Classic Movie Legend Tribute: Vivien Leigh

Happy Birthday to Classic Movie Legend, Vivian Leigh, Born on November 5, 1913!

What comes to mind when you hear the words ‘southern belle’? A young chaste girl, a gentleman at her side? Or perhaps ornate dresses with details so exquisite you’d think it was a Vera Wang creation? Or maybe even an India born British actress who would go on to become one of the West End’s most beloved stars? You see, when I think ‘southern belle,’ I think Vivien Leigh. By playing the silver screen versions of Scarlett O’Hara and Blanche DuBois, this darling of the stage solidified her place in both film and pop-culture history as America’s most recognizable Southern Belle. I was always impressed by how someone so far removed from American culture, let alone southern culture, could take these already iconic characters and so perfectly transpose them to the screen — you’d think both Margaret Mitchell and Tennessee Williams had Leigh in mind when creating the characters. So, to celebrate this American’s favorite British Southern Belle, let us look at some of her most iconic quotes from Gone With the Wind and A Streetcar Names Desire.

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Scarlett O’Hara: As God is my witness, as God is my witness they’re not going to lick me. I’m going to live through this and when it’s all over, I’ll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again.

Gone with the Wind, 1939, Victor Flemming director

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Blanche DuBois: I don’t want realism. I want magic! Yes, yes, magic. I try to give that to people. I do misrepresent things. I don’t tell truths. I tell what ought to be truth.