Olivia de Havilland Today!
September, 2010
Olivia de Havilland after receiving the Legion of Honor in Paris
Associated Press
Associated Press
Olivia was awarded the Legion of Honor by French President, Nicolas Sarkozy on September 9, 2010. NPR reported, "at 94, de Havilland looked radiant as Nicolas Sarkozy pinned her with the insignia of the chevalier, or knight, of the Legion of Honor at a ceremony at the presidential palace."
To read more about this please visit my blog post!
To read more about this please visit my blog post!
March, 2010
The London Evening Standard
March 19, 2010
March 19, 2010
In March of 2010 at the age of 93, Olivia de Havilland was interviewed by Hermoine Eye of the London Evening Standard.
"Olivia de Havilland, a star of Hollywood's golden age, lives in Paris in a tall townhouse near the Bois de Boulogne. It is snowing when I arrive and I am so cold I can barely speak. The maid shows me into a drawing room where, outlined against a blazing fire, Miss de Havilland stands with welcoming arms outstretched. She is small in stature but her charm is enormous, overwhelming. It is exactly like being greeted by the character she created, Melanie in Gone With the Wind, as she takes my fur hat and clasps it to her bosom. 'What a hat,' she says, adding in a low voice resonant with sincerity, 'It must be a great comfort to you.' "
- quoted from Hollywood's Sweetheart: Olivia de Havilland
published March 19, 2010
November, 2009
Olivia de Havilland Comments on the 70th Anniversary of Gone With the Wind
The official 70th anniversary celebration of Gone With the Wind was celebrated a month early during the weekend of November 13-15, 2009 by Scarlett on the Square in Marietta, GA. Stars, fans, film collectors, writers, and scholars all mixed and mingled for 3 days sharing stories, photos, and collectibles. The weekend included "the largest Virginia Reel in history" on the Marietta town square and everyone received a piece from the huge cake made by a local bakery as a replica of "Tara," Scarlett's Clayton County, Georgia Plantation! The climax of the weekend was the world premiere of the newly restored Blu-Ray version of Gone With the Wind screened at the Earl Smith Strand Theater in Marietta. Just prior to the screening of the film, the audience was treated to a message recored by Olivia de Havilland specifically for this event. It was a remarkable and treasured moment as her voice filled the theater and touched every member of the audience!
Below is Ms. De Havilland's message that I recorded as it was played in the theater. I hope her words and voice touch you as deeply as she has touched me. Enjoy!
Below is Ms. De Havilland's message that I recorded as it was played in the theater. I hope her words and voice touch you as deeply as she has touched me. Enjoy!
"How I wish I could be with you who are about to see in celebration of this 70th anniversary a film which generations all over the world have taken to their hearts, Gone With the Wind. In 1939, the year when Gone With the Wind was made, most movies were consigned to oblivian after the third run; never to be seen again. One so much wanted a film to last more than a year or two, and I dared to hope that Gone With the Wind would have not only surpassing success, but also an unusually long life, perhaps as long as five years. I never dreamed that it would endure into next century and millennium and that people all around the globe would embrace it as their own.
What a wonderful evening lies before you. I am told that Carreen O’Hara has abandoned Tara’s cotton fields to be with you; that Maybelle Merriweather has torn herself from the arms of her Zouave to join you; that Bonnie Blue, having miraculously recovered from her equestrian accident is now among you; and three gentlemen named Beau are present, all of them, Melanie’s only son.
In a little while as the lights dim, the music swells, and the film flashes upon the screen, all the other beloved characters and their players will be with you, too. Scarlett and Rhett, Melanie and Ashley, Mammy and Prissy, Belle Watling. What a joyous reunion it will be. Let the film begin.”
- Olivia de Havilland
November 14, 2009
Recorded Message at the Strand Theater
Marietta, Georgia
What a wonderful evening lies before you. I am told that Carreen O’Hara has abandoned Tara’s cotton fields to be with you; that Maybelle Merriweather has torn herself from the arms of her Zouave to join you; that Bonnie Blue, having miraculously recovered from her equestrian accident is now among you; and three gentlemen named Beau are present, all of them, Melanie’s only son.
In a little while as the lights dim, the music swells, and the film flashes upon the screen, all the other beloved characters and their players will be with you, too. Scarlett and Rhett, Melanie and Ashley, Mammy and Prissy, Belle Watling. What a joyous reunion it will be. Let the film begin.”
- Olivia de Havilland
November 14, 2009
Recorded Message at the Strand Theater
Marietta, Georgia
Summer, 2006
Photo Credit: AP - Reed Saxon 2006
Photo was with an article highlighting Olivia de Havilland's tribute from the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Photo was with an article highlighting Olivia de Havilland's tribute from the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
