Review of Gone with the Wind (1939) by Chris B — 14 Aug 2013

Running at 233 minutes, Gone With the Wind with all it's technical problems and casting issues is a long film that never once loses it's footing and undeniably holds the viewers attention from beginning until the closing credits! The film was being produced alongside The Wizard of Oz (also 1939) but unlike the latter, was assured to be a grand and acclaimed work in Hollywood almost from the beginning. The Wizard of Oz of course is also a timeless masterpiece but one that also didn't have the extraordinary budget and cast as Gone With the Wind. Clark Gable plays the wealthy but rough and lively aristocrat Rhett Butler and the gorgeous Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara alongside an enormously gifted and delightful cast of character actors and other actors, all of which deliver impeccable performances here.

The Film Begins before the American Revolution during a lighthearted and decadent time of prosperity in the South, when the war finally breaks out destroying this tranquility. Over years of fighting and the defeat of the South, the O'Haras are left with nothing but the tattered remains of Tara (the families plantation). Scarlett must learn to grow up fast and becomes the head of the family and must pick up the pieces. Scarlett takes her life and that of her families into her hands and the fate of Tara resides solely with her will and sacrifices along the way.

There are some very iconic quotes and mesmerizing scenes in the film and even 75 years later, they continue to astound and arrest viewers to this day. There are many scenes that demonstrate a tremendous visual scope and are still beautiful to watch, especially considering the little known three strip Technicolor that was being utilized with minimal testing. Some of the greatest and most poignant scenes include the burning of Atlanta, the street shots of the dead and injured Confederate soldiers which utilized a stunning crane shot (in a film that used very little camera movement), and the siloutte of Scarlett O'hara vow "As God as my witness, I'll never go hungry again". Gone With the Wind is a story of hope and redemption, what may appear to be the end and insurmountable is only at that particular moment, there's always tomorrow. Gone With the Wind went on to win 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress (Vivien Leigh), and Best Supporting Actress (Hattie McDaniel, the first African-American to win an Oscar). It is also currently ranked #6 on The American Film Institute's Top 100 Films of All Time.