Production Year: 1939 - Drama - Director: Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Butterfly McQueen, George Reeves, Irving Bacon, Paul Hurst, Eddie Anderson, Cliff Edwards, Mary Anderson, William Bakewell, Rand Brooks, Fred Crane, Louis Jean Heydt, Howard Hickman, Victor Jory, Evelyn Keyes, Ann Rutherford, Laura Hope Crews, Harry Davenport, Jane Darwell, Ona Munson, Ward Bond, Yakima Canutt, Jackie Moran, Isabel Jewell, Eric Linden, Oscar Polk, Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia De Havilland, Hattie McDaniel, Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O'Neil more
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,... more
successful in movie history, but also one of the most frustrating. Wonderfully epic in scope, the decline and fall of the antebellum South as seen through the eyes of ...
successful in movie history, but also one of the most frustrating. Wonderfully epic in scope, the decline and fall of the antebellum South as seen through the eyes of ...
All our items are despatched from the United Kingdom. Starring - Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland We offer *** WORLDWIDE *** Delivery!, Manufacturer: MoviePostersDirect
All our items are despatched from the United Kingdom. Starring - Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland We offer *** WORLDWIDE *** Delivery!, Manufacturer: MoviePostersDirect
Production Year: 1981 - Drama - Director: Franco Zeffirelli - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Brooke Shields, Martin Hewitt, Shirley Knight, Don Murray, Richard Kiley, Penelope Milford, Beatrice Straight
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 1995 - Drama - Director: Ang Lee - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Greg Wise, Hugh Laurie, Robert Hardy
"Marriage, fun? Fiddle-dee-dee. Fun for men you mean."
A review by oldchem on Gone With The Wind (DVD) November 3rd, 2009
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Loved it
Story
Outstanding
Characters / Performances
Outstanding
Special Effects
Outstanding
How does it compare to similar films?
Outstanding
Advantages:
A pure classic
Disadvantages:
Very long .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
DVD (2006)
"There was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields called the Old South. Here in thispretty world, Gallantry took its last bow. Here was the last ever to be seen of Knightsand their Ladies Fair, of Master and of Slave. Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered, a Civilization gone with the wind."
The opening words of Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With The Wind"
I have been thinking for several weeks about writing a review of the ultimate classic, 'Gone With The Wind', but kept getting a 'we are not worthy' moment.
I have decided to pick up the courage to attempt to do it justice.
The book, which the film was based on. "Gone With The Wind" by Margaret Mitchell is an over 1,000 pages long but was a bestseller and a Pulitzer Prize winner. Many parts of it are left out of the film, but of course it would be impossible to make a film with the 26 fully developed characters from the book. The 4-hour drama is long enough. Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable are considered by most people to be exact physical embodiments of the characters in the book. I think this is due to a combination of Mitchell's phenomenon writing and Selznick's genius casting.
The first time I ever saw the film, it was already thirty years old; it was 1969 and I actually saw it (yes a 30 year old film) at the cinema, with my boyfriend (now hubby of 38 years).
Both mine, and my hubby's memories of the film, and what we both think of immediately it is ever mentioned, are the two women sat behind us during the film. They were probably as old as I am now (biddies!!), and throughout the film kept shouting things like, 'I love this bit where she dies' etc so pre-warning us of everything that was about to happen. I'll try not to do that in this review!!
It's very rare that any form of entertainments give an authentic, vivid sense of reality and life. All stories are about exclusive moments of time and places in the characters' lives, but only the truly great ones are able to define their realities well enough so the audience can experience it just as the characters do. Therefore, "Gone With The Wind" (now an incredible seventy years old) deserves praise for its ability to tell the epic story it does, in such a clever, intricate, and entertaining way.
As I'm sure most people know, this classic film takes place in Georgia before, during, and after the American Civil War.
The story starts by setting a background for the viewer to learn a little about the characters, especially the main character, Scarlett O'Hara (Vivienne Leigh). Scarlett was an extremely beautiful Southern Belle with a will of steel, an astute wit, and a sense of freedom. Immediately it is obvious that this is one determined lady, who is spoiled and manipulative and WILL have her own way no matter what the price may be.
