MGM's Overrated Glory

Rating: 7/10 (26 October 2003)

What we have here is the single highest grossing movie of all time (to hell with your TITANIC and your E.T., the figures are inaccurate because inflation is not accounted for). This thing is the triumph that haunted producer David O. Selznick until his death. It's extravagant, it's well made, it's a landmark, it's highly overrated. What we have here is three good directors slaving under a maniacal producer to film a stuffy book to his satisfaction. The film is praised for its romance and scale, but its true assets are the crew and Clark Gable, whose Rhet Butler charmed the pants off multiple generations of viewers. The picture is a testament to the worth of the studio system. The trouble is that it just isn't as great as people say it is. The story is far from being the best (although it would be a challenge to find a better romance-against-the-backdrop-of-war picture). There are mistakes, like a pregnancy that lasts too long. Parts of the film drag terribly, particularly Scarlet and Rhet's marital troubles. In spite of all its strengths, GONE WITH THE WIND cannot rise above its short-comings to be what people claim it is. This movie couldn't hold a candle to CITIZEN KANE, or even make the top ten (the AFI is dead wrong on this point). The movie should be seen, just don't expect the greatest movie ever.