Mitchell the author first titled the book, "Tomorrow is Another Day", from the last line. Some of the other titles included: Bugles Sang True, Not in Our Stars and Tote the Weary Load. The title Mitchell finally chose is from the first line of the third stanza of the poem, "Non Sum Qualis Eram Bonae sub Regno Cynarae" by Ernest Dowson:
I have forgot much, Cynara! gone with the wind,
Flung roses, roses riotously with the throng,
Dancing, to put thy pale, lost lilies out of mind...
Scarlett O'Hara uses the title phrase when she asks if "Tara" is still standing or is it "gone with the wind" which had swept through Georgia."
The title is a metaphor for the way of life that existed in the South prior to the Civil War. When taken in the context of Dowson's poem about "Cynara", the phrase "gone with the wind" is about someone who has lost his passionate feelings for his "old passion", Cynara.
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First of 5: Making of "Gone With The Wind" .
Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable, are possibly the best known classic movie couples and their performance in the film, Gone with the Wind(1939), is one of the most romantic stories of all time.
Rhett and Scarlett, first meet at the Wilkes Twelve Oaks Plantation barbecue. Rhett is "a visitor from Charleston" who was expelled from West Point and is not received by any family not even his own. Rhett's attraction with Scarlett begins when he overhears her telling Ashley how much she loves him.
They meet again after the death of Scarlett's first husband, Charles Hamilton, while she is staying with Charles' sister Melanie and their Aunt Pittypat in Atlanta during the war. Rhett, now a blockade runner, creates a scandal when he bids on Scarlett at a fund raiser dance.
As the Yankees are approaching Atlanta, Scarlett stays behind to help deliver Melanie's baby and begs Rhett to get them out of the city. Once they have escaped Atlanta, Rhett, having a change of heart, joins the withdrawing Confederate soldiers for their last stand against General Sherman. Before he leaves, Rhett wants a kiss from Scarlett, but she refuses.. he steals a kiss from her and she slaps him and tells him that she hopes he is killed. He leaves Scarlett behind to find her way home.
Several months later, Scarlett returns to Atlanta, hoping to receive money from Rhett to pay Tara's taxes, only to learn that he is in military jail. Scarlett pretends to be concerned about Rhett's life being in danger, when Rhett realizes that she is lying, he tells her that he has no money to give to her and she storms out.
She then meets Frank Kennedy(her sister Suellen's boyfriend) she sees that he has done very well for himself and then lies when she tells him that Suellen is married to someone else. After, they are quickly married and Frank, pays the owed taxes on Tara.
Later, Scarlett is shocked when she sees Rhett free from the Yankees and he is shocked that she has rushed into yet another marriage to a man she does not love.
Frank Kennedy, is killed during a raid on the shanty town after Scarlett is attacked and Rhett saves Ashley Wilkes and his group by making up a alibi for them.
While Scarlett is mourning Frank's death, Rhett comes with a marriage proposal and he tells her that he will win her love one day because they are both the same. Rhett secretly hopes that Scarlett will love him as much as he loves her..
After a honeymoon in New Orleans, Rhett promises to restore Tara to the way it used to be, while Scarlett builds the biggest mansion in Atlanta. They have a daughter named Bonnie Blue Butler.
Scarlett, still pining away for Ashley and now upset about gaining weight after having the baby, lets Rhett know that she does not want anymore children. In anger, he kicks open the door that separates their bedrooms to show her that a locked door will keep him out.
When visiting the mill one day, Scarlett comforts Ashley and Ashley's sister India, who hates Scarlett, walks in on them. She spreads a rumor about what she claims to have seen. Later that night, Rhett, having heard the rumors, forces Scarlett to attend a birthday party for Ashley dressed in a red dress. Melanie stands by Scarlett's side so everyone knows that she does not believe the rumors.
