Classic

Rating: 10/10 (18 February 2002)

What can I say about this film that hasn't already been said? It's a true classic.
Vivien Leigh is astonishing in one of my all-time favorite performances. It's so hard for me to believe that this movie is from the '30s because it's so timeless.
Love stories set against the background of war are a movie cliche at this point, but Gone With the Wind was original for its time, and is simply the greatest love story of all time.
You'll find yourself cheering for Scarlet then cheering for Rhett, then crying for both. The acting is first class (naturally considering how many legendary performers starred), and the scenery and locations are just stellar and brilliant thanks to the color technology first used in the '30s.
Victor Fleming and the rest of the crew recreated the time period so well that I sometimes forget that this is a film from the 1930s and not footage from the 1860s.
This is also the most accurate retelling of a novel that I've ever seen. The only differences I noticed are that in the book Scarlet has three children, not one. This is one movie that lives up to the book.
In short, Gone With the Wind is a touching look at the people caught in the middle of a war, and allowed me to actually feel compassion (despite their political beliefs) for the people who happened to live in the South, and is also the greatest love story ever told.
See this movie and you too will recite the final dialogue between Rhett and Scarlet with tear soaked cheeks forever... and never get sick of it.