Scarlett O'Hara is the daughter of an Irish immigrant plantation owner (Thomas Mitchell) she has two sisters, but she is by far the most feisty of the three O'Hara girls. Her father sees Scarlett as his heir and instils in her the importance of the land. "It's the only thing that lasts... the only thing worth fighting for," he tells her, when they are faced with war.
Scarlett with her beauty and social standing is a much sought-after woman; she uses this to manipulate men (and their women) to ensure she gets her own way.
The man she claims to love is Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), is a modest, gentle man who doesn't seem to feel the same for Scarlett. He isn't so arrogant and demanding as Scarlett, in fact, he's engaged to a woman with a personality much more like his. Her name is Melanie (Olivia De Havilland), and she is one of the sweetest, kindest, and most amiable characters you could imagine.
Melanie and Scarlett become close friends, but she never suspects the jealously that Scarlett has for her, and the love she has for her husband. Her humbleness is both her strongest and weakest characteristic - it defines who she is, but doesn't give her much emotional self-preservation.
It is at a barbecue at the Wilkes's that Scarlet has her first encounter with the dashing Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), an elegant, strong willed, cunning, cocky Southern business and military man.
From the look Butler gives Scarlett, we know he's not going to stop until he has her. He sees right through Scarlett's thin veneer, after an emotional display of anger towards Ashley, though at the time, she is unwilling to face up to her emotions, she can't get past her need for Ashley, Butler realises this and continues to throw it back at Scarlett forever.
And so the story goes on, with Scarlett being thrown obstacle after obstacle in her life. The conflicts she must overcome range from taking care of her entire family to finding a proper husband.
This gives the film many opportunities to bring in more characters into the epic story. Some are vital for only a few scenes, but their true importance will last throughout the film. In most films only a few characters exist for support in background, but this film is more realistic and believable as it incorporates a supporting cast the size of a small town and everyone has consequence. Even people in the background seem more than just extras wandering the set. The costuming design is outstanding so that the film makes for a real sense of time and place.
The film makers could have easily set more scenes indoors and narrowly focused to avoid having to show the outside, real world, but these types of simple approaches are never taken.
The first half of the film gives a picture of the traumatic experience the South faced at the last days of the Civil War. Fleming is able to convey the horror of it all by painting an image of destruction and letting the viewer decide just how bad it actually was.
One scene has Scarlett working as a nurse at a military hospital while we hear a soldier in the background screaming, "No! Not my leg! Don't cut off my leg!".
Another scene shows her simply trying to cross a street, but as the camera pulls back, we see that her path is blocked by hundreds of wounded soldiers, it is their moaning that's incredibaly more graphic than any amount of blood and gore could ever .
As the second half begins, the film concentrates more on Scarlett as a completely independent woman who single-handedly takes care of her family and Melanie just to spite the oppression of the North.
Most of the second half of the film is somehow related to the relationship between Rhett and Scarlett. Each uses the other for personal gain, but at the same time they still feel an intimate connection with each other.
They need each other and know this, yet they never seem truly happy together.
Love and the perception of love are two completely separate things and throughout the final act of the film, we're left wondering if Rhett and Scarlett ever truly loved each other and why.
Gable and Leigh do have great chemistry, always leaving the viewer wondering which emotions were authentic and which were manufactured.
All of them?
None of them?
Either way is possible and it's a mystery that cannot be solved even upon repeated viewings.
WHAT DID I THINK?
It's safe to say most of us won't live such overly dramatic lives as those in "Gone With The Wind," but it's still a masterpiece for its ability to give us a sense that we've just experienced a life's worth of joy and pain.
If we can take anything out of the film, it would be that it, like the novel on which it is based, is all about the American Southern myth of vast plantations, beautiful Southern belles, dapper gentlemen, and how slavery was perceived.
These conceptions have some basis in fact, but the vast majority of American southern whites did not own plantations or own slaves. And slaves wern't treates as depicted in the film.
