Tuesday 5 November 2013

The perfect English rose





“Only England could have produced her. She was the perfect English rose. When the door opened and she was there, she was so terribly good-looking. She had such an exquisite unreality about her.” - Diana Vreeland



"[Her] ravishing beauty often tended to obscure her staggering achievements as an actress. Great beauties are infrequently great actresses — simply because they don’t need to be. Vivien was different; ambitious, persevering, serious, often inspired.” - Garson Kanin



“As a beauty, she was at the top of the tree. She never went through an unbeautiful phase.” - David Niven



[While married to Lawrence Oliver, who became a Lord:] “Her Ladyship is fucking bored with formalities, and would like to be known as Miss Vivien Leigh!”

Today is the centenary of the birth of the divine Miss Leigh.

The V&A recently acquired her archives, which went on display to the public this autumn.

4 comments:

  1. Si belle, si delicat. Comme le fleur de la nuit qui ouvre ses petales delicats a quelques admirateurs.*d'Anjou

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    Replies
    1. Frail, fragile, and yet fearsome - particularly when she had one of her "episodes" with her illness. Jx

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    2. D'une immense frustration interieure, l'esprit crie. *d'Anjou

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