CriticSociety- film reviews

Review

Gone With the Wind

Director

Victor Fleming

Year

1939

Rating

Reviewed by

Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho

Review date

Wednesday, August 13, 2003

In the Old South, a young woman of high society, Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) is determined to fight for the one thing that obsesses her: the love of Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard). When she finds out that he’s set to marry his cousin Melly (Olivia de Havilland), she gets even more infatuated. She’s so self-absorbed that she doesn’t even care for the Civil War, which is about to begin. Soon, however, war consumes everything on its way, including Tara (the land of the O’Haras) and the lives of many young idealists. Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), on the other hand, is a wealthy man who knows better than to hope that their side wins the war. He falls for Scarlett and fights for her, but the war, and Ashley, get in the way. Scarlett soon evolves from a careless spoiled child to the responsible—if still spoiled—head of family. Together with Melly, and her unconditionally loyal Mammy (Hattie McDaniel), Scarlett learns to fight for what she wants and in the end gets it all back except the “love of her life”… Good thing Rhett is still there for her… or is he?

Based on Margaret Mitchell’s novel, this incomparable Civil War saga set standards for melodramatic storytelling that are still followed today. The war is not put in second place to Scarlett’s story, in fact it could be said that the backdrop is the story of main interest, but another story is told throughout to maintain attention, even in four long running hours. Every detail is sumptuous in this David O. Selznick production, with impressive color cinematography by Ernest Haller, gorgeous music by Max Steiner, unbelievable production design by Lyle R. Wheeler and William Cameron Menzies, and suiting costumes by Walter Plunkett.

The performances are top-notch too, with Leigh a perfect Scarlett, Gable an irresistible Rhett, de Havilland a fragile Milly and McDaniel a scene-stealing Mammy. Thomas Mitchell also deserves mention as Scarlett’s father.

One of those classics you just can’t miss—if only to know what everyone’s talking about!

“As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again!”

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Other reviews of Gone With the Wind (1939): Morris