Monday, November 19, 2012

Movie of the Week – Gone with the Wind


This week’s movie: Gone with the Wind (1939).

The epic is about Scarlett O’Hara, a Southern belle who will do just about whatever it takes to survive the Civil War and come out on top, including carrying on a love affair with the roguish Rhett Butler.

Directed by Victor Fleming and produced by David O. Selznick, the film was a grand undertaking. Many aspects of the film are iconic, from the performances to Max Steiner’s score and Ernest Haller’s cinematography (which is phenomenal – especially considering that this is one of the early color films). William Cameron Menzies’s production design is also brilliant as it captures the war torn South.

Vivien Leigh stars, with Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland and Leslie Howard co-starring. Hattie McDaniel (the first African American to be nominated and win an Oscar) and Thomas Mitchell are also fantastic in support.

The film won eight Oscars, including Best Picture. Gone with the Wind is not only one of the great achievements in cinema history, it also holds up as a wonderfully acted romance epic. Epics (like this and Lawrence of Arabia, among others) are just not made anymore, which is too bad. I recommend this for anyone looking to have a working knowledge of film history, as this is truly one of Hollywood’s masterpieces.


Trailer: Here
Available on: Blu-ray, DVD and Streaming

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