CASTING A LEGEND

Costume & make-up screen tests for the main cast of Gone With The Wind

[@Handiman544]

Being "good enough" was never the issue. Any good actress could have played that part. Vivien Leigh was one of those actresses who had "it." You can't describe it, you can't learn it, you can't buy it, you can't ignore it. It jumps out at you no matter what she's doing. She could make a funny face and it would be breathtaking. She had a glow sparked by some magic deep inside. When she was first introduced to the producer, she took his breath away and he instantly knew she was Scarlett. That is what makes a star.

[@carameliedonut]

Yes, you're right. Vivien Leigh had something that can't be explained, but can be called. «It» seperated her from millions of other pretty actresses and allowed her to play Scarlett O’Hara. She was the star shining brightly. And, as the unique phenomenom, she was necessarily noticed...

[@lucialu833]

@@carameliedonut :you guys just described scorpio woman.

[@paxdomini6061]

I read someplace that when she walked in a room, all heads turned and she was even more beautiful in person.

[@tombasye1016]

Very Much Your Right.

[@theuninvited1944GR]

The "It" that you mention Vivien Leigh had is called charisma.It was,and still is, what all the great Classic Hollywood Actresses had, that special, magnetic charm that the movie camera,as well as the movie going audience, loved.Vivien Leigh had charisma, but add to it great acting ability, beauty,charm,and having the lovely green eyes that Margaret Mitchell wrote Scarlett O'Hara had in her novel,"Gone With The Wind".

[@kaleighp7723]

Vivien Leigh was absolutely beautiful. Gone With the Wind would not have been as good if another girl played Scarlett. Vivien was born to play that role.

[@csnr1227]

It was meant to be Vivien! Meanwhile, I would read this all day long: Towards the end of 1936, Hepburn vied for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind. Producer David O. Selznick refused to offer her the part because he felt she had no sex appeal. He reportedly told Hepburn, "I can't see Rhett Butler chasing you for twelve years." Thank you David!

[@Sealust50]

Vivien Leigh's face actually gives me chills!!! Can a woman be THAT GORGEOUS and not be a LIVING DOLL?

[@amberspecter]

Meanwhile, Scarlett O'Hara was supposed to be decidedly not beautiful. I always find that funny

[@michaelsweeney5559]

Yet everyone who met her said that she was so much more beautiful in real life

[@gladystoukie]

She was Scarlett O'Hara!!! Her face and hair and figure, everything, a complete fit for the character . No wonder she felt like that part belonged to her!!!

[@lindasturm699]

I could never imagine anyone else as Scarlet O'Hara than beautiful Vivian Leigh.

[@teresawicks-kq3bq]

Linda Sturm, ME EITHER!!

[@SM-gl8yo]

Miss Leigh walked right out of the pages of 'Gone with the Wind'.

[@csnr1227]

No wonder David's brother, Myron, when introducing her to David said "meet Scarlett O'Hara."

[@andrewforte3852]

No movie in the history of cinema before or since has ever casted two people (Vivien Leigh & Clark Gable) for their roles (Scarlett O'Hara & Rhett Butler) with such sublime perfection.

[@sl4983]

Olivia De Havilland was an absolute given also. No question the part of Melanie was for her.

[@finallythere100]

Casting to perfection .. Amazing to see now, a mere moment in time...

[@terrywade3696]

Vivien Leigh had the ability to command the attention of everyone in the room! The camera loved her. She could almost not take a bad picture. She knew her face well and could cast a gaze that could not only show her fierceness and arrogance but also her vulnerability and childlike coquettishness all at the same time! She was mesmerizing. I can’t think of any of our great actresses who could do that. She was like a fiery, spirited horse who could only be tamed by the velvet, gentle hand of the camera who worshipped her. The fact that she was an English actress who was able to capture perfectly the mannerisms of Southern women and master the Southern drawl as well, demonstrated what a fine actress she really was. There could only have been one Scarlet O’Hara and that was Vivien Leigh! Gone With The Wind would never have reached its zenith without her.

