarich" in 1963.

[@nickhansen3127]

She actually won a Tony Award for her role in that musical.

[@pexnspecs]

Your videos are so beautifully done and they reflect a tremendous amount of research of cultural and women's history. Congrats to you! And for the record, Vivien's performance in this film is one of the most extraordinary performance of all of cinematic history.

[@isaaclopez-eb6yg]

She was one of the great actresses to ever exist.

[@ruthiehenshallfan99]

Just gonna come out and say it. Vivien Leigh is possibly the best actress to ever come across the screen. Her 1939 - 1965 film streak (performance wise) has never been matched, with her Scarlett possibly being the great film performance of all time. Hopefully, she will get all the love that she truly deserves for all of these performances.

[@eduardoramirezjr4403]

My favorite film of hers is “ The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone”.

[@MalloryNewcomb]

The whole time I was listening to you talk about her Blanche I thought “it sounded like she was so talented she must have made the choice to play the character that stilted… like she’s too good not to know there’s another way” but it sounds like she had a better vision for the character than even the director. Glad she stuck to her guns and he went eventually went with it. Having read the play, it seems like the classical style would be the best way to do Blanche

[@andreawilliams1509]

I stumbled into your channel while looking up costume designs in film. You are great at this area. You make me look at films I remember because I saw them and because I should see them. You do good work.

[@jauipop]

I LOVE this film. We studied it in literature along with the play over 20 years ago and it still gets to me every time I watch it.

[@cooperwesley1536]

I love Vivien Leigh. I'll take one of her over ten Katharine Hepburns every time it's offered.

[@alexandrevelloso292]

Vivian's acting is stunning. She's not one who's face you'll recognize immediately like Marylin Monroe, but her talent is a one in a million, one that no one can deny is one of the best in history. Although she isn't the most iconic, that's what makes her so amazing. She didn't make so many films that you cant tell which ones which, so you know she stands out. Vivian isnt mentioned enough when talking about great actresses.

[@greenbeans2]

It's a true testament to the direction/screenwriting even though they couldn't show the sex, sexuality and assualt. You know exactly know what is being hinted at or alluded to.

[@indiiedreamer]

"A streetcar" was my first "classical black and white" movie, so it has a very special place in my heart.

[@JohnJones-fg1dd]

The idea for Crawford for "Waterloo Bridge" is fascinating. If Crawford had had a huge hit with "Waterloo Bridge," would she have left MGM and not done "Mildred Pierce"?

[@shelleynobleart]

Again, your essays are incredibly well-researched and written.

[@deepfocuslens]

Couldn't disagree more on the Rebecca movie casting. Vivien to me seems more like she would be better suited to play Rebecca. The glimmer of wickedness in the eye, the sex appeal, charisma. Even in the screentest, it felt like a put on performance, a manipulative tactic, rather than making a genuine confession. Joan is demure, shy, and unglamorous, and very insecure, which is entirely the point for the protagonist.

[@1980rlquinn]

Likewise. Vivien Leigh is a powerful dramatic actress. But I don't feel she could have pulled out naïveté as naturally as Fontaine did.

[@heywoodjablome7535]

Likewise. Even her emotionally weaker characters have an air of being “mentally wrong”, such as with Blanche. There’s nothing physically or mentally wrong with Mrs. De Winter, she’s just very very timid and shy

[@1980rlquinn]

@@heywoodjablome7535 Actually, it's interesting you should say that, because that's the one aspect of the unnamed narrator that was missing from the film. In the books, she was a chronic maladaptive daydreamer. Had Hitchcock included this aspect of the character, including filming her reveries, I could easily see Vivien in the part. But without being able to be in her head as easily as we can be in the first-person narration of the novel, Fontaine simply being ignorant and sweetly naive works better, I think. Dominic Noble here on KZbin has done an adaptation review of the 1940 film against the book and goes into detail, if you're interested.

[@slc2466]

Fontaine was a slam-dunk in the role, same as Leigh in GWTW.