What we have to remember is that it is a story, it IS a myth, it is NOT fact. It is still a controversial film as attitudes continue to change regarding race and slavery.
By realising that this film depicts a highly romanticized vision of the South as it never really was, the film becomes incredibly entertaining and can still be enjoyed by people today.
With this epic film we get action, romance, jealousy, betrayal in a comprehensive four hour-plus screen time. There is even an intermission so as to give the audience a chance to collect its thoughts.
The viewer is treated to one magnificent classic scene after another. They include Scarlett's initial appearance slowly revealed by two courtly gentlemen, the moment when Scarlett sees Rhett for the first time; the silence between Olivia de Havilland and Vivien Leigh while they are waiting for their husbands to return; Rhett standing at the bottom of the staircase at Twelve Oaks; the shot of Scarlett standing by train tracks where hundreds of wounded soldiers are being nursed only to slowly reveal the Confederate flag; and, of course, the famous "Frankly, my dear, I don't give adamn" line uttered by Rhett during the conclusion. The burning of Atlanta is also vivid, not to mention the exquisite landscapes showing the mansion Tara, a house, which like Manderley in 'Rebecca', is as much a character as any of the actors.
Obviously this film is a costume epic and tends to have strong appeal to women (the story is told through Vivien Leigh's character). Of course there are people (mainly men) who dislike the movie. Even they though can have no doubt that this is an outstanding film.
If the costumes, the cinematography, and the script aren't enough to convince (which they certainly should be), the leading characters certainly should.
FILM DETAILS
Vivien Leigh: Scarlett O'Hara Rhett Butler: Clark Gable Melanie Hamilton: Olivia de Havilland Ashley Wilkes: Leslie Howard Mammy: Hattie McDaniel Suellen O'Hara: Evelyn Keyes Careen O'Hara: Ann Rutherford Prissy: Butterfly McQueen Gerald O'Hara: Thomas Mitchell
Directed by Victor Fleming, with scenes also directed by George Cukor, Sam Wood, William Cameron Menzies and Sidney Franklin.
Produced by David O. Selznick
Screenplay by Sidney Howard, Jo Swerling, Charles MacArthur, Ben Hecht and others.
Based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell.
Photographed by Ernest Haller, Lee Garmes and Ray Rennahan.
Music by Max Steiner.
Edited by Hal C. Kern and James E Newcom.
Running time: 222 Classification PG
Gone With The Wind runs four hours including a brief intermission. It is rated PG, but with its war violence and frightening images it is inappropriate for most kids under 8. And it may not hold any interest for children under 10 or 11.
AWARDS
The film got 13 nominations for Academy awards and won eight:
Won
Best Actress in a Leading Role Vivien Leigh Best Actress in a Supporting RoleHattie McDaniel Became the first African American to be nominated for and win an Oscar. Best Art Direction Lyle R. Wheeler Best Cinematography, Colour Ernest Haller, Ray Rennahan Best Director Victor Fleming Best Film Editing Hal C. Kern,James E. Newcom Best Picture Best Writing, Screenplay Sidney Howard Technical Achievement Award R.D. Musgrave For pioneering in the use of coordinated equipment in the production Gone with the Wind.
Nominated
Best Actor in a Leading Role Clark Gable Best Actress in a Supporting Role Olivia de Havilland Best Effects, Special Effects Jack Cosgrove (photographic) Fred Albin (sound) Arthur Johns (sound) Best Music, Original Score Max Steiner Best Sound, Recording Thomas T. Moulton (Samuel Goldwyn SSD)
Honorary Award
William Cameron Menzies For outstanding achievement in the use of colour for the enhancement of dramatic mood in the production of Gone with the Wind (plaque).
Incidentally this was the first colour film to win the Best Picture Academy Award,
DVD
· Language English · Subtitles: Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish · Region: Region 2 · Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 · Number of discs: 1 · Classification: PG · Studio: Warner Home Video · DVD Release Date: 1 Jun 2006 · Run Time: 224 minutes
This DVD gives a great picture and good quality sound, Apart from a trailer there are no bonus features of any kind.
