MovieChat Forums > My Week with Marilyn (2011) Discussion > So disappointed with Vivien Leigh

So disappointed with Vivien Leigh

posted 13 years ago by Alpha_Raptor
79 replies | jump to latest

I was most excited when I saw that they would put Vivien Leigh in this movie. HOWEVER, now that I have seen it, I could not be more disappointed with Julia Ormond playing her! I usually like Julia but they really made her look awful. Vivien Leigh was one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, even at the age of 44 when the Prince and the Showgirl was made. Not only were the looks off, just, her whole acting seemed so wrong. Ormond did not capture the essence of Vivien (of what I have read about her).

Did anyone else feel this way?

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] KyleCheeks321 13 years ago

Vivien Leigh, THOSE EYES ARE BEAUTIFUL.

[–] DressRehearsal 13 years ago

Totally agree. Ormond was badly miscast here.

[–] trshr 13 years ago

Let's be fair, the problem when you have to play actors as legendary is that you're not there to do an impression, you're acting a part. Ormond plays it just right even though she looks nothing like Leigh.

It was the same when The Aviator came out. It takes a Blanchet to pull a Hepburn off semi-convincingly. Kate Beckinsale for example, although looking gorgeous had neither the shape nor the personality of Ava and yes it sucked but they can't clone them.

It takes a certain suspension of disbelief. This is not a documentary, it's a movie. You have to look at it from a story perspective, with characters whose names you know but not as picture perfect replicas.

[–] DressRehearsal 13 years ago

What inner qualities of Leigh do you think Ormond effectively, even powerfully, conveyed through her performance?

[–] Ash-lee 13 years ago

I thought she did okay for the material that she was given. This was a story about Marilyn, so it wouldn't make sense to dive into Viven's psyche at the time.

I'm a huge Vivien fan and I'll just keep holding out hope that they'll make a movie about her later life starring Catherine Zeta-Jones.

CZJ would've been my top choice for this one, although I can completely understand why she turned it down, since Michael Douglas was battling throat cancer, but let's face it - Julia Ormond was amazingly better than the travesty that was Joanne Whalley-Kilmer in Scarlett!

[–] Diabla_In_Disguise 12 years ago

I thought she was awful. At least slap some contacts on her! Vivien didn't have brown eyes.

[–] Kariann1964 12 years ago

Julia Ormond was okay in the part, but I agree, where were the contacts? I do have a question, though. How tall is Catherine and Vivien?

[–] Ash-lee 12 years ago

Catherine is about 5'6" and Vivien was just shy of 5'4". I think she was something like 5 feet and 3.75 inches, officially, although most people round up or down.

[–] Quarantino_II 12 years ago

Yeah, that was a terrible bit of casting... I can put up with a fair amount of deviation in terms of appearance but Ormond looks so far off they might as well have cast an asian, a man or a bicycle.

"Let's see, Vivien had soft features and large blue eyes, what should we do? I know! Let's get a woman with angular features and pea-sized black eyes, it's a perfect match! Oh, and about that Winston Churchill biopic we're making... we found the perfect guy for the lead: Will Smith. The match couldn't get any closer, unless of course we go with Denzel, but he's slightly too fat."

[–] Stirchley 11 years ago

Ormond did not capture the essence of Vivien

I agree, she did not. If I hadn't known she was supposed to be Vivian Leigh, I would never have guessed.

However, I don't think it matters one whit. We have Michelle Williams more or less impersonating Monroe (and doing quite a good job of it) and then we have Branagh impersonating Olivier (also doing quite a good job of it). I don't think it matters, therefore, that Ormond didn't impersonate Leigh in any way. If she had, it would have been everyone impersonating everyone else.

Was Judi Dench anything like Dame Sybil Thorndike? I haven't the faintest idea and it doesn't matter. We got the idea of Thorndike at least.

[–] conductor71 9 years ago

As a Viv fan, I was also disappointed with the casting of Julia Ormond, which was not in the least bit aesthetically flattering to my Darling from Darjeeling, if I can dare to call her that. If the great Lady O were still around today to watch this film, I could just imagine her launching into the mother of all foul-mouthed rants when Ormond appeared!

However, the film mainly concentrates on Colin's romantic relationship with Marilyn as well as his professional relationship with Viv's husband, Larry. Personally, I really enjoyed watching 3 top quality actors bringing these characters to life. Thankfully Ormond wasn't on the screen long enough to turn me off this film, which is now one of my favourites.

I must admit I can't suggest any other actor who has a stronger resemblance to Viv. It seems her beauty was just too unique to be recreated. Maybe the same thing could also be said about Marilyn too. This would perhaps explain why so many comments about this film have, unfairly in my opinion, criticised the casting of Michelle Williams in the role of Marilyn. Is there any other actor around today who would have been more easily accepted by the public in the role of Marilyn? I doubt it.

[–] gtbarker 11 years ago

Yes, I agree, there was no spark there at all and yes Leigh did age, but not as much as others claim here. All you have to do is search images of Leigh and Monroe to see this.