New Biographies with Movie Tie-ins

Two new biographies from the world of entertainment are receiving rave reviews – one a moving portrait of actress Vivien Leigh and the other an in-depth look at the troubled, but talented director/choreographer Bob Fosse.  While reading about their lives and careers – why not revisit some of the films that best capture their magic as well? Click on the titles to determine availability in the library's catalog.

Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait  by Kendra Bean 

Vivien Leigh is best known for her iconic performance as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind, which first brought her to the attention of American audiences, but the British beauty enjoyed a successful career that encompassed both stage and screen in England and the United States.  Other acclaimed film performances include that of aging southern belle Blanche DuBois in the 1951 film A Streetcar Named Desire, and divorcee Mary Treadwell in the 1965 drama Ship of Fools.  Her role in Desire, opposite Marlon Brando as the brutish Stanley Kowalski, earned Leigh her second Oscar as Best Actress; her first coming in 1939 for GWTW. 

  

Leigh’s career was cut tragically short by her death in 1967 from tuberculosis.  She was 54.  Kendra Bean’s lush, new biography of the actress, Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait, provides a thoroughly engaging review of her storied career and her tumultuous private life, including her marriage to legendary British actor Sir Laurence Olivier.


Gone With the Wind   (1939) 

The epic love triangle between Scarlett O’Hara, Rhett Butler, and Ashley Wilkes unfolds against the backdrop of the Civil War.  Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland star.  Winner of 13 Academy Awards. 

  

A Streetcar Named Desire  (1951)  

Director Elia Kazan’s acclaimed film version of the Tennessee Williams play earned 4 Academy Awards, including acting nods for Leigh, Kim Hunter and Karl Malden.  Amazingly, Marlon Brando’s celebrated performance was passed over in favor of another iconic performance that year – that of Humphrey Bogart in African Queen.   

Ship of Fools  (1965) 

Director Stanley Kramer’s film adaptation of the novel by Katherine Anne Porter recounts the overlapping stories of several passengers aboard an ocean liner bound for Germany from Mexico in 1933. The large, distinguished cast includes Leigh (in her last film), Simone Signoret, Jose Ferrer, and Lee Marvin. The film was nominated for 8 Oscars; taking home the honors for cinematography and art direction. 

Fosse  by Sam Wasson

Chicago-born Bob Fosse began his career as an actor and dancer – and quickly gained a reputation as one of the most talented directors and choreographers in Broadway history.  His distinct and sensual jazz style of dance was featured prominently in such Broadway hits as Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, Sweet Charity, Pippin, and Chicago.  His unique style also lent itself well to film -- as can be seen in such hits as Cabaret  and All That Jazz.  Fosse's life and career are in the spotlight in Sam Wasson’s revealing new biography of the troubled genius.  

  

Cabaret  (1972)

Fosse won an Oscar for his direction of the classic film version of the Broadway hit, which is set amidst the rising tide of Nazism in 1931 Berlin.  Liza Minnelli also scored an Oscar for her signature role as seedy Cabaret performer Sally Bowles.

   

All That Jazz  (1979)

Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange, and Ann Reinking star in Fosse’s semi-autobiographical tale of the excessive lifestyle of a driven dancer.  The film is chock full of examples of Fosse’s legendary choreography. 

Chicago  (2002)

Fosse had hoped to bring his huge Broadway hit Chicago to the screen  – but the project failed to get off the ground before his death in 1987.  When director Rob Marshall tackled the film project in 2002 – winning the Oscar for Best Picture in the process -- he paid tribute to Fosse's influence by emulating Fosse’s style in his own choreography for the film.