IN CONCLUSION
If you haven't watched this film, do try it, and then you can decide for yourself what you think. When you watch it though, please enjoy it as the beautifully made and wonderful romance film it is, with a crowd of commanding performances--but not please, view it as real history.
Advantages: one of the all time greats Disadvantages: some may find it too long
<<<<< TITLE: Gone With The Wind >>>>>
<<<<< RATING: ***** (out of 5) >>>>>
<<<<< CAST: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Thomas Mitchell, Evelyn Keyes, Hattie McDaniel, Oscar Polk, Ann Rutherford, Butterfly McQueen, Victor Jory, Barbara O’Neil, Everett Brown, Harry Davenport, Jane Darwell, Ona Munson, Isabelle Jewell. >>>>>
<<<<< DIRECTOR: Victor Fleming >>>>>
<<<<< STUDIO: Metro Goldwyn Mayer >>>>>
<<<<< RUNNING ... ...as many ticket sales as GONE WITH THE WIND. The film has been released at least six times in the US, and although noone has any idea what the exact gross is, I read an article that said an accurate estimation was 10 times the amount TITANIC made; in this case, six billion dollars, or four billion quid. There is no person in the world, not even J.K. Rowling, that is that rich…and this movie is indeed rich on every level. <<<<< Plot / Story >>>>>
...
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Advantages: Too many to mention Disadvantages: None that I can see
...an interest in the American Civil War? I actually did it all backwards!! I read ‘Scarlett’ (the sequel to Gone with the Wind’), and then decided that perhaps I should see ‘Gone with the Wind’ to find out what had happened previously. I got hooked – perhaps you will too. ...
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Advantages: Colourful characters, good acting, soundtrack Disadvantages: None
...52 years later Gone With the Wind still has the power to make us laugh, cry and tear our hair in frustration. The tale holds intrigue, love, betrayal, war and friendship and interweaves the themes in a thrilling high paced film. The acting is superb and each character is brought to life successfully, helping to interest us further in the tale. The success of the film is reflected in its 10 Academy awards and a further 5 nominations. Winners including ... ...It seems that the success of the film will never die and in 1998 it was re-released. Young girls can still grow up wanting to be as gutsy and determined as Scarlett O’Hara and dreaming of a strong handsome man like Clark Gable. I know I do. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Fantastic, Vivien Leigh Disadvantages: A little long
- and I'm not just saying that because I always wanted to be Scarlett O'hara. Although I did. Especially with those frocks..
It is sad but true that they don't make movies like this any more. I can't think of a single modern film that can hold a candle to this sweeping and unashamed epic romance. It's a true classic, with two of the performances of the century playing the leads - Scarlett and Rhett. If you don't know the story I won't spoil it here, ... ...social mores, racism, war, honour, glory and a whole host of other totally unfashionable 'big' themes so rarely explored properly in cinema these days - and makes no apology for it. And incidentally, it's also an unusually good introduction to life before and after the American civil war. Part of it's magic, I think, is that the world in which it is set is far from blissful. It does not shy from portraying the foolish high spirits with which the ...
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Advantages: Truly epic with a breathtaking cast. Disadvantages: Not everyone's cup of tea.
It's amazing how fresh this movie still is when other 'epic' Hollywood productions of its era have long since faded. There is no doubt, however, that this one still shines, and oh boy how it shines.
At four hours it is certainly long, but every minute of those four hours is packed with good things. For a start there is Vivien Leigh as the feisty heroine you just love to hate and Clarke Gable as Rhett Butler, who loves to hate her just as much as ... ...it hurts. The supporting cast are also magnificent and you can see why they picked up so many Oscars.
And if that's not enough for you there's always the famous sets. I believe, though I could be wrong, that this was the first film to be shot in glorious technicolour, and thank goodness it was. Wether during the lavish ballroom scenes or the dramatic sunsets the whole thing just glows. The film is mainly set in the Deep South at the time of the ...
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Advantages: Probably the best transfer of the film I've seen yet.... Disadvantages: Why didnt Leslie Howard get his own hour long documentary?
