The Vivien Leigh & Laurence Olivier Blogathon: The Films of Viv and Larry
In May 1935, 21-year-old Vivien Leigh became a West End sensation when she appeared in Sydney Carroll's production of The Mask of Virtue , a comedy set in 18th-century France. Attracted by the publicity surrounding her discovery, 28-year-old Laurence Olivier decided to attend one of her performances a few days before the play closed. By his own account, as soon as he saw Vivien on the stage, he felt a «sense of instant enslavement,» perceiving in her «an attraction of the most perturbing nature I have ever encountered.» That autumn, Vivien happened to see Larry in Romeo and Juliet and was mesmerized by his «virile» portrayal of William Shakespeare's tragic hero. After curtain, she visited him in his dressing room to introduce herself and congratulate him, planting a soft kiss on his shoulder before leaving. When they met again by chance at the Savoy Grill in London in early 1936, it become obvious that there was a reciprocal attraction between the two. A furtive love affair ...