The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1940-01-04

Atlanta, Ga, December %, 1889,
When Sherman marched through Ge-
orgia creating chaos and heartbreak
we don't believe he caused a great
deal more excitement than "Gone
With the Wind"
1t is unbelievable the stir the film.
ing of Margaret Mitcheil's famous
historic novel has created in this
southern metropolis. Tina. all of the
comment rs favorable makes the all
technicolor picture all the more dis
tinctive.
The picture Is now showing in its
third week and people are still fight
ing to get tickets. Today there is C
line of people two blocks long at
the box office buying tickets for
performances three days hence. Tick
cts for -oday's show cannot be bought
unless one is lucky enough to find
someone having tickets willing to part
with them.
David o. Selznick undoubtedly
brought something new to the film
in producing Gone With the Wind
He has accomplished something to
begin with by sticking to the book
as i! was written by Miss Mitchell a
feat for Hollywood, we are told.
Mr.. Selznick has gone further by
providing authentic background and
costumes and characters who sound
like they come from the south. That
u memorable, too, for never have we
heard a southern character on the
screen saying anything but you all"
"Gone With the Wind covers ele-
ven wildly beautiful, hectic years OF
southern history. preceding, during
and after the War Between the
States. All OF the romance and color
we associate with the plantation life
of the south before the war Is con-
tanned in this film as Is the soul
stirring days of the val and recon
struction.
4OuI LiCdAt VAL DtCCo III lh0 uC"
secration OF a land and It's people.
You will live these eleven years with
Scarlet OiHara and her family and
friends. You will laugh with them
and at them and you will cry, too.
Perhaps you won't even know why
you are crying but it will have some
kSntNr - a. ~r&AI o~~n<fHin~ 1rnf
something lovely that IL gone fer
ever; perhaps II will be that you are
crying for your southland and its
people. their weaknesses and their
strength.
Whatever your reaction to the film
we are ure that you must see Gone
With the Wind"
II Ii truly the south's own.
Bits about the Picture: David SELF
nick bought the picture rights for
$4,000. the highest price ever PAID
for q first novel; the title u a quo
tation from Ernest Dowsou's poem
about Cynara and the book consists
Of 10S7 pages begun In 1925 and pub
liahed IN 1886 most Of the book
had been completed by 1929 . the
succeeding years were spent In writ.
ing in missing chapters, checking up
on thousands Of historical and fac
tuai statements for accuracy !.
tho book surpassed $1,000 copies the
first day 1t was put on sale, shat
tering all records . It has now
been translated into 16 Areign IAN
guages and has sold around two mil
lion copies of which one and three
quarter millions were sold m the
United States; $4,000 were spent bv
the studio finding Scarlet and then
obtained her quite by accident i
she was q visitor IN the lot where
they had started shooting, SO they
say, and Mr.. Selznick had her take
a lest because she looked the part
Of Scarlet; Rhett Butler, played by
Clark Gable, continues TO be h
strongest male character in the plot
=. Ashley Wilkes Is the same ideal
istic dreamer with not quite enough
red blood in his veins to be a real
human being, just as he is in the
book, and who else could play that
part but Leslie Howard; Olivia de
Havilland is perfectly cast as sweet
Mekanie who is a wonderful foil fol-
Scarlett's vivid charm; Vivian Leigh
makes a perfect Scarlet. it remains
to be seen whether h can play
anything but a southern belle that
was a bit Of a devil and we hope
she cam; the storming of Atlanta
will be the most realistic battle you
will ever want to see N the screen;
and when the story ends in your
imagination we hope you will help
us get Scarlet back into Rhett's
arms where she belongs from
the very beginning.