Olivia de Havilland, L’Insoumise (The Rebellious Olivia de Havilland) is a touching documentary that honors the legend from the Golden Age of Hollywood who passed away last year at the age of 104. This documentary is playing at the Cannes Film Festival this year, but is currently available to preview on the Daily Motion channel.
This is an intriguing film as it delves into the life of this very private individual, Olivia de Havilland, who continually fought for roles but also what is right. Through this determination and ongoing stamina Olivia de Havilland went on to create the De Havilland Law, which outlawed studios to extend contracts beyond seven years, effectively bringing around massive change to the industry at the time and allowing artists to choose their roles and control their creative integrity without suspension.
Interestingly enough Olivia de Havilland would go on to become the first woman president of the Cannes Festival Jury in 1965 and it is fitting that the documentary is set to premiere at the Festival later this month and coincides with what would have been her 105th birthday.
Olivia de Havilland is painted as a strong determined woman who fought with her boss, Jack Warner, to get the role of Melanie in Gone With the Wind but also fought against her type casting, which lead to her suing the studio at the end of the contract. This resulted in her freedom to control the roles that defined her career, so she and many other actors could choose to be cast in roles that interested them, which led Olivia winning two Oscars, relocating to Paris in the mid 1950s and returning to Hollywood for such thrillers in the 1960s as Lady in a Cage and Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte.
The documentary features a lot of archival footage, which is endearing and remarkable to see interviews conducted with someone who was well into their late eighties and was very astute and on the point in answering questions about life in Hollywood some sixty years earlier. You can witness firsthand a very smart woman, in control of the situation and the narrative of her career as a Hollywood legend.
But what is most enjoyable about this documentary is seeing the development and growth of someone who early on in their career was dominated by the studio. But once she broke free from the archaic studio system, was able to control her career and grow. It is especially enjoyable seeing these fairly recent interviews, conducted within the last ten to fifteen years when Olivia returned to Hollywood and appeared at the Oscars in 2006.
At this time of the interviews there were very few remaining legends from the Golden Age of Hollywood, so seeing someone reminisce about working with Errol Flynn, a romance with James Stewart and John Huston and talk about working on Gone With the Wind, like it was only yesterday, it is captivating to say the least. But it is thoroughly enjoyable for anyone who is fascinated with that time in history and just a delight listening to her talk about her remarkable story.
Olivia de Havilland, L’Insoumise, is a fitting and glorious portrait of a woman who deserves to be honored for maintaining such strength, stamina and dignity in a time in Hollywood that was often dominated by men, yet she left a lasting and defining mark.
Olivia de Havilland, L’Insoumise (The Rebellious Olivia de Havilland) is playing at Cannes Film Festival this month and a sneak peek is available through the Daily Motion channel online.