[@sl4983]

My gosh, she was STUNNING, and the ONLY actress who was fit for the role of Scarlett O'Hara.

[@teresadbrownbrown3785]

Yes

[@serenitypeaceandcomfort3669]

I am sure they gasped as Vivien Leigh stood before them. She is mesmerizing. You cannot take your eyes off of her beauty.

[@lawrencesait3432]

So true.

[@CapstoneTider]

What a profile Leigh had. You cannot define the true physical beauty with seeing a profile shot. Leigh's profile is the most beautiful I have ever seen in my life.

[@sl4983]

Same, most beautiful I have ever seen.

[@nancyayers6355]

Others thought so too in real life. The first time Lawrence Olivier saw her in a movie commissary, as she passed by him (and his wife was having lunch with him, so she witnessed this,) she paused just for a couple of seconds, bent down and gave him a light kiss on his cheek. It was not long before each of them left their spouses and got married!! At the time, Olivier had a newborn son at home (and she had a very young daughter!) Actually, she and a girlfriend had attended a stage play he was starting in. When he came onstage, she leaned over and whispered to her friend, "I'm going to marry him one day!" Evidently she meant it!!

[@Michael-ll3ms]

Vivien Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner all had perfect profiles.

[@teresadbrownbrown3785]

Agree

[@Chief205]

How beautiful. She was born for the part.

[@ahyan6681]

the fact she beat some of hollywood's greatest actresses of that time and in history shows how talented she is

[@lawrencesait3432]

We have to thank David o Selznick for him picking Vivien Leigh,he had a Lot of money riding on this film he could have chose a box office Star as big Hollywood stars wanted the part, the rest is history, just goes to show what a talent he was

[@jimanderson5883]

Vivien Leigh was born to play Scarlett. She WAS Scarlett. No one else could have come close to her impeccable portrayal.

[@TheGeekMonster]

It's those eyebrows. High, perfectly arched. They made every glance of her eyes utterly commanding.

[@birgitmatzat472]

All the casting roles of Gone with The wind were perfect! Scarlett, Mister Butler, Aschley, Melanie and so on, it could not be better...

[@flagal519]

What a perfect, flawless face.....exquisite bones on this woman, hypnotizing eyes.....This is my favorite movie of all time, but I honestly never realized how beautiful Vivian Leigh was.

[@anthonyhebisen]

Vivien said beauty was a great handicap. It must have been crippling for her then because her beauty exceeded this world and entered a realm of divinity. Her face and eyes had this prowling almost feline structure . She was aware that her beauty was spellbinding. With every one of her devilish smiles, there’s a gleam in her eyes knowing she has you hypnotized.

[@audreyblack6323]

There can be no better casting than the exquisite Vivien.Because of this movie she will never be forgotten. Clark Gable was also a great choice to play Rhett as was the lovely Olivia de Havilland to play the gentle Melanie.Thank you for this.

[@jimmyratz]

Please add Leslie Howard to this list also.

[@johnchipol7716]

As margaret Mitchell said david picked the perfect cast

[@paxdomini6061]

I think everyone was picked perfectly for their part. A lot of the success of the movie is that Scarlett is so captivating and you can’t get enough of her (and her beauty).

[@billcipher2893]

@@jimmyratz Leslie was a miscasting

[@lindanolan1447]

I named my daughter Melanie for the character in GWTW.

[@vonkvetch]

Fabulous! Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable make most of our modern day movie stars look anaemic. Thanks so much for posting this video!

[@teresadbrownbrown3785]

Agree

[@UndercoverCracker]

She was beyond beautiful.....really.

[@gulmerton2394]

Oh my god! Vivien Leigh was sooo above everybody else ! It is almost so unfair to the other actresses of the film! They all seem so dull and common compared to her! How could anybody compare ?

[@Tanguynew08]

Yes Vivien is definitely divine. And the perfect Scarlett, no doubt about that. The music is from Khatchaturian.