[@connor2953]

Could you do Judy Holliday defeats Gloria Swanson and Bette Davis?

[@screenactorsguilable]

JUDY comedic tour-de-force defeated 2 divas in the mutually similar roles ! Marvellous.

[@crybabyland]

@@screenactorsguilable I used to believe that Judy didn't deserve that Oscar win -- then I saw the movie a few years ago. She completely knocked it out of the park. So underrated.

[@liteflightify]

I still very much believe it should have gone to Gloria. But I don’t begrudge Judy’s victory.

[@davisonronald3877]

Yup

[@michaelcoyle487]

"Waterloo Bridge" is such a guilty pleasure movie! So melodramatic!

[@simt1973]

I bet Vivien Leigh could have done comedy, she is that talented! I always pictured her as playing Auntie Mame if Rosalind Russell hadn't worked out!

[@juliannearlene7244]

She did do comedy. The play Tovarich and also live shows for the troops in WW II.

[@chaseparker1500]

One of my all time favorite movies! Thank you for covering this!!!

[@derickyyy]

You don’t know how excited I got when I saw this video in my subscription feed!

[@StormyDay]

Totally agree with you about Vivian’s acting. If you had parents or grandparents that grew up during the 20s and 30s, you’d know they sometimes spoke differently, so while that not being the case necessarily with Blanche, she is a caricature of herself and further shows the disconnect with the younger characters, which is how older adults tend to appear to younger generations. Her grandiose way of doing things is a throwback to her era, sort of like the same disconnect with Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd. It’s a style of speaking that is more theatrical and perfectly showed the mental defects of both characters and highlighted by the generation gap. As adults get much older, at some point, we realize we recognize nothing in this current generation we can latch on to or understand, and it can be confusing and frightening. We see all of that in her performance, and one of the true gifts to this world. She definitely gave up her life for her craft, she may not have been into the new method acting of the time, but that starkness between the two styles divided the generational gap so perfectly in this movie. It’s really a spectacularly beautiful thing to behold.

[@popgas3821]

10:33 this, I always thought Brando's "The Method" and Leigh's completely different acting wouldn't work but the film itself says it all.

[@skyaltaria]

i just love viven leigh. thank you for doing her justice. she is and was not appreciated nearly enough, not even close.

[@garypatterson2055]

Vivien Leigh was not only beautiful but a great actress.

[@batman5224]

Kenneth Tynan was the very definition of a pseudo intellectual, but Vivien ripped him apart in the interview they did together.

[@frangg23]

The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone is surprisingly good too!

[@jerryschwartz6895]

My understanding is that Vivien Leigh’s London West End’s performance of Blanche was deemed to modern for Elia Kazan’s concept of the play/movie - i.e. in her production she didn’t wear all the pastel flowing clothes we see in the movie. In her first scene she wasn’t even wearing a dress, but a suit!. Jessica Tandy’s acting style was more the old fashioned British style of acting of a John Gielgud which Mr. Kazan liked because it showed the contrast with all the Method actors in the cast and underscored how old fashioned/quaint/twee/out-of-touch Blanche was. Mr. Kazan’s concern’s with Ms. Leigh’s performance was whether she would/could drop her modern take on the role and act more old fashioned.

[@orpheus9037]

Was looking forward to this one and am glad you finally took up Vivien Leigh's 2nd Oscar. That and her first win for GWTW do make for two of the most unusual bookend Oscars in any actor's career. Both films are eerily resonant as thematic narratives about the south, while the roles of Scarlett and Blanche are nearly inverted mirror images - one about a woman who fights and rises, the other about a woman who succumbs and descends into madness. They represent two of the greatest roles ever written for a women in the 2oth century and as if by some providential design, Leigh wound up playing both. But even more uncanny is that each role reflects a biographical aspect about Leigh's life and career at the time she played it. There is something very, very weird about this. I don't know if there's a God, but I'm convinced there are movie gods.

[@robynb9931]

As much as I would have loved another pairing of Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier on screen, I can't be mad that she ended up in Waterloo Bridge instead of Pride and Prejudice. She was amazing in that film.

