Probably The Best

Rating: Null/10 (10 June 2002)

This one astounds me. I had the pleasure of seeing it on the big screen during it's 60th anniversary re-release in 1998. What an experience. At the time, "Titanic" was the big movie and I had my doubts about sitting through another epic (GWTW is 1/2 hour longer.) Fortunately, I was dragged to it. The thing that struck me immediately was how entertaining it was, even by today's standards. Usually, when watching an older film, one has to "dumb down" expectations a little. The only place I had to do this was with the white-washing of the slave treatment. The images of happy negroes whistling tunes can make you cringe. (Interestingly, hattie MacDaniel won an Oscar for the role of Mammie, but was not invited to the premier of the film in Atlanta.) 1930's values aside, GWTW delivers in every other way. It's comedic moments are still genuinely funny, its action, riveting. And the grand sweep of the production itself elicits the kind of emotions usually drawn only by movies like "Star Wars" and "The Godfather." It makes you want to cheer in places, cry in others. It pulls absolutely no punches; I actually found myself getting queazy in the hospital scenes, and I was shocked at the satisfied smile on Scarlett's face the morning after Rhett carries her up to bed. Audiences in the 1930's weren't quite as pure as we might think today. Rent the DVD and watch it on the biggest screen you can find, with surround sound. You'll be blown away. Definitely a 10/10. Note: When adjusted for inflation, GWTW is far and away the biggest money-maker of all time.