Sold gold work - then, now and forever

Rating: 9/10 (23 April 2003)

The life and loves of a spoiled Southern rich girl living in fast changing times
Hard to know where to start with a film of this sort and this magnitude, other than to say most of the things written about it are true. And given that whole books have been written about it - that is a hell of a lot of things.
This David O Selznick produced movie not only became an event, but moved the whole art of cinema up to the level of great literature or painting. Even watching today you cannot help, but marvel at the casting, script or action. Despite what it has been boiled down to by its critics (an overheated civil war romance?), so much happens in this film that you could call it almost an action film.
Great work is more about perspiration than inspiration. Here nothing has been left to chance, the leads (Gable and Leigh) are absolutely perfect for their roles - no one could have been better cast. Equally every smaller part has a major talent playing them. This maybe the best cast film of all time. Casting costs would make it impossible today.
Yes - it is a woman's picture - and yes again - it has elements of soap opera about it. Watching three hours of anything can be hard work (some TV showings break it in to two parts), but it is well worth it.
Despite not being in my own top ten of all time favourite movies (others simply appeal to me more), ignoring what this represents in terms of technical achievement and entertaining the masses/generations would be folly. Like it or not, Gone with the Wind moved the movie making bar up not inches, but whole feet and the cinema industry would be poorer for it never having been made.