At home later that night, Scarlett finds Rhett downstairs drunk, where he tells Scarlett that he could kill her if he thought it would make her forget Ashley. He carries her up the stairs in his arms, telling her, "This is one night you're not turning me out." In the morning she wakes up happy but Rhett returns to apologize for his behavior and says that he will give her a divorce. Rhett decides to take Bonnie on an long trip to London only to find out, that Bonnie wants her mother. Rhett returns and Scarlett is happy to see him, but he continues to be distant. She tells him that she is pregnant again. They get into an argument and Scarlett, lunges at Rhett and falls down the stairs and has a miscarriage, Rhett is over come with with guilt. As Scarlett is recovering, their daughter, Bonnie, falls off a pony and dies.
When Scarlett's realizes that she is really in love with her husband, it is too late and he leaves her with his famous line: "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
I can not imagine any one else playing Scarlett O'Hara, but the beautiful Vivien Leigh, who was at the peak of her career. Scarlett's love for Ashley foolishly takes over her life and keeps her away from Rhett, who truly loves her. I feel the same way about Clark Gable's performance as Rhett Butler. Even though he did the right thing in the end. I wished that he would have stayed with Scarlett.
Laurence Olivier first met Vivien Leigh after her performance in, The Mask of Virtue(1936)and they quickly became friends. They made only three films together, but Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier worked together many times if you include their stage performances.
The first film that Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, performed together in was, Fire Over England (1937). A London Film Productions film drama, directed by William K. Howard and written by Clemence Dane from the novel Fire Over England by A. E. W. Mason. Leigh's performance in the movie helped to convince David O. Selznick to cast her as Scarlett O'Hara, in the film, Gone With the Wind. While playing lovers in the film, Olivier and Leigh fell in love in real life and began an affair. They wanted to marry, but both Leigh's husband and Olivier's wife at the time, did not want to give them a divorce. When they finally were divorced, they were married on 31 August 1940 with Katharine Hepburn and Garson Kanin as witnesses. They stayed together for over 20 years.
Another film they performed in together was, 21 Days, also known as 21 Days Together (1940). A British drama film based on the short play. It was directed by Basil Dean. It is a story about a man, who kills his lover's husband in self-defence and hides the body rather than turn himself in to the police. Then another man is arrested for murder. Now, will he turn himself in?
They're at their best as Horatio Nelson and his mistress Emma Hamilton in the film, That Hamilton Woman(1941), a historical film drama, about a scandal that was similar their own relationship. Which takes place during the Napoleonic wars, produced and directed by Alexander Korda for Alexander Korda Films.
The story begins with no where to turn, alcoholic Lady Hamilton, now in prison shares her past life with her cell mates, in a flashback: Emma, looks into a mirror and remembers, her life as the mistress of Charles Francis Greville. Greville gives Emma to Sir William, in payment for his debts. Emma, over time comes to like Sir William, who marries her. When Horatio Nelson arrives in Naples, Emma is impressed by how he is against Napoleon and his beliefs. She leaves Sir William, to live with Nelson, their life together is threatened, when Nelson decides to leave to fight in the, Battle of Trafalgar. After his death, her life falls apart.
Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier were newlyweds at the time of filming and were considered the "dream couple".
Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier (5 November 1913 – 7 July 1967), won two Best Actress Academy Awards for playing "southern belles": Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939) and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). Vivien Leigh was considered one of the most beautiful actresses of her era. When asked if she believed her beauty had been a handicap, she said, "People think that if you look fairly reasonable, you can't possibly act, and as I only care about acting, I think beauty can be a great handicap, if you really want to look like the part you're playing, which isn't necessarily like you."
