[7]

Hollywood's most celebrated melodrama is still entertaining today. Vivien Leigh does a remarkable job playing one of the most volatile heroines in film history. Scarlet O'Hara begins Margaret Mitchell's story damned spoiled, and I'm not sure she ever really learns her lesson, but Leigh renders a subtle transformation while always remaining true to character. My other favorites are Olivia de Havilland (sweet in everything she's in), Hattie McDaniel (who deserved her Oscar), and Butterfly McQueen (for bringing a little comedy to the proceedings). I don't get Leslie Howard as Ashley. For being the crux of the movie's romantic triangle, I'd like to have known what was so darned special about him. Max Steiner's music, especially the Tara theme, is among the most memorable ever composed for film.

Gone with the Wind succeeds in transporting you to another time and place and letting you spend enough time with a group of characters that you have a hard time shaking them. The whole epic affair drags on a little too long, and gets less compelling as it goes. I enjoyed the civil war period, including the burning of Atlanta, and the return to a ravaged Tara. But once Scarlet and Rhett (Clark Gable) get married, I start losing interest. The final hour, with all its death and desperation, becomes too much to take seriously. But after it’s all over, and Gable has decided not to give a damn, there are far worse ways to spend almost four hours.

The film swept the Oscars, winning trophies for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Leigh), Best Supporting Actress (McDaniel), Best Art Direction, Best Color Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Screenplay, and two honorary awards for technical and aesthetic achievements.