[@arnepianocanada]

Clarity: I honour Vivien greatly. She'd have made a fine anybody; Joan Fontaine is the superlative Mrs De Winter, as Leigh for Scarlett and Blanche. Streetcar showed: even de-glammed, Vivien is a stunner (right indeed for that role.)

[@Richie8a8y]

You do such a marvelously thorough job in your research and have an innate ability to present all of it. From the sensationalism to the subtext you lay it all out elegantly.

[@robinhahnsopran]

1000000% my favourite film channel. Every new vid makes me feel so blessed. ✨

[@Ashley-vs8nu]

If you think of it Blanche in a way is a continuation of made up stories and unrealistic flighty positivity that Scarlett often utilized in Gone With The Wind Adore both films

[@RachelTension392]

I've been hoping for this analysis since you did your first Vivien Leigh video! Pride month was beautiful...all because of you.

[@josefinamautone1293]

loved this SO much. She is a queen

[@williesullivan3985]

Thank you for the wonderful videos! But to be honest I found this one quite disappointing. I had hoped you would dive more deeply into what made Vivien's performance as Blanche Dubois one of the greatest cinematic performances of the 20th century. We get so much "Brando Mania" around the film and so much of the "Vivien Leigh was too old school" that the story of the film has evolved into a Godfather prequel. I really appreciated how you pointed out how intentional Miss Leigh's style was for the character of Blanche and how that is why the chemistry between she and Brando was so electric. Why couldn't you have gotten into this more instead of focusing so much on the production code stuff? Anyway, thank you for doing these videos that are so well put together, informative and entertaining. Your videos on Joan Crawford are truly stellar! Please do one on Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine!!!!!

[@EyebrowCinema]

Awesome work as always. I really need to revisit A Streetcar Named Desire. I saw it pretty early in my journey as a classic film fan and a lot of its nuances were lost on me then.

[@margotflynn1591]

my favorite dramatic actress, such a captivating beauty....this will always be one of my favorite films !

[@StevesVara-yl3ii]

Vivien leigh iconica y hermosísima actriz

[@StevesVara-yl3ii]

Vivían leigh era bellísima y maravillosa actriz

[@mariannestover]

Beautiful video. Always and forever my favourite actress

[@saintcignatius]

you should read the fervent years by harold clurman. an interesting corollary to all this is that the Group Theatre in the 1930s was a major force in bringing Stanislavsky’s system to American acting. Stanislavsky’s form of acting was always referred to as a “system.” the members of the Group Theatre, including Lee Strasberg, Sanford Meisner and Stella Adler, took Stanislavsky’s ideas and developed them further into a Method. Stella Adler goes on to train Marlon Brando. Another member of the Group, Elia Kazan, goes on to direct films and, famously, infamously, names names before the Committee of Un-American Activities, including names of his fellow Group members. adds a wonderful amount more to the harsh division between acting styles and questions of censorship and what’s “appropriate” on the stage and in film! wonderful video xx

[@mariaboletsis3188]

My favorite performance for Vivien Leigh! Second to Gone With The Wind.

[@UncleMarco]

So brilliant, thank you! I am gonna deep dive into her filmography now. You are so good at getting an audience excited about the work of actresses.

[@stardusth2o]

Nah I’m about to cry I’ve been hoping you would do a video on this thank you SO MUCH

[@crawfordiano]

I'm allergic to vocal fry, but the content is too good to be missed.

[@johnreimler467]

As usual, I learn SO much from these videos. The depth and completeness of the research is astounding. I thought I knew just about everything there was to know about Vivien and "Streetcar" -- turns out I was wrong.

[@colliric]

Vivian and Marlon Brando absolutely nailed the chemistry in this film.

[@eamonndeane587]

And remained close friends until her death.