Elke Sommer (born 5 November 1940), was spotted by Italian film director Vittorio De Sica and started performing in films in the late 1950s. She quickly became a sex symbol and moved to Hollywood, where she became one of the most popular pin-up girls . She also became one of the top movie actresses of the 1960s and made 99 movie and television appearances between 1959 and 2005. She is best known for her performances:A Shot in the Dark (1964), The Art of Love (1965), The Oscar (1966), Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966), Deadlier Than the Male (1966), and The Wrecking Crew (1969) with Dean Martin. Sommer was the leading lady in each of these films. In 1964, she won the Golden Globe Awards as Most Promising Newcomer Actress for, The Prize (1963) spy film. Starring Paul Newman, Elke Sommer and Edward G. Robinson. It was directed by Mark Robson, produced by Pandro S. Berman and adapted for the screen by Ernest Lehman from the novel of the same name by Irving Wallace.
She also starred in two Italian horror movies, Baron Blood and Lisa and the Devil.
Joel McCrea, (November 5, 1905 – October 20, 1990), career spanned 50 years and performances in over 90 films. McCrea married actress Frances Dee in 1933, after they met while filming The Silver Cord.A story about a very controlling mother, who is not very happy when her son brings home his new wife. She does everything she can to sabotaging their marriage as well as the engagement of her younger son. The couple had three children. Joel and Frances remained married until his death — spending 57 years together.
Forever remembered as Scarlett O'Hara, actress Vivien Leigh's birthday is today. But I recently have seen more films by Leigh that shows she was more than just Scarlett. Her performance in Waterloo Bridge is even more impressive than her stellar turn in Gone With The Wind, in my humble opinion. Anyway, Happy Birthday to this classic film icon.
The Roman Spring Of Mrs. Stone(1961). Cast: Vivien Leigh, Warren Beatty, Lotte Lenya. Dir: Jose Quintero. Karen Stone, an actress, and her husband are vacationing in Rome. On the plane, her husband suffers a fatal heart attack. Karen decides to stay in Italy and rent a luxury apartment in Rome. The Contessa Magda Terribili-Gonzales, introduces her to a young Italian man, Paolo. Karen and Paolo have a passionate affair, with terrible consequences. Vivian Leigh said that "Warren Beatty had the kind of magnetic sensuality you could light torches with".
Anna Karenina (1948). Cast: Ralph Richardson, Kieron Moore. Dir: Julien Duvivier. Anna Karenina, is married to Alexei Karenin, a politician more interested in his career than in his wife. Called back to Moscow by her brother Stefan Oblonsky, who has cheated on his wife Dolly for the last time. Anna meets Countess Vronsky on the night train. They begin a passionate affair, with terrible consequences.
I loved this film. Vivien Leigh, is so believable in her performance when she goes from, insanity, misery, pity and which consumes her. One memorable scene for me is when she goes to the opera and sits by herself while everybody is whispering around her and she picks up the pamphlet and shields herself from every ones stares.
Caesar And Cleopatra (1945). Cast: Claude Rains, Vivien Leigh, Stewart Granger. Dir: Gabriel Pascal. In this film, Julius Caesar takes over the Egyptian city of Alexandria, and tries to end the feud between Princess Cleopatra and her younger brother Ptolemy. Caesar develops a relationship with Cleopatra.
Ship of Fools (1965). Cast: Simone Signoret, Oskar Werner, Vivien Leigh. Dir: Stanley Kramer. film which tells the stories of several passengers aboard an ocean liner traveling to Germany from Vera Cruz. The movie was adapted by Abby Mann from the novel of the same name by Katherine Anne Porter. It was directed by Stanley Kramer.It was Vivien Leigh's last film.
That Hamilton Woman (1941). The film tells the story of Emma Hamilton, a dance-hall girl who became mistress to Admiral Horatio Nelson. The story begins with alcoholic Lady Hamilton, thrown into prison in the slums of Calais, and shows her past life in flashbacks, as she tells her story.
Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier were newlyweds at the time of filming, That Hamilton Woman. Which is one of three films they made together. Their first film, Fire Over England, was also produced by Korda.Please read montys awesome review by clicking on That Hamilton Woman, in the tag line, located at the bottom of this post.
Waterloo Bridge (1940). A beautiful story of a dancer and an officer who meet on Waterloo Bridge, during an air raid in World War I.