...TITLE: Gone With The Wind (4-Disc Special Edition 65th Anniversary DVD Set)
DVD RATING: ***** (and I would give more if I could)
CAST: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O'Neil, Evelyn Keyes, Anne Rutherford, George Reeves, Fred Crane, Hattie McDaniel, Oscar Polk, Butterfly McQueen, Victor Jory, Everett Brown, Howard C. Wilkman, Alicia Rhett, Rand Brooks, Carroll Nye, Marcella Martin, Laura Hope Crews, Harry Davenport, Jane Darwell, Cliff Edwards, Isabelle Jewell.
DIRECTOR: Victor Fleming
STUDIO: Selznick International Pictures
DVD Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
RUNNING TIME: 238 min.
RATED: G (US); PG (UK); the film contains some violence, bloody war sequences and mature subject matter (including an implied rape...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Great presentation; Amazing special features Disadvantages: None
...I am a huge fan of the film, and after having worn out my mum's copy of 'Gone With The Wind' on VHS, I decided to get an upgrade. If you just want to know what I think now, then I'll just say that the boxset would be good for someone who wants to know more about the film and the actors starring in it. I found it fascinating, and excellent value for money.
Now for the in-depth evaluation...
-Packaging. The dvds are encased in a fold out 'book' inside a cardboard sleeve. This book has printed on it details of what is available on each dvd.
-Booklet. The boxset contains a small booklet which is beautifully presented. It is illustrated with paintings of scenes from the film, but mainly consists of a profile of the main characters, including how they came to be a part of the film. Also included is a cast list printed in the same...
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Advantages: Brilliant story, star filled cast, a history lesson as well as a film Disadvantages: Long for some peoples tastes at 3 hours 45
...Where do you start on a review about something like Gone with the Wind? Perhaps by first pointing out this is one of the greats, a classic which you should at least watch at some point, whether you become a fan or hate it, just so you have an opinion on the subject.
Faced with a long sunday with nothing else to do, I deided to rewatch one of my all time favorites. So I popped it on at just before 10am and finished watching about 30 mins ago.
The Bare Facts
In a nutshell (hey its going to be a large nut for a saga like this) the main character is Scarlett O'Hara -16 years old when we first meet her sitting on the front porch of her plantation home, Tara, in the southern country of Georgia, USA.
Scarlett is the most attractive eldest of three daughters of Irish plantation owner Gerald O'Hara and his French decended wife Ellen...
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Plot: Absorbing film version of Margaret Mitchell's Pullitzer Prize-winning novel about life in America's Deep South during the Civil War. Winner of ten Academy Awards.
Release details
DVD Region: DVD
Studio(s): WARNER HOME VIDEO; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Release date: 01/10/2000
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: D 065009
Barcode: 7321900650090
Production Designer: William Cameron Menzies
Screenwriter: William Cameron Menzies, Sidney Howard
Editor: James E. Newcom, Hal C. Kern
Cinematographer: Lee Garmes, Ray Rennahan
Composer: Hugo Friedhofer, Max Steiner, Adolphe Deutsch, Heinz Roemheld
Director of Photography: Ernest Haller, Ray Rennahan, Lee Garmes
Special Features: Interactive Menus, Scene Access, Limited Edition
Aspect Ratio: 1.33 Full Screen
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English French
DVD Description
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, winner of 10 Academy Awards, stands among the greatest epic dramas ever filmed.
Award information
OSCAR: Best Actress In A Supporting Role 1939 (Hattie McDaniel)
OSCAR: Best Director 1939 (Victor Fleming)
OSCAR: Best Actress In A Leading Role 1939 (Vivien Leigh), Best Actress In A Supporting Role 1939 (Hattie McDaniel), Best Director 1939 (Victor Fleming)
Professional reviews
Review: "...For contemporary audiences, a vertiable shock of pleasure....Weep for the fearlessness with which Hollywood once believed the sublime was possible..." -- Rating: A (Entertainment Weekly, p.62, 17/07/1998)
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