Love Scene: The Story of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh

by Jesse L. Lasky Jr., Pat Silver-Lasky

When Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh went to Elsinore, Denmark, in the summer of 1937 to play in Hamlet, he was thirty, she was twenty-three and they were madly in love. They were also married--but not together or apart, married to each other or to other people, they would be bound by this love.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Jesse L. Lasky, Jr. (September 19, 1910—April 11, 1988) was an American screenwriter, novelist, playwright and poet.

Lasky wrote eight novels, five plays, three books of poetry and more than 50 screenplays.

Reviews

[Thom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and in the end heartbreaking biography about one of the theatre's great married couples, each an acting legend.

[Rachel Heil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh were two of the biggest stars in the 1930s and 40s. They met before either became famous and were already in a relationship when Leigh became famous with 'Gone With the Wind'. When they married, they became one of Hollywood's power couples and longest married couples, surviving twenty years of marriage. Yet, not everything was picture perfect. As Olivier climb to fame, becoming England's dream man in the late 40s, Leigh found herself struggling to keep a reputation for herself. She suffered from various diseases and felt she couldn't live up to her husband, who wanted no competition between them and only wanted her love. I'm a big Hollywood fan and I love reading about famous couples and relationships. Olivier and Leigh are my first couple I analyzed and after doing so, I came with the conclusion that the reason for the couple's divorce was Leigh. She just couldn't pull herself together and realize how much Olivier truly loved her. Which is sad since Olivier never stopped loving her, even after the divorce. Towards the end of Olivier's life, over twenty years after Leigh died, a friend came to visit him and found him watching one of Leigh's movies. With tears in his eyes, he told his friend this was love, the only love he ever had. Oh! Brings tears to your eyes, doesn't it? Overall, this book did a fantastic job illustrating the couple's relationship and it's highly suggested.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up at an estate sale, paying maybe 50 cents. I love both of these thespians, so I anticipated a good read. The book was written in 1978 and delivered prose from that genre. TO be blunt, the book was rather dry. I guess since I was reading this on 2 vacations, I was hoping for a juicy read about the romance of these 2 passionate people. Instead, the writer dove into all the back stories of the various films they starred in and went on several other tangents that seemed to be simply unnecessary. Also, the end was very abrupt. The author delved into Vivien's tough last years, but did not go into Larry's. If you like old films and really like the overly detailed minutia, this may be the book for you.

[Alexandra the Great · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't help but have a soft spot for this book. Though it's less biography and more in fanfiction territory, I still can't help but enjoy it. The author does tend to attribute quotes to people without any citations or references, and he also describes what was going on in Olivier or Leigh's heads, neither of which I am particularly fond of. *Full disclosure, I am a Vivien Leigh fiend and obsessively cross-reference citations as much and as often as I can* I do appreciate, however, that the author does not seem to take "sides" as so many Olivier and Leigh biographers tend to. He is able to really glorify and celebrate the good in them and he doesn't shy away from the bad.

3.5/5

[Angelina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read, though I felt it focused much more on Larry's career.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this way back when I was 18, but enjoyed it immensely.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

*sighs* my crush on Vivien Leigh is astronomical. I loved this book; it was just so romantic, dammit!