Waterloo Bridge was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Music for Herbert Stothart and Best Cinematography. It was also Vivien Leigh's and Robert Taylor's favorite film.
Cast: Vivien Leigh, Robert Taylor, Lucile Watson, Virginia Field Dir: Mervyn LeRoy.
Yank At Oxford, A (1938). An American student runs into trouble when he transfers to a British college. Cast: Robert Taylor, Lionel Barrymore, Maureen O'Sullivan, Vivien Leigh Dir: Jack Conway.
Gone With the Wind(1939). The title is from the poem, Non Sum Qualis eram Bonae Sub Regno Cynarae by Ernest Dowson. Scarlett O'Hara, uses the phrase from a line in the book: when her home is taken by the Yankees, she wonders if her plantation, is still standing, or if it was "also gone with the wind which had swept through Georgia". The prologue of the movie refers to the old way of life in the South as "gone with the wind…."
Mitchell, at first titled the book "Pansy", the original name for the character of Scarlett O'Hara. The title "Pansy" was dropped when MacMillan asked Mitchell to rename the main character. Other proposed titles were: "Tote the Weary Load" and "Tomorrow is Another Day", the latter taken from the last line in the book. The publisher said that there were several books close to the same title, so Mitchell was asked to find another title. She chose "Gone with the Wind."
A Streetcar Named Desire(1951). A romantic/drama film adaptation of the 1947 play of the same name by Tennessee Williams, who also wrote the screenplay with Oscar Saul. Directed by Elia Kazan, who had also directed the original stage production, and stars Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden. All but Leigh were chosen from the Broadway cast of the play, while Leigh performed in the London West End production. It was produced by talent agent and lawyer Charles K. Feldman.
A Streetcar Named Desire marked as the first film ever to win three out of four acting categories at Academy Award, including Best Actress for Leigh, Best Supporting Actor for Malden, and Best Supporting Actress for Hunter. The film also marked as the first film ever to won both Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Award.
I know.. I'm in the minority, but.. I'm really not a fan of this movie. It is a little to dark for me.
Vivien Leigh is the featured star on TCM this month. And every Tuesday they will be playing some of her movies. Well, I just watched a film of hers that I had never seen before called Waterloo Bridge and it is an excellent film. Waterloo was the first film Ms. Leigh made after the hugely successful Gone With The Wind. And most people were wondering how could she ever follow-up her performance as Scarlett O'Hara from that film. I mean Scarlett O'Hara is one of the most known characters in the world and Leigh was phenomenal. How could she do anything that would come close to matching that amazing performance. Well, just behold her in Waterloo Bridge as English ballet dancer Myra Lester and she is simply wonderful. Set in England during World War 1, Myra is part of a ballet company that is run by the tyrannical Madame Olga, who is so strict on her girls, that you think they were training for combat. Anyway one fateful night Myra meets Captain Roy Cronin (the always charming Robert Taylor and it's love at first sight. They meet on the Waterloo Bridge.
After a whirlwind romance Roy is called to the front line right before he and Myra are to be married. Once that happens Madame Olga kicks Myra from the ballet company for missing a performance. Myra's best friend Kitty (a sassy Virgina Field) sticks up for her and gets lets go as well. So these two young women are now broke and jobless trying to survive. What makes matters worse, Myra reads the newspaper one day and thinks Roy was killed in combat. Of course it's not true, but she thinks it is. Actually he's been captured by the Germans. So Myra ends up joining her friend Kitty as a street-walker/ prostitute. Myra believing she has lost the love of her life just drifts and drifts, not caring about relationships anymore.
Then one fateful day at Waterloo Station, Myra is there looking to pick out a returning soldier, when Roy comes home and both are shocked to see one another. It's been over a year since they last saw each other. They quickly embrace and plan to get married once again. Of course Roy wants Myra to meet his family in Scotland and Myra accepts and goes with him. But she is torn as to when to tell Roy about her dark past. She eventually confides to Roy's mother, Lady Margaret (a terrific Lucile Watson) and leaves Roy the next morning saying she can't marry him.
