In my view, the greatest film of all time

Rating: Null/10 (25 July 2011)

I know that many do not agree that GWTW is the greatest film of all time, but I think they don't put the film in the perspective of time. Think of the production values, the risks in making the film, the richness of color, and the brilliant performances that have stood the test of time -- all from 1939!!!!!!!!!! I have watched this film many times, but tonight for the first time I watched the Blu-Ray edition. I am nearly stunned at the picture clarity of a film that is 72 years old! The screenplay is brilliant, particularly when you consider how much was packed into 3:40. Although they are episodic, for example in the second half of the movie you watch a marriage disintegrate, and see how often both Scarlett and Rhett could have made things better by simply modifying some simple word or phrase or body language. And, in the first half of the film, the horror of the Civil War is portrayed beautifully by the suffering of the soldiers in the hospital scenes or the pullback scene of the bodies at the railroad depot.
And then there are the performances. Clark Gable had long been "The King", but this was his role of a lifetime. It eclipsed anything he had done before, and never again did he reach the dramatic heights he displayed in this film. It was much the same for Vivien Leigh, although she had not had such a long and successful film career previous to GWTW, and due to her mental illness had a limited career afterward. I've read that some people are not impressed with Leslie Howard's performance as Ashley Wilkes. But, I think it's it's the role that causes that, because the Wilkes character was such a wimp...but I think Howard (with whom I'm not generally impressed) played this role so well. Olivia deHavilland was superb here, as well, although she had many fine roles in her career. Thomas Mitchell is excellent as "Pa", even more so after he lost his mind...the best role of his career. And then there are the supporting actors who lend something special to this film -- Aunt Pittypat (Laura Hope Crews in a classic role), Hattie McDaniels, Butterfly McQueen, and a long time favorite -- Harry Davenport.
"Dr. Zhivago" and "Ben-Hur" are "9s", but GWTH is still the gold standard!