The Film That Changed Hollywood Forever

Rating: Null/10 (28 October 2000)

Arguably the greatest and most beloved movie of all time, "Gone With the Wind" is cinematic magic at its finest. The film is about Scarlett O'Hara's (Vivien Leigh, in an Oscar-winning role) experiences, in the South, during our country's Civil War. We see the triumphs and tribulations of this amazing character through some of our nation's darkest years. The screenplay, based on the popular novel, is super. Victor Fleming received an Oscar for his direction, but there were rumored to be as many as 12 directors who collaborated on the final product. Clark Gable (Oscar-nominated) gives the performance of a lifetime and the fact that he failed to win the Oscar is one of life's true mysteries. Hattie McDaniel did win in the supporting actress category (she was the first African-American to win an Oscar). Her win cost Olivia de Havilland, who also received a nomination in that group. In all the film won eight competitive Oscars and two special achievement awards. It was nominated for 13 overall, an unheard of number for Oscar in 1939. "Gone With the Wind" is one of those films that set the mark for excellence in film-making. In over 60 years there are maybe five films, at the most, who have matched or bettered "Gone With the Wind". 5 stars out of 5.