Dated But A Benchmark For Historical Epic Movies

Rating: 10/10 (11 November 2011)

Gone with the Wind is a historical epic picture adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same title. It was directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard. The film stars Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, and Hattie McDaniel.It was set in the nineteenth century and tells a story of the American Civil War and Reconstruction era from a Southern point of view.It boils down to a story about a spoiled Southern girl's hopeless love for a married man. Producer David O. Selznick managed to expand this concept, and Margaret Mitchell's best-selling novel, into nearly four hours' worth of screen time, on a then-astronomical 3.7- million-dollar budget, creating what would become one of the most beloved movies of all time.
Gone With the Wind opens in April of 1861, at the palatial Southern estate of Tara, where Scarlett O'Hara hears that her casual beau Ashley Wilkes plans to marry "mealy mouthed" Melanie Hamilton. Despite warnings from her father and her faithful servant Mammy, Scarlett intends to throw herself at Ashley at an upcoming barbecue at Twelve Oaks. Alone with Ashley, she goes into a fit of histrionics, all of which is witnessed by roguish Rhett Butler, the black sheep of a wealthy Charleston family, who is instantly fascinated by the feisty, thoroughly self-centered Scarlett.
Gone with the Wind's famous action continues from the burning of Atlanta through the now-classic closing line, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." The movie is definitely one of the greatest movies ever made.It won 10 Academy Awards, a record that stood for 20 years with Ben-Hur surpassing it in 1960.It was an engaging movie from beginning to end.The performances of cast like Clark Gable and most especially,Vivien Leigh were definitely excellent and outstanding.It maybe dated but it serves as a benchmark for historical epic movies.