Racing home to London, Roy is frantic to find Myra and goes to find Kitty who finally tells him the secret life she and Myra have been leading. He is shocked but still wants to find her. They scour the whole city and can't find her. Myra is actually at the Waterloo Bridge, sad and lonely, wishing things had went another way. I won't ruin the ending for those who have never seen this film, but let's just say it's very emotional. I thought Vivien Leigh was magnificent as Myra. Her performance is more subdued than her Scarlett role, but it is just as good and award worthy. She goes from happy to confused to sad to quirky to dramatic, all in one film with such ease. I would have easily given her another Best Actress award for her performance here. She is just amazing to watch and I now see more than just as Scarlett O'Hara. And she just looks so beautiful. The scene where she is standing by the church doors waiting on Roy and the pastor is worth the price of admission alone. She looks directly at the camera and you're hypnotized by her beauty. I can't wait to see more of her films this month on TCM because now I am hooked on Vivien.
As for the supporting cast, Taylor is charming and romantic as usual. Virgina Field as Kitty gets most of the best lines in the film. Lucile Watson is quite good as Lady Margaret. And Maria Ouspenskaya is unbelievably stern as Madame Olga. Waterloo Bridge is now one of my favorite films of all time. A heart-breaking film, but also an amazing film. One of the best. B+
Despite her legendary stature, Leigh made fewer than twenty films in her career.
Was offered the supporting role of Isabella in Wuthering Heights (1939), but decided to hold out for the lead role of Cathy. Director William Wyler thought she was crazy to pass up the opportunity, telling her, "You will never get a better part than Isabella for an American debut." Soon after, she landed the role of Scarlett O'Hara.
Pictured on one of four 25¢ US commemorative postage stamps issued 23 March 1990 honoring classic films released in 1939. The stamp features Clark Gable and Leigh as Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind (1939). The other films honored were Beau Geste (1939), Stagecoach (1939), and The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Her favorite role was, Myra Lester, which she played in Waterloo Bridge (1940).
Storm in a Teacup(1937). Romantic comedy film starring Vivien Leigh, Rex Harrison, and Cecil Parker. It is based on the German play Sturm im Wasserglas by Bruno Frank. A reporter writes an article that embarrasses a politician. Meanwhile, the newspaperman is also attracted to his target's daughter.
Dark Journey (1937) British spy film directed by Victor Saville set in the First World War. Two secret agents on opposite sides, played by Conrad Veidt and Vivien Leigh, fall in love.
Sidewalks of London (1938) Drama. Cast: Charles Laughton, street entertainer who teams up with a talented pickpocket, played by Vivien Leigh.
Vivian Leigh, was born Vivian Mary Hartley, she made her first stage performance at the age of three, reciting "Little Bo Peep" for her mother's little theatre group.
Gertrude Hartley wanted her daughter to appreciate great literature, and introduced her to: Hans Christian Andersen, Lewis Carroll and Rudyard Kipling and stories from Greek mythology and Indian folklore.
Vivian Hartley was sent to the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Roehampton, England (now Woldingham School) in 1920 at the age of six-and-a-half. One of her friends at the convent school was the future actress Maureen O'Sullivan.
Much later in life, Vivien Leigh, won two Best Actress Academy Awards for playing "southern belles": Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939) and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951).
She worked many times with her then-husband, Laurence Olivier, who directed her in several of her roles. During her 30-year stage career, she played roles ranging from the heroines of Noël Coward and George Bernard Shaw comedies to classic Shakespearean characters such as Ophelia, Cleopatra, Juliet and Lady Macbeth.
Fun Facts:
Best known for her beauty, Leigh felt that it may have prevented her from being taken seriously as an actress.
Married Laurence Olivier at San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara on August 31st, 1940, with Katharine Hepburn as maid of honor; they honeymooned on actor Ronald Colman's yacht.