One of the best ones

Rating: Null/10 (26 June 2002)

My birthday present at 8 was to go to dinner with my parents and then go to see GWTW, which had been re-released on the big screen. As an 8 year old, I found the story a little hard to understand - I was bewildered by people laughing when I thought they should have been mad or sad, and really the only person I related to was Scarlett's child Bonnie. I thought it so sad when she died and also when Melanie died.
In my early teens I checked the book out 3 times or so from the library, I was fascinated by it. The beautiful and involving writing of Margaret Mitchell made me think it the best book ever. I still keep it on my bedside stand, I can pick it up and open to any page and read till I feel sleepy.
I think that the movie got the main points of the book - it would have actually made a good mini-series rather than a four hour movie, but I don't think they did mini-series in the 30s.
I think everyone knows that it is a historical movie about the Civil War involving a spoiled beauty, a plain, gracious woman, a man that is weak and indecisive, and a charming, masculine rogue.
The movie is very well-acted and lovely to look at. The costumes and sets are great.
My favorite person both in the book and the film is Melanie. What an impossibly unselfish, kind, sweet, good woman. Olivia de Havilland was so very good in her role as Melanie. She is the essence of kindness, and the beautiful Scarlett is selfish, greedy and mean. Melanie acutally was more beautiful to me. Even Rhett says, after she died - "She was the only completely kind person I ever knew."
Great performances down to the smallest parts, you won't ever forget this movie.