Olivia de Havilland, Last of the Legends, R.I.P.
“I would prefer to live forever in perfect health, but if I must at some time leave this life, I would like to do so ensconced on a chaise longue, perfumed, wearing a velvet robe and pearl earrings, with a flute of champagne beside me and having just discovered the answer to the last problem in a British cryptic crossword.”
The world was shaken up by the sad news of Olivia de Havilland's passing last weekend, the 25-26th of July.*) When I read it on the Filmoteca's Instagram account, I was shocked by it, even though such news was to be expected of someone who had reached the advanced age of 104. Olivia had celebrated her birthday just a couple of weeks ago (on the 1st of July). She died of natural causes, peacefully in her sleep at her home in Paris where she had lived since 1955.
I was saddened by the news as so many others are, not just because Olivia was such a great lady, on- and off-screen, but she was the last living legend of the Golden Age of Hollywood and it makes me sad to think that almost everybody is gone now (except maybe for Marsha Hunt who's still alive at 102 years).
*) Some sources name the 25th of July as her date of passing, some say the 26th. I think it must have happened at night and because of the time difference between Europe and the United States there are two dates. Her English Wikipedia page says 25-26 of July.
During the course of her career, Olivia appeared in 49 feature films. She made her film debut in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) and gained fame with her role as Melanie Hamilton in Gone With the Wind. Her partnership with Errol Flynn is well known and they would play together in a total of 9 films. She was nominated for an Oscar five times: for Gone With the Wind — her only nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role —, Hold Back the Dawn*), To Each His Own, The Snake Pit and The Heiress; she won twice, for To Each His Own and The Heiress. In the 1940s she took on the studio system (she was contracted by Warner Bros) who had complete control over their actors. The stars were bound by contracts of a maximum of seven years but studios abused this time limit by adding suspension time to the contract. Olivia tackled the suspension clause and it was ruled unlawful.
*) In the same year Olivia's sister Joan Fontaine (with whom she had a lifelong feud) was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Hitchcock's Suspicion and it was Fontaine who won, only adding more fuel to the sibling rivalry.
I don't want to focus on Olivia's biography — you can read about her life here — and if you're interested in reading about the famous De Havilland Law, go here.
What I want to do is have a look at the films I've seen of her so far and list them. Most of them I have only seen once, just my favourites I have seen multiple times.
Here is the list of the total of 30 films seen, arranged in watching order (I cannot remember the exact order of the films first seen in childhood):
I was saddened by the news as so many others are, not just because Olivia was such a great lady, on- and off-screen, but she was the last living legend of the Golden Age of Hollywood and it makes me sad to think that almost everybody is gone now (except maybe for Marsha Hunt who's still alive at 102 years).
*) Some sources name the 25th of July as her date of passing, some say the 26th. I think it must have happened at night and because of the time difference between Europe and the United States there are two dates. Her English Wikipedia page says 25-26 of July.
During the course of her career, Olivia appeared in 49 feature films. She made her film debut in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) and gained fame with her role as Melanie Hamilton in Gone With the Wind. Her partnership with Errol Flynn is well known and they would play together in a total of 9 films. She was nominated for an Oscar five times: for Gone With the Wind — her only nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role —, Hold Back the Dawn*), To Each His Own, The Snake Pit and The Heiress; she won twice, for To Each His Own and The Heiress. In the 1940s she took on the studio system (she was contracted by Warner Bros) who had complete control over their actors. The stars were bound by contracts of a maximum of seven years but studios abused this time limit by adding suspension time to the contract. Olivia tackled the suspension clause and it was ruled unlawful.
*) In the same year Olivia's sister Joan Fontaine (with whom she had a lifelong feud) was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Hitchcock's Suspicion and it was Fontaine who won, only adding more fuel to the sibling rivalry.
I don't want to focus on Olivia's biography — you can read about her life here — and if you're interested in reading about the famous De Havilland Law, go here.
What I want to do is have a look at the films I've seen of her so far and list them. Most of them I have only seen once, just my favourites I have seen multiple times.
Here is the list of the total of 30 films seen, arranged in watching order (I cannot remember the exact order of the films first seen in childhood):
*The Adventures of Robin Hood (first seen in childhood, seen multiple times ever since)
*Dodge City (first seen in childhood, seen multiple times)
*Captain Blood (first seen in childhood, most probably seen multiple times, and last rewatched in July 2016)
*Gone with the Wind (cannot remember when I've first seen this in its entirety)
*The Proud Rebel (January 2016)
*The Heiress (January 2016)
*My Cousin Rachel (January 2016)
*The Dark Mirror (January 2016)
*To Each His Own (February 2016)
*In This Our Life (April 2016)
*Hard to Get (April 2016)
*It’s Love I’m After (April 2016)
*Hold Back the Dawn (April 2016)
*Princess O’Rourke (June 2016)
*Four’s a Crowd (June 2016)
*The Charge of the Light Brigade (June 2016)
*Devotion (June 2016)
*The Strawberry Blonde (June 2016 and rewatched on the big screen in September 2018)
*The Male Animal (June 2016)
*They Died with Their Boots On (June 2016)
*Not as a Stranger (June 2016)
*The Snake Pit (June 2016)
*Hush … Hush, Sweet Charlotte (June 2016)
*The Great Garrick (December 2016)
*The Irish in Us (July 2019)
*Government Girl (April 2020)
*My Love Came Back (April 2020)
*Raffles (July 2020)
*Wings of the Navy (July 2020)
*Call It a Day (July 2020)
Note: The posters below of the 30 Olivia films watched are ranked by release date, earliest first.
