A 4-Hour Chick Flick for Any Movie Fan

Rating: 9/10 (19 June 2006)

"Gone With the Wind" is a film about which so much has been written, it made me think "What could I say about this movie that hasn't been said before?" Well, in a year that gave us "Goodbye, Mr. Chips", "The Wizard of Oz", "Wuthering Heights", "Stagecoach", and "Ninotchka", this is the movie that many say is the best film to come from the best year of film. All of the other movies I mentioned here (as well a couple more) were nominated for Best Picture of 1939, and I have seen each of them (except "Ninotchka"). "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" told a heartfelt tale of an educator and the lives he touched during his tenure at a boys' school. "Wuthering Heights" was a sweeping romance with a memorable performance by Sir Laurence Olivier. "Stagecoach" had action and thrills under the deft direction of John Ford, while becoming a star-maker for a man known as The Duke. And "The Wizard of Oz" is quite possibly the most magical film of all time, immortalizing Judy Garland as the young Dorothy Gale and influencing nearly every fantasy film made ever since. And let us not forget some of the other memorable films released that year, like "Gunga Din", "Beau Geste", and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington".
So, what is it about "Gone With the Wind" that makes it stand above the rest of the best? Was it because it was in color? No. "The Wizard of Oz" was also in color (well, mostly). Was it Clark Gable's signature performance as Rhett Butler? Interestingly, despite the fact he was practically the only (and obvious) choice for the role, no. He didn't win Best Actor this time around (it was his third nomination in five years); that honor went to Mr. Chips himself, Robert Donat. What about Victor Fleming's direction? Well, he did take home the Oscar, but he was also one of three men to helm this movie. Was it the script, the sets, the cinematography? Again, all very well done. And, though this may not the first film to that comes to mind, "Gone With the Wind" was a ground-breaker in visual effects, as it was one of the first movies to make extensive use of matte paintings for both interior and exterior sets, and to great effect. And let's not forget the "Burning of Atlanta" sequence. As many people know, this was done on the old RKO Studios backlot by burning down old sets (Did you know that the final structure shown in this scene was the gate to Kong's lair in "King Kong"?). With clever editing and visual mixing, the result is frighteningly effective.
But enough about the big picture (so to speak). What is it about "Gone With the Wind" that makes it stand out? To be sure, it was everything I have mentioned to this point, with one more ingredient thrown in to "kick it up a notch". Enter Vivien Leigh. After an exhaustive world-wide search for the right actress to play Scarlett O'Hara, she was the one who won the part. And she was the one took home the Oscar, too. As the conniving, bitchy, manipulative, money-hungry, débutante who wears her heart on her sleeve for the wrong man, Vivien Leigh delivers a performance unlike any ever seen before and few have delivered since. And, as Rhett Butler, Clark Gable gives us a rogue, a scalawag, and a mercenary, while also a gentleman, a romantic, and a doting father. I seriously doubt that any other man could have pulled it off (though Timothy Dalton did try years later on TV -- But that's another story). The end result is a mixture of some of the best on-screen chemistry ever concocted.
The supporting cast does a wonderful job here, too. From Olivia de Havilland to Leslie Howard to the first Black Oscar winner, Hattie McDaniel, many of the performances of "Gone With the Wind" are both memorable and well-cast, with one or two exceptions. For example, I thought Carroll Nye had the look and attitude of Frank Kennedy (Scarlett's second husband), but I didn't feel his performance was all that convincing. By the way, if you are a fan of the old "Superman" TV series, look for George Reeves as one of the Tarleton twins (he's Stuart) at the beginning of the movie. Sure, it's a chick flick. Yes, it's four hours long. But if you call yourself a movie fan, even in passing, then "Gone With the Wind" deserves a viewing!