What more but stunning?

Rating: 10/10 (14 January 2002)

Growing up in the South with a, needles to say, southern mother I heard of this movie constantly from her when I was growing up. She thought that Clark Gable as Rhett was the absolute best in the world. When I was younger and before I saw the movie I thought, "Yeah, just another old dead guy in a movie." The first time I saw it was when there was a re-release of it in 1976. It seemed like a long time to sit in a theater, but why not?
From the moment the picture started, I sat hypnotized. From the moment that Vivien Leigh shows up on the screen you are taken out of the present and sent back to a much gentler time. You can feel the breeze on your face and smell magnolias. The time seemed to fly by.
The sense of actually being in the lives of the characters is overwhelming. Clark Gable does a depiction of Rhett Butler that is unbelievable. After having read the book and seeing the movie for about the 13th time I can say that I can't think of anyone in Hollywood when this movie was made that could have played Rhett any better. Leslie Howard does a perfect job of displaying what a milquetoast Ashley Wilkes really was; living in his fantasy world of what should be and never really grasping what really is. Olivia de Haviland's Melanie compliments Howard's Ashley wonderfully by making us see that neither of them really can handle the world in an adult manner. Vivien Leigh gives us Scarlett O'Hara in perfect view from the teenager with a romantic view of everything to a powerful woman who never lets anything stop her from getting what she wants.
I loved the depiction of the Southern attitude towards the war: The scenes of the burning of Atlanta were, of course, so real it was great crying material.
I think this movie should be required viewing by all high school history classes! The Classic of the classics!
I give it a 10+.