*Wings of the Navy (July 2020)
*Call It a Day (July 2020)
Note: The posters below of the 30 Olivia films watched are ranked by release date, earliest first.
As you can see, most of Olivia's films I've watched in 2016, leading up to her 100th birthday. I have always liked her since childhood (my sister was a big Errol/Olivia fan) and it's a pity I had never explored her filmography sooner. Much had also to do with the availability of classic films and fortunately nowadays it's so much easier to find them.
I still consider the films I know from my childhood, The Adventures of Robin Hood and Dodge City, to be among my favourites, together with Gone With the Wind. In terms of Olivia's characters in these films I really like Abbie from Dodge City because she's feisty and I like the fact that she's a working woman. I love Lady Marian from The Adventures of Robin Hood too, especially in the scene where she stands before Claude Rains and others (being accused of high treason) and speaks her mind. But I'm actually less fond of Melanie Hamilton from GWTW, her most famous role. Olivia is really good in portraying sweet characters, but Melanie is too sweet and kindly to my taste. My fave Melanie moment is when Vivien Leigh as Scarlett kills a soldier at Tara's and Melanie, who has dragged herself from her sickbed, comes to the rescue carrying her brother's sword.
I still consider the films I know from my childhood, The Adventures of Robin Hood and Dodge City, to be among my favourites, together with Gone With the Wind. In terms of Olivia's characters in these films I really like Abbie from Dodge City because she's feisty and I like the fact that she's a working woman. I love Lady Marian from The Adventures of Robin Hood too, especially in the scene where she stands before Claude Rains and others (being accused of high treason) and speaks her mind. But I'm actually less fond of Melanie Hamilton from GWTW, her most famous role. Olivia is really good in portraying sweet characters, but Melanie is too sweet and kindly to my taste. My fave Melanie moment is when Vivien Leigh as Scarlett kills a soldier at Tara's and Melanie, who has dragged herself from her sickbed, comes to the rescue carrying her brother's sword.
There are many other films I like as well: Captain Blood, Hold Back the Dawn, It's Love I'm After, The Great Garrick, The Strawberry Blonde, The Dark Mirror, The Proud Rebel, My Cousin Rachel, In This Our Life and Hush … Hush, Sweet Charlotte.
I also enjoyed her other three Oscar-nominated films (including the two wins): To Each His Own, The Snake Pit and The Heiress. If I'm honest, I have to say that I was less impressed with The Heiress than the overall public. I didn't think that Olivia's portrayal of the insecure spinster was that convincing (in comparison: her sister Joan Fontaine plays the shy second Mrs. De Winter in Rebecca with much more conviction), yet Olivia really nails the second part of the film when her desillusioned character strikes back. I have only seen this film once and it definitely requires a rewatch.
Of the films mentioned above I love her character in Hold Back the Dawn, To Each His Own, The Strawberry Blonde and The Proud Rebel. I especially like the wink her character Amy gives in The Strawberry Blonde. "Exactly."
I will continue watching the rest of her pre-1970 filmography.
I want to end this post with a little thank-you note by yours truly:
PHOTOS/GIFS IN THIS POST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
I also enjoyed her other three Oscar-nominated films (including the two wins): To Each His Own, The Snake Pit and The Heiress. If I'm honest, I have to say that I was less impressed with The Heiress than the overall public. I didn't think that Olivia's portrayal of the insecure spinster was that convincing (in comparison: her sister Joan Fontaine plays the shy second Mrs. De Winter in Rebecca with much more conviction), yet Olivia really nails the second part of the film when her desillusioned character strikes back. I have only seen this film once and it definitely requires a rewatch.
Of the films mentioned above I love her character in Hold Back the Dawn, To Each His Own, The Strawberry Blonde and The Proud Rebel. I especially like the wink her character Amy gives in The Strawberry Blonde. "Exactly."
I will continue watching the rest of her pre-1970 filmography.
I want to end this post with a little thank-you note by yours truly:
“Thank you, dear Olivia, for all the joy you brought us with your films and performances. You left an enormous legacy and it's a comfort we'll still be able to see your films. There's no better way to leave this earthly world than to go peacefully in your sleep after having lived a long, rich and fulfilling life and I'm glad it happened to you. Rest in peace and sleep softly!”
PHOTOS/GIFS IN THIS POST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
*Olivia de Havilland (1 July 1916 – 25/26 July 2020);
*Olivia de Havilland;
*Gone With the Wind (1939) with Olivia de Havilland, Vivien Leigh and Leslie Howard;
*The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) with Olivia de Havilland, Errol Flynn and Claude Rains;
*Dodge City (1939) with Olivia de Havilland and Errol Flynn; (2 gifs)
*The Strawberry Blonde (1941) with Olivia de Havilland and James Cagney;
*Captain Blood (1935) with Olivia de Havilland;
*Dame Olivia de Havilland photographed by Andy Gotts.
ALL GIFS IN THIS POST MADE BY ME!