Olivia de Havilland (1916-2020)

[bearcuborg]

Robin Hood is always one of those movies I used to show off the Blu-ray capabilities or new TV colors. I quite enjoyed The Great Garrick, in particular her performance when I saw it many years ago on* TV.

What a loss! How many more people from the Golden Age of Hollywood are left?

A few. But of the same caliber and age range as de Havilland, nobody I can think of.

I'll echo the previous comments on The Snake Pit and The Heiress. Terrific performances in both, arguably the finest of de Havilland's career. I'm also a fan of Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood opposite Errol Flynn. Those films may not have showcased her acting range, but were good fun nonetheless.

Anyway, 104 years old and sharp until the end. RIP

[Morgan Creek]

I'd put Hold Back the Dawn alongside The Heiress as among her best performances. Saw them back to back and was knocked sideways by her range (as much as I once was by seeing a Stanwyck double bill of Lady Eve and Double Indemnity at Film Forum).

[Speakeasy]

Light in the Piazza is worth a look if you enjoy a nice tearjerker.

[Swift]

This quote from an article of The Guardian gives an idea:

In later life, she insisted, acting had largely lost its allure. “Life is too full of events of great importance,” she told one interviewer. “That is more absorbing and enriching than a fantasy life. I don’t need a fantasy life as once I did. That is the life of the imagination and I had a great need for it. Films were the perfect means of satisfying that need.”

She did work into the 70s in US productions though and ended up doing TV even though she apparently disliked the medium. I did some digging and found this quote from a 2009 interview.

Was she never offered parts in French movies?

"No I wasn't. And I will tell you a very droll story. I thought that I had made great progress with my French when a grande dame said to me one day: 'You speak French very well Olivia, but you have a slight Yugoslav accent.' I suppose there were not parts in French movies for actresses with Yugoslav accents."

[therewillbeblus]

And she's in It's Love I'm After, one of the best screwballs

It really is. I revisited it again tonight and forgot how the film uses Twentieth Century hamminess to manipulate other systems with an ignorant third party. Lots of fun, and de Havilland's overly-pleasing worshiper strikes a balance between innocent-coquettish and her own kind of theatrical ham in an oblivious-stalker. There are some scenes that rip off the Hawks film completely though, which are still funny but leave a bit of a poor taste in my mouth in how clearly they're thieved.

It's not her thread, but this is easily my favorite Bette Davis perf - though that's not a difficult hill to climb since I don't find her endearing at all normally, and I don't think she's anywhere in the ballpark of the best thing about her best film, All About Eve. She's wonderful here though, an incarnation of self-determination on fire.

[whaleallright]

I'd put Hold Back the Dawn alongside The Heiress as among her best performances. Saw them back to back and was knocked sideways by her range (as much as I once was by seeing a Stanwyck double bill of Lady Eve and Double Indemnity at Film Forum).

Hold Back the Dawn strikes me as an archetypal OdH role. She plays a very unworldly, shy woman whose vulnerability and honesty disarms and eventually wins over a cynical, even brutal man. She played quite a few roles like this. The Heiress of course begins with her in a similar position. But because of the extreme uncertainty surrounding her relationship with the Clift character (which Wyler is very smart to sustain as long as possible), in some ways it's the most carefully worked-out of this vein of performance, with her character showing so many delicate mixtures of doubt and hope. But of course the film concludes with her turning the tables, in a way that demonstrates the cliché "wider range" but really is a powerful, entirely credible transformation.

That said, I think my favorite OdH film is The Strawberrry Blonde, in which she plays an especially charming version of her usual role. And she gets to do it opposite Jimmy Cagney, and what they do together is just beautiful.

[ochsfan]

Watched "The Heiress" last night (first time for me) and was just blown away by the power and subtlety of her performance. I'm looking forward to exploring some of the lesser-known films that folks have mentioned on this thread.

[Aunt Peg]

Watched "The Heiress" last night (first time for me) and was just blown away by the power and subtlety of her performance. I'm looking forward to exploring some of the lesser-known films that folks have mentioned on this thread.

The Heiress is her greatest film and performance and holds up to numerous repeat viewings.

I know my avatar is very small but if you look closely you may see it's Olivia de Haviland and Sissy Spacek taken in 1978 at an awards ceremony.

[filmyfan]

Anyway, to bring it back to de Havilland, I’ll put in a strong rec for the Snake Pit as her best work, successfully combining all her usual acting approaches and star parts into one role. If you don’t have the Indicator already, get on that, especially since Disney can’t wait to lock it up in advance of a remake starring Vanessa Hudgens

I agree - got the Blu Ray recently (not having known of it)- and its great and ODH especially

No one has mentioned The Dark Mirror , where she plays twins- terrific film.

[domino harvey]

TWBB put in a good word for it. I like it too, but the appeal for me is really in the convincing special effects less than anyone's perf(s)

[ando]

Nearly forgot: it's Olivia de Havilland Day on TCM.

post noon schedule (all times EST)
Noon In This Our Life (1942) – A neurotic southerner steals her sister's husband then vies with her for another man.
1:45 p.m. Captain Blood (1935) – After being unjustly sentenced to prison, a doctor escapes and becomes a notorious pirate.
4 p.m. Dodge City (1939) – A soldier of fortune takes on the corrupt boss of a Western town.
6 p.m. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) – The bandit king of Sherwood Forest leads his Merry Men in a battle against the corrupt Prince John.
8 p.m. Gone With the Wind (1939) – Classic tale of Scarlett O'Hara's battle to save her beloved Tara and find love during the Civil War.
Midnight The Heiress (1949) – A plain young woman's money makes her prey to fortune hunters.
2:15 a.m. To Each His Own (1946) – A single mother gives up her son, then fights to remain a part of his life.
4:30 a.m. Hard to Get (1938) – An unemployed architect falls in love with an heiress.

Most, if not all, will be On Demand for a week or so after today.

[ando]

The Academy of Achievement Interview