[@Sarah-wf2bl]

Nobody could have been a better Scarlett. Absolutely perfect casting in every sense.

[@dianawest3976]

She was gorgeous and the perfect Scarlet O’Hara ☺️💕

[@sugarlove]

Miss Leigh is a real queen!

[@zenry6327]

Then do call her your majesty 👑👑😂

[@gayaanimation8685]

For sure! What a queen!

[@DAVEJJR]

Vivien Leigh was absolutely breathtaking and Clark Gable, sexy as hell....Olivia de Havilland beautiful and Leslie Howard, so, so elegant.... This has to be the most perfect casting in the history of films!!!!

[@darlenekanyo673]

I so agree. My only regret is not asking my parents more about the film. Going to the film was their first date. I didn't own the movie, until my parents died and I've watched it over and over. I have loved it for over 20 years, I believe it to be the best film ever made.💖

[@davidcopson5800]

I don't know, Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl was pretty inspired (ha ha).

[@davidallen508]

If we are talking about “Perfection”, I would select the casting of Julie Andrews as Maria in “The Sound of Music” ; any other singing actress would have been nauseating in that role on film.

[@danzbutrfly]

Wow..wonder what the heck it felt like to be so, so very beautiful...damn she was gorgeous!

[@terrencesu916]

danzbutrfly my thoughts exactly

[@ardis474]

Gable was peeved that he was assigned the role of Butler and it shows. He wanted no part of playing a character that so many people had a fixed preconception of in their minds. Luckily, that image turned out to be Clark Gable. (Ditto he had already done one 19th century costume epic--Parnell--and it bombed.) The pristine Vivien Leigh was beyond beautiful: elegant, intelligent with an exquisite voice--and a superlative actress.

[@margaretmccleskey6971]

ardis 4 He did "San Francisco"...also a "period piece".

[@beckylink]

Margaret McCleskey And he’s very good in that. (San F) He had wanted Crawford to do Parnell. It would have been better.. those two had really sparkling chemistry together. (8 films)

[@denzo30]

Man.... Vivien had the most incredible face.... Wow!!!!

[@Zva26]

Vivien Leigh was not only a gorgeous woman, but was a superlative actress. Of course she won the 1939 best actress Oscar for Scarlett O' Hara, but she won a SECOND Oscar in 1952 for playing Blanche du Bois in Tennessee William's "Streetcar Named Desire". She was also a noted stage actress and performed Shakespeare alongside her husband Laurence Oliver. Leigh also won a Tony Award in 1963, and starred in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" on the London stage in 1964. She also starred in 1961's "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" and "Ship of Fools" in 1965. She was beautiful until the end of her life in 1967 when she died at age 52. Though she died while still young and at an age where she could have had more great years, she had a great career nevertheless. A shame that she suffered from a bi-polar disorder, which led to her divorce from Laurence Oliver in 1959. She was a gorgeous lady and an incredibly talented actress.

[@davidcopson5800]

Indeed. 53 though when she died.

[@joanking3025]

Don't forget one of my favorites "Waterloo Bridge"

[@The15secondsOfame]

This was enjoyable to view. Amazing footage. Thee actors were paired absolutely perfectly. Gorgeous! Thank you.

[@nancyayers6355]

Actually, in real life Gable and Leigh were not enemies, but not good friends, either. He had to wear dentures. They caused really bad breath, and she dreaded scenes where she had to kiss him! Also, Vivien felt that the Director always preferred to cozy up more with Gable than with any of the actresses! No sexual overtones, the Director thought of himself as a Type A guy. He loved to hunt wild game in Africa, etc., and he looked at Gable as a "he-man" like him. But his preference for Gable upset Vivien and she really came to resent him! (both of them!)

[@MTknitter22]

@@nancyayers6355Vivian was high strung and didn’t like Victor Fleming as he was a man’s man type Director and she wanted a Director catering more to her. The dentures story is overblown and Vivian’s long time secretary finally said so. She thought the world of Gable BUT being British she had little in common with him. She also was under incredible pressure during filming.

