Gone with the Wind [DVD] [1939]

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Keep in mind that anyone can view public collections - they may also appear in recommendations and other places. Mayer is by far the driving focus of this segment, from his emphasis on wholesome family entertainment to very different reflections on the man by the stars he'd helped foster to an obsession with race horses that essentially left MGM without a steward. Scarlett has certainly hardened and has been forced to draw from a reserve of strength she never knew she had, but it's debatable just how much she's actually matured. The list of smaller but memorable parts seems endless: Thomas Mitchell as Scarlett's Irish immigrant father who instills in her a profound love of the land, Evelyn Keyes as her spoiled, impossibly jealous younger sister, Butterfly McQueen whose squeaked "I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' babies!

Scarlett is hellbent on snatching Ashley away from wedding his sweetly demure cousin Melanie (Olivia de Havilland), and with the announcement to be made at a party at the Wilkes' Twelve Oaks estate the following day, she'll have to make quick work of it. I found it very entertaining and you can forget your problems for a few hours, focusing on the various personalities in the film. The documentary draws from newly-conducted -- as of 1992, at least -- interviews as well as a massive assortment of archival footage, and, of course, excerpts from the many dozens of films highlighted throughout have been included as well. Along with the colossal success of Gone with the Wind, "Scarlett and Beyond" touches on her earlier British films as well as more recognizable titles like Waterloo Bridge, Caesar and Cleopatra, and Ship of Fools.Despite the daunting four hour length of this cut of the film, the storytelling and its richly-drawn characters are so unrelentingly engaging that it feels as if Gone with the Wind unspools for just a fraction of that runtime. This segment also touches on the shifting balances of power throughout Hollywood as a whole, including the arrival of such Method actors as Brando, the power of the producer making way for directors craving more creative control, and the reluctant embrace of darker themes and more graphic violence. Wonderfully epic in scope, the decline and fall of the antebellum South as seen through the eyes of feisty, independent and wilful heroine Scarlett O'Hara makes the first half of the picture an absolutely riveting spectacle. Strangely, in this take, Vivien Leigh wasn't actively pursuing the role, and she's only hinted at before being briefly glimpsed at the tail end. The Technicolor hues are sumptuous -- bright and optimistic whenever Scarlett has the opportunity to fully embrace the Southern belle lifestyle and dusty and smoldering in the heat of war.

Tallulah Bankhead, Joan Crawford, and Paulette Goddard in particular score quite a bit of the attention, especially the latter who's also seen bickering with her live-in maybe-husband Charlie Chaplin about his lack of clout in Tinseltown. Its dialogue may also be the most eminently quotable of any single film released before Casablanca, and Gone with the Wind is, of course, flawlessly cast. The texture of its film grain seems appropriate, certainly not suffering from any signs of being artificially smeared away and faintly visible in the way I'd expect from a vintage Technicolor release. Gone With The Wind DVD [2001] DescriptionThis sweeping Civil War-era romance won an impressive 10 Academy Awards ( including best picture ), and it's immortal characters Scarlett, Rhett, Ashley, Melanie, Mammy and Prissy populate an epic story of enduring appeal across generations. It does encompass the golden age of the mighty MGM musical, after all, and "The Lion in Winter" delights in exploring the successes of such films as Meet Me in St.Among the other topics of conversation here are his initial drive to become an actor as a means to escape poverty, winning an Oscar for a small role he was forced into as "punishment", establishing himself as the top box office draw in the country, the devastating blow of Carole Lombard's untimely death, his military service during WWII, and passing away without ever having a chance to meet his son that would be born just a few months later. Southern belle Scarlett O'Hara (Leigh), the daughter of a Georgia plantation owner, often uses men to get what she wants, but is unable to get the one man she truly desires, Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard). The story centers around Scarlett O'Hara, a Southern belle who uses her charm and wit to seduce men to gain what she wants.