Olivia de Havilland: Lady Triumphant

by Victoria Amador

Legendary actress and two-time Academy Award winner Olivia de Havilland is renowned for her role as Melanie Wilkes in Gone with the Wind (1939). She often inhabited characters who were delicate, ladylike, elegant, and refined. At the same time, she was a survivor with a fierce desire to direct her own destiny on and off the screen. She fought and won a lawsuit against Warner Bros. over a contract dispute that changed the studio contract system forever. She is also renowned for her long feud with her fellow actress and sister Joan Fontaine -- a feud that lasted from 1975 until Fontaine's death in 2013.

Victoria Amador utilizes extensive interviews and forty years of personal correspondence with de Havilland to present an in-depth look at the life and career of this celebrated actress . Amador begins with Havilland's early life -- born in Japan in 1916 to a single mother and controlling stepfather -- and her theatrical ambitions at a young age. The book then follows her career as she skyrocketed to star status, becoming one of the most well-known starlets in Tinseltown. Readers are given an inside look at her love affairs with iconic cinema figures such as James Stewart, and John Huston, and her onscreen partnership with Errol Flynn, with whom she starred in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and Dodge City (1939 ). After she moved to Europe in the mid-1950s, de Havilland became the first woman to serve as the president of the Cannes Film Festival in 1965, and remained active but selective in film and television until 1988.

Olivia de Havilland Lady Triumphant is a tribute to one of Hollywood's greatest legends, who has evolved from a gentle heroine to a strong-willed, respected, and admired artist.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

404 pages, Hardcover

Published May 31, 2019

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Always glad to see a new author taking a fresh take on old Hollywood. Unfortunately, this one doesn't shed a ton of light on Olivia De Havilland outside of what is typically known about her. She's a good girl, a great actress, wanted serious parts, admired Bette Davis, was hugely influential in the demise of the contract system, then retired to Paris to be a loving stay at home mom.

What was missing was what is in between the lines here. What was her relationship to Joan truly and how did that affect her life? Why did her marriages break up and how did she cope with this given her "good girl" status? Why was she so controlling of her image and what did they say about her as a person? It felt as though the author's proximity to and admiration for Olivia really limited her ability to dive deeper or provide true critiques of the star and her career.

That being said, this is a well-researched and source biography, just not what I would call compelling.

[Koren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author was able to meet with Olivia de Havilland several times and wrote this book about her life. I felt like most of the information was not taken from the actual interviews and was more from research and from the author watching her movie and then discussing it. I think Olivia fans will love this book but others might find it a little tedious.

[Ronald Headen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of books about film and biographies of film stars. I was very excited about this one, but was a little dissatisfied after finishing it. I could not quite put my finger on the reasons why. Maybe it was due to the author including a synopsis of almost every film she made. I may have felt that way because I have seen most of Olivia De Havilland's films and knew the plots already. I did thoroughly enjoy the "making of" information of many of the films. I will still recommend this to film buffs and biography lovers. After all there are few books that have been written about De Havilland and she remains an icon to this day.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very detailed but a bit tedious. Didn’t really need all the descriptions of all her films.

[Reba · Rating 2 out of 5]

This read more like a fan waxing rhapsodic over a star. Some parts were very interesting, and the subject is super interesting, but the timeline was disjointed, and at times it was hard to read.

[Emily Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a detailed and well-researched account of Olivia de Havilland's life. I think I expected a bit...more from it. It is very evident that the author was terribly close with Olivia, and that certain details were withheld from this book per Olivia's request. Granted, I would rather read a book that she approved of, rather than a book she would resent for sharing too much. I just think the marketing for this book was a bit misleading.

Overall, a wonderfully detailed book. I feel much more informed about her life for having read it, and the ending is bittersweet with a quote from Olivia about hoping to live to 110. A truly remarkable figure of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

[Anna O. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted more from this. While there was great detail on her career accomplishments, considering de Havilland's noted reservations about sharing anything too personal I guess it's not surprising that this felt dry, forced, and repetitive. She lived such a full and interesting life. I remain hopeful there will be a true autobiography some day.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. The information and the writing are overall quite good. The author considers herself a friend and fan, and therefore only touched lightly upon some of the touchier topics, such as some of the actress‘s retaliation behaviors against Warner. The image is pretty well preserved.

[Donald Mengay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victoria Amador's biography, Olivia de Havilland: Lady Triumphant is one fantastic read. It has everything one would hope to find in a book about a celebrity life. It's exhaustively researched, brimming with anecdotes, supremely balanced, and compelling reading. And a great deal more.

[Nancy Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed learning more about this respected actress although the detail of her movies was sometimes tedious to get through.

[Ginna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book for movie buffs and fans of the golden age of Hollywood!

[Ruth Zavitsanos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well written book and the author does a fine job of offering a synopsis of Olivia De Havilland's body of work in films since the 1930s. I've been an avid fan of hers since age 12 when I reached out and wrote her a letter. To my delight she wrote back and our correspondence lasted 25 wonderful years. I am always looking to discover more about this beautiful and kind woman with great integrity who accomplished a great deal. Her recent passing (at age 104) has been a profound loss, not just for me, but as I'm discovering via Social Media-for many all over the world. Since I have seen all of her films numerous times my favorite part of this book was the author's personal story of her quest to meet with this legendary actress and interview her. It took a great deal of perseverance on the part of the author. When she does meet her, I felt like I was in the room sipping champagne with them.

I often asked Olivia de Havilland if she would write her autobiography. Her reply was that she'd started it but never had the time to put forth to give it the attention it demanded. I'm still seeking her words and had heard that she does have some chapters completed. If you're a fan I do recommend her book, Every French Woman Has One. It was, like the author, delightful.

Lady Triumphant is definitely a good read with some fabulous photos, too.