[@eddiereedbigband1]

Another brilliant documentary. Your commentary and biographical information is always spot on; congratulations ! As for Viv not getting the role of Rebecca, I say she did. I'd be willing to bet that, like me Vivian Leigh's beautiful and haughty spectral visage came into your mind each time Rebecca's name came up in the film. Simply the best performance Ms Leigh never gave. So again congratulations, your seemingly effortless accuracy, charm and wit wins again. P.S. Your scornful little laugh is the best part of this video. BRAVA !

[@BroadwayBabyyy744]

Thank you for featuring the mental illness part in depth...often overlooked a lot still dont know

[@quietraindrop6870]

It’s one of those rare times that I find myself disagreeing with anything on this channel. I don’t think that Hitchcock made a mistake by refusing to cast Leigh as a Mrs De Winter. The character is a mousy, shy, furtive girl who’s taken advantage of because of her naivete and lack of confidence. In no world could an actress like Leigh be that; it’s like casting Angelina Jolie as Cinderella. Now Pride&Prejuduce, that was such a shame. Hollywood missed out on a legendary Lizzie Bennet portrayal.

[@eamonndeane587]

It did work in a Radio Dramatization of Rebecca done by Lux Radio, but that benefited from not having Vivian's visual charisma.

[@quietraindrop6870]

@@eamonndeane587 with a radio adaptation, it makes sense that Vivien Leigh could play Mrs De Winter well. But imagine if she had been on-screen, made “plain” the same way that Grace Kelly was made “plain” in The Country Girl.

[@rstokes9630]

Love her! RIP Vivien 🙏

[@autumn7809]

One of my all time favorite performances. I love Tennessee William's plays and Blanche is such a weird, rich, deceptively deep character and Vivian captured all of it. Yeah, she's over the top, but not in the way that *bad* acting is over the top. She isn't hollow or artificial. She overacts because Blanche is acting in every moment of her life, and under that, there's still a real person. And you can see Vivian's performance shift and that artifice slip after Blanche shatters. As a woman with a mental illness that can, at times, get intense, Blanche as done by Vivian is one of my favorite and most cathartic characters to watch.

[@lileray1983]

Your video essays are so great!!! Can’t wait till the next one … 🤗

[@larrydirtybird]

I remember reading a quote by Brando, I think from the 1990s, in which he said that Jessica Tandy had been miscast is Blanche in the original Broadway production, that she was fantastic, but she didn’t naturally have the delicacy and fragility needed for the role, and Vivien Leigh was perfect for it. So it surprised me to watch this video and learn that there had been a sort of clash between them, as far as acting styles were concerned. After reading what he had said, I just assumed that he was happy that they chose Vivien Leigh over Jessica Tandy.

[@austindevine3883]

don't get me wrong Vivien is a legend but having watched both screen tests I think Joan Fontaine was the right choice for the second Mrs DeWinter

[@LucyLioness100]

She would’ve benefited from her husband being the male lead had Joan not been cast. No offense as to Vivien, but Joan was the right choice

[@slc2466]

There's a subtleness and mystery Fontaine brings to "I" in her tests none of her competitors capture. I guess Selznick came close to signing Anne Baxter but, with input by George Cukor, he fortunately opted for Fontaine, which paid off big-time for him, of course.

[@derrionbrown3923]

I was waiting for this one. 🔥🔥🔥

[@meganbuenrostro5031]

I was talking about this movie on my podcast when the notification for this video came up 😂

[@plainrosiejane]

you have no idea how happy i am your talking about Street Car ive rewatched a few times in the last two weeks LOL 😭 your timing !

[@1marilynable]

I have so much in common with her, I've been a fan for years. We both have had to endure the same mental health issues. I have severe PTSD from being stalked and stabbed by a stranger and I’m also bipolar which is a combination I have a hard time with. But over the years I’ve read up on some of her incidents where she had gone through very similar outbursts to me and we both have trouble with sleeping and relationships. I’ve always felt bonded to her. I can see in photos around the time she was in pain. But I also love her as a actress and think Olivier screwed her over in the end.