[@HLniicole1]

amazing gone with the wind !! Vivien was so beautiful and the movie had the perf

[@TheBigValley]

Precious document! Vivien Leigh was perfect as Scarlett O'Hara. Could not be best choice!

[@carryall69]

those screentest are so beautiful and surreal. they were all so adorable. loved it so much, thank you..

[@Chief205]

Thank you for the upload of these incredibly, talented, unique people, who gave us Gone With The Wind. I watch it once every year.

[@Tsunade11]

Oh my God, beauty does no justice to Vivien Leigh!

[@lolly2222aa]

This guy was a genius - what casting. Thank you for this marvelous post. LOVED every inch of it. Lolly

[@Tanguynew08]

Thank you.

[@beckylink]

This is fantastic! I've only seen bits of these but not all. Vivien is truly the fairest of them all. I have never seen a face more beautiful...more fluid...with such repose and grace, yet fire. God's perfection. Thank you so much for this Tanguy.

[@MapleSyrupPoet]

Olivia! Incredible actress ...camera, absolutely loved her

[@moonstarr8053]

Scarlett was a heroine....not a villain, lol. Scarlett was a survivor. The war is the villain.

[@thomlin8812]

She was also her own worst enemy. I used to, long ago, treat myself to GWTW once a year. There is, of course, much about Scarlett's marriages and children left out of the Selznick production. If anyone 'really' wants to know Scarlett, then reading the book is a must!♥ I agree that she was a survivor. In that she did what had to be done to save Tara, (from the Yankee army and the carpet-baggers), that she made sure Melanie and the baby survived,...so much courage and determination. How could anyone not love Scarlett?! I'm a fan for life.☺

[@Popchaaa0731]

Theres a kind of character called anti heroine.

[@annmhtown9226]

Exactly!

[@AnnaLVajda]

It's stupid how people need to categorize characters like that good or bad as though there are no complexities in life or grey areas. She sure had a lot of trauma even more in the book.

[@angelinalozada189]

That is how I see here, not a Victim at all!!

[@kikalcala]

maaaan Vivien is just stunning, as a straight woman I can just but keep on watching her mesmerized... hahaha

[@nancyayers6355]

Same here!

[@davidcopson5800]

I love that straight talking.

[@alp7928]

can't take my eyes of Gable. legend!

[@No1KCfan6]

vivien was really spellbindingly beautiful

[@user-cf7pe3qg1c]

Leigh....stunning!

[@terrencesu916]

Vivien leigh, Surreal beauty and grace.

[@patdharam]

I never could figure out how Scarlette was the villain ... in real life no one could have accomplished what she did... in my books she is the heroine...

[@artsmith1972]

Good lord she was a beautiful woman ! I mean just gorgeous ! (Vivien Leigh)

[@beckylink]

This video is as captivating and perfectly done as it could possibly be, Tanguy! It still thrills me! The Khachaturian sets the mood for the magnitude of Vivien's beauty and of the entire production. Gable's sweeping intro is fabulous!!! Love, love, love!! Chills!! Long live GWTW, and the other-worldly, astonishing beauty of Vivien Leigh, which could only come from above!

[@sl4983]

True, and well said all of it!

[@beckylink]

LM Djnchen Why, Thank you !! 😊

[@barryjacobs8524]

Made for the part. Enchanting. Beautiful and cunning but in a lovely way. R I P Vivian.

[@stregadisalem]

I don't lament that I was born in whatever year I was born in. You can't control that part of you. I appreciate it now and that's all that matters. Thanks to the magic of film, generations to come will appreciate it all over again. The only thing I lament is how quickly time goes. How beautiful everyone was, including the men.

[@lidingnewbold3076]

Vivien is so beautiful and cute!

[@judywhiting4684]

Libing Newbold...June Allyson was CUTE...Vivien Leigh.was stunningly GORGEOUS.......

