The Vivien Leigh Anniversary Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		0.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

The Vivien Leigh Anniversary Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 16, 2013

Vivien Leigh will never escape the looming Technicolor shadow of her portrayal of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. For many, both those who have read Margaret Mitchell’s source novel and those who haven’t, Leigh simply is and will always be Scarlett. That kind of association with one iconic role can be as much of an obstacle as it is a boon to an actor’s career, but the fact is of course Leigh essayed many memorable parts over the course of several decades. Even diehard Gone With the Wind fans are aware of Leigh’s stunning turn as Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire , which might almost be thought of as Scarlett O’Hara: The Next Generation. Other, more devoted, fans of the actress can point to any number of other notable performances, including everything from Caesar and Cleopatra and Ship of Fools. But rather remarkably for an actress who is so lionized and so well remembered today (even if it is largely for one legendary role), Leigh actually only made a relatively paltry 19 films over the course of her career. Part of this was due to Leigh’s love of the theater (real fans will know she brought home a perhaps undeserved Tony for her brief run in the musical Tovarich!), but part of it was due to her emotional problems, which became more and more debilitating from the late forties onward (and which according to some accounts led to her early departure from Tovarich!). Leigh’s pre-Gone With the Wind British work seems to have most seriously fallen by the wayside in the actress’ oeuvre, and several of those films have in fact fallen into the public domain, with a resultant release of various pretty shoddy looking home video versions through the years. Now Cohen Film Collection (working in tandem with the British Film Institute at least some of the time) is releasing four early Leigh ventures that may help to reclaim this underappreciated era in the actress’ burgeoning career.

For complete coverage on the four films in this set, please click on the individual reviews:

Fire Over England Blu-ray review

Dark Journey Blu-ray review

Storm in a Teacup Blu-ray review

St. Martin's Lane Blu-ray review

The Vivien Leigh Anniversary Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For a discussion of the video quality of each release, please click on the links to the individual reviews listed above.

The Vivien Leigh Anniversary Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For a discussion of the audio quality of each release, please click on the links to the individual reviews listed above.

The Vivien Leigh Anniversary Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Before She Was Scarlett O'Hara: An Interview with Anne Edwards (1080p; 25:36). Edwards is one of Leigh's (many) biographers, and she offers some interesting information on Leigh's childhood, upbringing and early acting career.

The Vivien Leigh Anniversary Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While none of the four films in this set are out and out classics, they all have something to recommend them, not the least of which is the opportunity to see early work by Vivien Leigh. All of these were obviously sourced from problematic elements, but the resulting high definition transfers, while inconsistent at times, are generally quite commendable. This is another nicely done release from Cohen and comes Highly recommended.