Gone With the Wind VHS

Hot-tempered, self-centered, part-Irish Southern beauty Scarlett O'Hara, played to the teeth by Vivien Leigh, loves the gentlemanly Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard). Smug, rebellious, honest, blockade-running profiteer Rhett Butler, portrayed gracefully and naturally by Clark Gable, loves Scarlett. Ashley, who is also in love with Scarlett, marries his genteel cousin Melanie (Olivia de Havilland) because he believes that their quiet similarities will create a better marriage than Scarlett's passion. Meanwhile, sparks fly between Rhett and Scarlett at their first encounter and continue throughout Scarlett's first two marriages. Scarlett and Rhett finally wed, but Scarlett continues to pine for her beloved Ashley. Set against the Civil War and Southern Reconstruction, this tragic love quadrangle offers the burning of Atlanta and fields of wounded Confederates as part of its lush scenery. Meticulous backdrops, glorious sunsets, numerous silhouettes, and the ultrasaturated Technicolor film create a hyperreal vision. The romantic score is every bit as lush and dramatic as the photography, borrowing folk melodies from the Old South to make the tragic war concrete. Heavy nostalgic tones pervade the often witty dialogue and larger-than-life charms and faults of the leads. GONE WITH THE WIND stands among the greatest epic dramas ever filmed.

GONE WITH THE WIND is number 4 on the American Film Institute's list of America's 100 Greatest Movies. GONE WITH THE WIND was an original selection to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1989. Margaret Mitchell wrote her only novel between 1926 and 1929 and then let it collect dust for six years before showing it to an editor. By the time of the film's release, Mitchell's novel had surpassed 1,500,000 in sales. The novel swept the nation, and everyone, everywhere, was reading it. Selznick paid $50,000 for the rights to the book. Selznick brought in a number of screenwriters in addition to Sidney Howard to help him get a grasp on the material. Among them were Edwin Justin Mayer, John Van Druten, Ben Hecht, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Jo Swerling. For the part of Scarlett O'Hara, David O. Selznick issued a national talent search. Scores of famous Hollywood actresses tested for the part. Many southerners (and Americans in general) were upset when Selznick cast Vivien Leigh in the role. The very prospect of an Englishwoman playing the part of an American Southern belle was outrageous. But after the film's release most southerners changed their minds. On the contrary, many said, "Better an English girl than a Yankee." The novel was so well known and loved that MGM conducted national polls to determine who should play the leads. Gable was the clear choice for Rhett, while many of Hollywood's top actresses were considered for the role, including Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Miriam Hopkins, Joan Crawford, Margaret Sullivan, Barbara Stanwyck, Paulette Goddard, Lana Turner, Jean Arthur, Mae West, Tallulah Bankhead, and Lucille Ball. In all, 32 actresses did screen tests for the film. Vivien Leigh was given the part of Scarlett O'Hara on Christmas Day, 1938. Ronald Colman, Errol Flynn, and Gary Cooper were considered for the part of Rhett Butler, but the character was written with Clark Gable in mind. George Cukor was the film's original director. Victor Fleming was Cukor's successor. When Fleming fell sick, Sam Wood took over, but Fleming resumed his position after his convalescence. In addition to nine Oscars, GONE WITH THE WIND also won special academy recognition for production designer William Cameron Menzies's outstanding contribution. The film was the first film to ever credit a production designer--previously, the role of the production designer was held by the studio's art department head, who oversaw all the films in production. Because of the scope of the project and the amount Menzies contributed to it, MGM created a new title for him. Hattie McDaniel won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy--the first Academy Award given to an African American. At the time, there were only 7 Technicolor cameras in existence, all of which were used for the production of GONE WITH THE WIND. For 25 years after its release, GONE WITH THE WIND was the most successful picture in history. When adjustments are made for inflation, GONE WITH THE WIND retains the second-highest U.S. box office return of the 20th century, bested only by TITANIC. Estimated budget: $3.9 million. The film has grossed nearly $200 million. George Reeves, who went to fame as Superman, played Stuart Tarleton. Neither Victor Fleming nor Clark Gable initially wanted to do the film. Gable felt that he could never live up to the audience's expectations for the larger-than-life Rhett Butler, while Fleming worried that the film's production costs could bankrupt the studio.

Gone With the Wind Reviews:

"...For contemporary audiences, a vertiable shock of pleasure....Weep for the fearlessness with which Hollywood once believed the sublime was possible..." -- Rating: A -- Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

"...Greater than ever....The older it gets, and we with it, the more we're able to see in it..." -- Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

"...It is still a great film, above all, because it tells a great story..." -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

"...[A] masterpiece....Gorgeous whether you're watching moving images or frozen ones..." -- Mike Clark, USA Today

"...The Everest of grand Hollywood moviemaking..." -- Premiere Staff, Premiere

"One of those rare moments when stars align, and the perfect actress finds the perfect role at the perfect time." -- Matt Mueller, Total Film

"Leigh is electric, wicked, incorrigible, lovely." -- Chris Roberts, Uncut

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