GWTW is still the all-time favorite!

Rating: 10/10 (23 March 2001)

Just as Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel was one of the most readable works ever written, so is David O. Selznick's production one of the most watchable films of all time. Something is happening every moment--and all of the characters relate to each other in fascinating ways only apparent after repeated viewings. It's the kind of movie that transports you to a time and place that may not have existed except in the mind of its Southern author--and yet, whatever historical inaccuracies are presented here--it's a remarkable achievement and has rightly become a part of American folklore and culture.
No other film has so many memorable "quotes" from a large cast of characters--and at the centerpiece is Vivien Leigh's striking performance as the willful Southern belle. Others around her are equally impressive, down to the smallest character roles--everyone has their moment of glory with the only weakness being the casting of Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes. Otherwise, the casting is perfect--Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland, Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O'Neil, Evelyn Keyes, Harry Davenport, Jane Darwell, Victor Jory, Ann Rutherford, Rand Brooks, Ona Munson--and the wonderful Hattie McDaniel giving the most genuine display of emotion in the whole film with her "staircase scene" with Melanie when she tells Scarlett's friend what Rhett has said and done after Bonnie's death.
All of the sets, costumes, art direction and photography are of the highest order. William Cameron Menzie's production design is superb (he storyboarded the whole concept of what the scenes should look like with beautiful watercolor paintings). The one film above all others that shows what Hollywood's expertise could do with a gigantic novel when transferring it to the screen. Much of the dialog is witty and pointed with some of the best lines delivered in mocking style by Clark Gable.
An abundant amount of humor and sharp observations about human nature are present in the script. No wonder it's still the most beloved American movie of all time--not just here in the U.S. but elsewhere in the international market. It was an instant classic and still remains one, richly deserving all eight of the Oscars it won, as well as the Irving G. Thalberg Award for David O. Selznick.