The Best Vivien Leigh Movies

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Updated June 11, 2019 1.3K votes 336 voters
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List of the best Vivien Leigh movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Vivien Leigh's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Vivien Leigh movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Vivien Leigh movies will be at the top of the list. Vivien Leigh has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Vivien Leigh movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Vivien Leigh films to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best Vivien Leigh role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Vivien Leigh performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

List features films like The War Wagon and Anna Karenina.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Vivien Leigh movies?" and "What are the greatest Vivien Leigh roles of all time?"

Vivien Leigh was in some really popular films, and is right up there with stars like Olivia de Havilland and Clark Gable in terms of fame and success.

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  • Gone with the Wind
    1

    Gone with the Wind

    Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard
    152 votes
    • Released: 1939
    • Directed by: Victor Fleming
    Gone with the Wind is a sweeping saga of love and loss in the Civil War-era South. Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh), the headstrong daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, nurses an unrequited love for Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard). When handsome rogue Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) enters her life, a tumultuous romance unfolds against the backdrop of war and societal change. This 1939 epic won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and stands as one of cinema's most enduring classics. Its vivid portrayal of historical events complements the complex dynamics between its unforgettable characters.

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  • A Streetcar Named Desire
    2

    A Streetcar Named Desire

    Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter
    114 votes
    • Released: 1951
    • Directed by: Elia Kazan
    Based on the play by Tennessee Williams, this renowned drama follows troubled former schoolteacher Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) as she leaves small-town Mississippi and moves in with her sister, Stella Kowalski (Kim Hunter), and her husband, Stanley (Marlon Brando), in New Orleans. Blanche's flirtatious Southern-belle presence causes problems for Stella and Stanley, who already have a volatile relationship, leading to even greater conflict in the Kowalski household.
  • Waterloo Bridge
    3

    Waterloo Bridge

    Vivien Leigh, Robert Taylor, Lucile Watson
    97 votes
    • Released: 1940
    • Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy
    At the onset of World War I, British officer Roy Cronin (Robert Taylor) and ballerina Myra (Vivien Leigh) meet and fall in love. As fate would have it, Cronin is called to active duty shortly thereafter. When Cronin's departure coincides with a performance, Myra chooses to skip the ballet to see her love leave. As a result, she is dismissed from the ballet and struggles to make ends meet -- and when she reads of Cronin's misreported death, Myra hits rock bottom, resorting to prostitution.
  • That Hamilton Woman
    4

    That Hamilton Woman

    Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Alan Mowbray
    72 votes
    • Released: 1941
    • Directed by: Alexander Korda
    When small-town courtesan Emma Hart (Vivien Leigh) suddenly finds herself married to British Ambassador Sir William Hamilton (Alan Mowbray), her little world is turned upside down. Just as Emma is finally settling into her new life as the eponymous Lady Hamilton, she meets British naval hero Horatio Nelson (Laurence Olivier) and the two fall madly in love. However, their forbidden romance is soon threatened by the ever-growing shadow of the Napoleonic Wars.

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  • Fire Over England
    5

    Fire Over England

    Laurence Olivier, Flora Robson, Vivien Leigh
    41 votes
    • Released: 1937
    • Directed by: William K. Howard
    Queen Elizabeth I (Flora Robson) is dealing with her country's deteriorating relationship with Spain. Michael Ingolby (Laurence Olivier), a naval officer whose father was killed fighting the Spanish, volunteers to go undercover in the Spanish court and learns plans are afoot to send an armada to ambush the British navy. Meanwhile, the aging Elizabeth, who has fallen for the dashing Ingolby, struggles with the fact that he is fixated on one of her beautiful ladies-in-waiting (Vivien Leigh).

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  • Anna Karenina
    6

    Anna Karenina

    Vivien Leigh, Ralph Richardson, Kieron Moore
    51 votes
    • Released: 1948
    • Directed by: Julien Duvivier
    While making a trip to visit family, Anna Karenina (Vivien Leigh) meets Countess Vronsky on the train. When they arrive in Moscow, Anna meets the son of the countess, Count Vronsky (Kieron Moore), and they instantly fall in love. However, Anna is already married with a young child. After returning to her husband, Alexei (Ralph Richardson), in St. Petersburg, she starts having an affair with Count Vronsky. Once news of this begins to spread, Anna must face the consequences.

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