[@annikawittmann4967]

I love her so much. Her performance as Blanch pulled me out of a rut (ironic, I know). But how did Olivier screw her over?/gen

[@dontbefatuousjeffrey2494]

@@annikawittmann4967 He ultimately left her for the much younger (and far more stable) Joan Plowright, who was arguably a better stage actress. He was worn out from dealing with Vivien's mental health, but I am not sure he ever supported her through it as much as he could/should. I am also not sure he didn't rather resent Vivien's screen success.

[@terrihilder8217]

Not so sure that Joan Plowright was considered a better stage actress. I guess it is a matter of opinion. Although I have read that Katharine Hepburn stated that Olivier was resentful and somewhat jealous of Vivien's huge, iconic GWTW success. Hepburn was friends of both for many years. Olivier's son Tarquin from his first wife, said that as well. Yeah, I agree with you about Olivier being worn out with Vivien's issues. I can absolutely believe that. However, one thing I found out is there is a KZbin video by Vivien's great granddaughter Sophie, that mentions that Olivier and Leigh kept in touch through letters from time to time after they divorced. These letters were in VL's private correspondence. It was mentioned that Olivier actually came to see VL at her summer home for lunch at Tickeridge Mills outside of London. I think there were still feelings for each other... Afterall, Vivien had Jack Merivale in her life. She wasn't alone. While Merivale may not have been the great passion Olivier was, there is a whole lot to be said for peace of mind and being able to get along with someone and not have to deal with the noted Olivier ego. Kind of reminds me what Lucille Ball said about living with Gary Morton after Desi Arnaz.

[@partycentralsales]

@@terrihilder8217 Hepburn’s quoted opinion of Olivier: “First rate actor, second rate human being.”

[@loisreese2692]

This is an amazing retrospective and deep look into Miss Leigh. Thank you.

[@richardmcleod1930]

Odd that Vivien Leigh oftentimes stated her favorite movie role was the one she played in "Waterloo Bridge".

[@rstokes9630]

I love Vivien Leigh. She was a great actor. I also sympathize with her mental health issues which plagued her life and cost her dearly. RIP beautiful Vivien ❤

[@LeeseePieces]

Clicked the notification for this with the fury of a thousand Scarletts.

[@kumudinipictures]

One of my favorite actress EVER! Hollywood on Netflix totally fucked up her character. Katie McGuinness, I think, didn’t do Leigh justice. I shouldn’t have expected anything from Ryan Murphy.

[@eamonndeane587]

Considering how often Murphy revels in Camp Exploitation in his work (with his HBO adaptation of The Normal Heart being a rare exexption), he really shouldn't be anywhere near handling the topic of Mental Health.

[@GrandArchPriestOfTheAlgorithm]

As a priest in the Church of the Algorithm, I bless this video with a comment.

[@romanlytollis5615]

Vivien Leigh is an all time favourite omgg

[@margotflynn1591]

revelatory observation that Leigh's more "classical" training juxtaposed by Brando's "new age method acting" is part of what made it work .....it only served to highlight Stanley and Blanche's polarizing perspectives and values, which was essential in creating the tension necessary between the two characters.

[@sammygirl6910]

I'm always thrilled when you upload. Such amazing content!

[@hedrickelijahdavid]

Your channel is everything. Thank you so much for your hard work. Would love to see an episode on Liz Taylor and Sandy Dennis in Virginia Woolf. ❤️

[@mariaseiple9433]

"I;ve been waiting for this one..."

[@Leftatalbuquerque]

You can always depend on the kindness of strangers to buck up your spirits and shield you from dangers. Now, here's a tip from Blanche you won't regret: a stranger is a friend you haven't met. You haven't met! STREETCAR!

[@natalie651]

So excited for this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She was so perfect in this. Can't wait to see your thoughts!

[@boredhousewifelife]

This is my favorite movie. Mulholland Drive and this are pretty much tied at the top.

[@richardgibson50]

Fantastic! Thank you so much for this comprehensive look at the movie and Vivien Leigh. Wonderfully done. I am subscribing to such excellence!

[@Susieq26754]

What's sad is this movie took it's toll on Lady Leigh's nerves. Bless her dear soul.