A beautiful love story that spins out both romance and tragedy.

Rating: 9/10 (24 March 2006)

This is the way you do romantic epics, okay? One thing I absolutely loved about Gone with the Wind is that it doesn't start slow. It gets right into the center of Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) and portrays her as a selfish, spoiled brat. She loves the well-mannered, Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), a man she cannot have and he will be soon marrying the naive Melanie Hamilton (Olivia de Havilland). She meets Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) who is far from who Ashley is  he is no gentleman at all but he loves Scarlett, only Scarlett does not have the same love for him as she does for Ashley. Every character in this film is memorable, even Mammy (Hattie McDaniel), the black woman who is loyal the O'Hara household. Even though the DVD edition of the film is roughly 3hrs and 58mins long, time goes fast when you're actually watching a good movie. This is what romances are all about: It doesn't matter if you don't have explicit love scenes, all that matters are characters that are true to the story itself.
What is wrong with the actresses today? Why can't they be more like  Vivien Leigh? I think one of the best female performances I have seen so far has to be Vivien Leigh's portrayal of the selfish, beautiful, spoiled, and rather manipulative Scarlett O'Hara. This is what Hollywood lacks today: Amazing actresses who are able to carry a film role all by themselves and be permanently remembered by it. This is what makes Leigh's performance so amazing because every time someone mentions her name, they would instantly think of the film. Even though this was Leigh's time to shine, the other performances weren't too bad: Clark Gable was absolutely charming as Rhett Butler and makes you believe him if he was drunk or pretending that he is drunk. There is another very underrated performance here that I would like to mention, and that is of Olivia de Havilland as Melanie. This is one very likable character and I keep hoping that Scarlett would accept her at the end, and fortunately she did, but I don't want to spoil too much of that for those who hasn't seen this classic. There is also Leslie Howard as Ashley, who was not as amazing as his co-stars but was able to muster up Ashley's blank expressions towards Scarlett and perfects moments of uncertainty. Hattie McDaniels also made Mammy  who could of had been quite a simple character  memorable.
Most beautiful movie ever made? Everything from the cinematography to the costume design was just breathtaking. With an estimated budget of $3,900,000 (at the time, that was a big movie). Compared to the films we have today, where Peter Jackson uses about one thousand green screens, it is even more of a wonder to watch. Gone with the Wind is still a true masterpiece and it is still truly unforgettable. If only our tech-systems can improve plots by just typing in the screenplay  Final thoughts.
I adored this film and everything about it. I have little to complain  even though this film is over 65 years old, there is nothing to hate about a true classic that can make you remember it for it. The final scenes in the film are just priceless and I don't think any other film can succeed the ending that Gone with the Wind provided for its story. I think I really like films that end with regret and tragedy, I think it's probably my favorite genre of ending. This is also probably my favorite romance because of the ending, and for those who know me: I dread romances  but not this one! Well, I might improve my tastes and look for happier movies, but I'll think about it tomorrow. "After all tomorrow is another day."