[@animandolasletras]

Mr. Gable was so handsome!!

[@rinwesley3092]

When movie stars were otherworldly.

[@ladyarthuria]

When movie stars know how to dress up properly, there wasn't cheap piercings and silly tattos. No heavy make up that make actress looking fake & more mature.

[@omarnoah]

Never again have i seen a more beautiful and stunning actress in Hollywood than Vivien Leigh all the way till January 2019!!! . What a wise choice that was to grant her that role. I have watched every one of her movies. Gone with the Wind - my favorite movie of all times!!!!

[@gulmerton2394]

I agree with you about Vivien Leigh and the movie. But have you ever seen Elisabeth Taylor ?

[@maya_jones3411]

@@gulmerton2394 Elizabeth was overrated. Vivien Leigh, Ava Gardner and Gene Tierney were much more better looking.

[@lawrencesait3432]

@@maya_jones3411 I agree

[@ragingbearbull]

Vivien Leigh was the most beautiful woman then and now.

[@ericblair8821]

Quite beautiful indeed, but I'll go with Ava Gardner.

[@paztizzi2719]

eric blair Ava Gardner was so madly overrated. In my opinion she wasn't even that pretty at all, not even a patch on the likes of Vivien, Hedy Lamarr, or Gene Tierney.

[@TheRebekah1967]

Porcelain Queen of

[@nnennaubi3092]

Porcelain Queen I agree.

[@bettycooper6252]

Chri

[@johnnowakowski4062]

The casting of Leslie and Olivia were the contrast to the rogues Vivian and Clark. Scarlet wanted Leslie as an idea, but her inner self was the opportunistic Rhett. Rhett in turn could see through Scarlet's facade. A great study in the interplay of Jungian archtypes...

[@paulinegail20]

Vivien Leigh was really Perfect for the role Scarlett O'Hara because it adds so much empathy in her Personality and I noticed that she doesn't give so much Effort but she really great and she gave her very best... And she wouldn't get an Oscars if she doesn't???

[@JackEnnis]

Thank you for this! Some footage I'd never seen... and I've seen more than most!

[@TlalGalaxia]

Oh, look at that line... Vivian Leigh has the grace of a swan

[@takaono7243]

Vivien Leigh in reality was a lot like her counterpart in GWTW. She was ambitious as all hell when it came to her career and her desire for stardom, so much so that it cost her her first marriage. And her tumultuous decades-long relationship with Sir Lawrence Olivier mirrors Scarlett and Rhett's relationship in many ways as well.

[@keithnaylor1981]

Wonderful, with fitting music. I wonder if any of them thought they could be making the most watched movie of all time! Shame CinemaScope did not come along 14 years earlier!

[@gatabella3]

Thank you so much for this wonderful video! Vivien is divine! Great music!

[@cahfreniesss]

Vivian era lindaaaaaa, junto com Clarck são perfeitos!!!!

[@MapleSyrupPoet]

Viv, and Clarke ...just remarkable duo

[@renatekoell]

Leslie Howard, what a beautiful and elegant man, the perfect Ashley, such a wonderful contrast to Clark Gable.

[@TheTeacher1020]

Beauty and talent!

[@youisastar3246]

How amazing is it that she was the least paid out of the four principal actors. $25,000 with no royalties. After all, it was largely her who made the film work. Plus, her name was listed below Gable's. It was funny because Rhett was no where near Scarlett's equal in the novel let alone the lead character.

[@kevinhisle2159]

Time from civil war till movie roughly 80 years and now roughly 80 years since movie. Really just a blink in time.

[@parakeet8157]

Such an epic movie! Glad they waited until they had the perfect cast.

[@zaijiujianghu]

Oh my, 4:50, Vivien Leigh and Gable look so perfect together!!

[@KeithAbellanosa]

I can stare at her beautiful face for 24hrs!

[@evacoulouri1322]

So beautiful woman....perfect elegant passionate fresh amazing for this role you understand from the beginning that she was perfect for this play she was glowing.....and Clark also....amazing cast.....

[@Juanchosinmiedo]

Vivien Leigh...from the India for all the world!!!!!!

[@Lyrinda]

I can't imagine (perhaps my failure of imagination...) any contemporary actor who could do better than Clark Gable or any actress who could outdo Vivien Leigh.

[@robertodebenedetti613]

Vivien leigh the first nobody else like her

[@trishizet59]

I agree, I like that character and the actress too, Olivia de Havilland, though not a beauty, was pretty enough and she had a lovely nature, very charming. And Vivien Leigh was one of the most beatiful women on the screen

[@stregadisalem732]

Patricia Zapata Olivia de Havilland IS a beauty, not just pretty. And her beauty doesn’t take away from that of Ms. Vivien Leigh.

[@rhondafenner1893]

@@stregadisalem732 I totally Agree w/ you😊Both Vivien&Olivia their Beauty&Talent are out of this World...i must say I could add a couple of more names too this list💖

[@edwindelaguila1505]

increibles imagenes, los personajes perfectamente elegidos

[@kimmysue2259]

Absotively PERFECTION!!

[@gercoup137]

Everybody in GWTW was so BEAUTIFUL!!!

[@diankreczmer6595]

You have to hand it to the Brits for acting, except for our Clark gable The story was truly brought to life!

[@TomRipley7350]

Breathtaking.

[@ericdemilo2497]

Vivien Leigh was absolute perfection. She was the best choice to play Scarlet.

[@hhelenawang]

The music when Clark Gable comes on is so fitting

[@KarinaBelkina]

Incredible!! What a beautiful era! ✨✨✨

[@margonca17]

In words of Salieri "Abstolute beauty..."

[@lauraellen189]

Vivien Leigh was just stunning!! So was Heddy Lamar!

[@davidcopson5800]

Truer words were never spoken.

[@renarga6886]

Vivien Leigh was born to play Scarlett O'Hara - no doubt about it. But I would love to see how the movie would have been like with Rita Hayworth as Scarlett. From what we can see in movies such as "The Loves Of Carmen", she would surely have been the second best choice for the role.

[@stevieg6418]

1:07 so beautiful

[@KeithAbellanosa]

Aphrodite seen at 4:15-4:37 ! Oh, no it can't be... It's Vivien Leigh and no one compares to her, not even Aphrodite!

[@katharinanedel2409]

Thank you for this rare Material!

[@judywhiting4684]

What a GORGEOUS creature...takes your breath away....and Gable was at his most handsome....

[@tombasye1016]

Vivien Leigh Was Everything For Such A Classic, Wonderful Movie.

[@reigelro]

Beautiful Vivien like always. Thank you for posted this video.

[@debbielundberg9379]

My fave film.

[@mariluleon7520]

Los mejores actores, la escenografía más espectacular, los efectos especiales más logrados, un excelente guión para la película más hermosa y atrapante de toda la historia del cine. 😍🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@stephy7475]

80 years old this year 2019! My God!

[@MExenberger]

Paulette Goddard did not have the theatrical experience of Vivien, graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. I think, led by Chaplin, she would have gotten the role of Scarlet. Goddard is perfect in the two films he did alongside the brilliant director / actor of The Great Dictator and Modern Times. Curiously, she was afraid of being forgotten if she only worked with Chaplin, but it was with him that she remained unforgettable.

[@gulmerton2394]

When you look at her casting tests , she looks a little bit like Vivien Leigh....but then, unfortunately for her, appeared Vivien, the real Scarlet.....and she had to go...

[@MTknitter22]

@@gulmerton2394Paulette was a great star but her screen test demonstrated she could not carry off Scarlett O’Hara. Scarlett required much more than a sassy southern accent.

[@lynnpeppa1]

Terrific video.....THANKS!

[@andanangelskiss]

Love this movie! I'm only 12 and I LOVE old movies!