Editorial Reviews:
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David O. Selznick wanted Gone with the Wind to be somehow more than a movie, a film that would broaden the very idea of what a film could be and do and look like. In many respects he got what he worked so hard to achieve in this 1939 epic (and all-time box-office champ in terms of tickets sold), and in some respects he fell far short of the goal. While the first half of this Civil War drama is taut and suspenseful and nostalgic, the second is ramshackle and arbitrary. But there's no question that the film is an enormous achievement in terms of its every resource--art direction, color, sound, cinematography--being pushed to new limits for the greater glory of telling an American story as fully as possible. Vivien Leigh is still magnificently narcissistic, Olivia de Havilland angelic and lovely, Leslie Howard reckless and aristocratic. As for Clark Gable: we're talking one of the most vital, masculine performances ever committed to film. --Tom Keogh Description
DVD Features: Disc 1 & 2 (The Film)
* Commentary by film historian Rudy Behlmer
* 5.1 Dolby Digital Soundtrack
* Original Mono Soundtrack DVD Features: Disc 3
* The Making of a Legend: Gone With The Wind the acclaimed 1989 documentary made by Selznick's sons and narrated by Christopher Plummer (125 Minutes, Never-before-available on DVD)
* Restoring a Legend- An in-depth look at the restoration and Ultra-Resolution process utilized by Warner Bros. For this new DVD presentation
* Footage from 1939 Atlanta and 1961 Civil War Centennial Atlanta premieres
* The Old South - Fred Zinnerman directed this historical 1940 theatrical short, which was shown by MGM in theatres prior to the release of Gone With The Wind DVD Features: Disc 4
* Melanie Remembers: Olivia de Havilland Recalls Gone With The Wind - All new documentary produced especially for this new DVD set, features Ms. de Havilland's personal recollections of the film
* Clark Gable: A King Remembered - A Portrait of the legendary actor's long and distinguished career as M-G-M's most famous leading man
* Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond hosted by Jessica Lange, this is an insightful look at Leigh's short and troubled life
* Mini documentaries covering lives and careers of the most prominent cast members |
Customer Reviews
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Gone With the Wind, Sep 29, 2023
I teach art history at the college level and often use this film as a teaching aid for the development of cinema in the United States. It is a highly entertaining melodrama with a unique point of view, detailed and accurate historical settings and skillful camera use.
It is characterized also by superb acting and has an appeal to the viewer that war is the worst thing that a human being can experience and, often, is supremely destructive and meaningless.
The DVD updates all the cinematic features and provides images with a new and powerful dimension not available in the VHS format.
It is a perfect film and one of the greatest of all time.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Amazing DVD treatment of an amazing film!, Sep 19, 2023
Gone With The Wind is one of my favorite movies of all time, with Scarlett O'Hara as one of the all-time great book/movie characters. Despite the racial stereotypes presented in the film, which at the time were actually breaking from the stereotypes of the day, but eventually turned into stereotypes of their own, I thoroughly enjoy the movie. But I won't discuss the film too much, as practically everyone knows what it's about by now.
When GWTW was first released on DVD in 1998, it included a trivia game and a trailer that seemed as if it had a different audio track than it originally had as two flimsy bonus features. The print was nice, but it suffered from some grain and effects from the shrinking of all Technicolor elements. However, in 2004, Warner Bros. gave us fans a DVD worthy of the biggest movie ever made. (To this day, no movie has sold as many tickets.) Four discs, the film in a new gorgeous restoration that rivals any restoration performed on it in the past, and wonderful bonus features.
Discs 1 and 2, labeled The Movie, have the movie beautifully restored with Warner Bros. Ultra Resolution process, which forces every frame of every element of the Technicolor negative to align perfect, revealing sharp, crisp detail. A real removal of excess grain and dirt and good work on the colors as well as a digital restoration of the soundtrack make this the best version ever available. The only bonus feautre on these discs is an audio commentary by film historian Rudy Behlmer.
Disc 3, labeled About The Movie, includes all kinds of bonuses about the making of the movie. The real meat of this disc is the 2-hour Making Of A Legend documentary, making its DVD debut here. This documentary provides all of the behind-the-scenes info you could ever want and includes rare screen tests of other actresses who hoped to be Scarlett, such as Susan Hayward and Lana Turner. Also on this disc is a featurette on the restoration, which gives the viewer insight on the Ultra Resolution process. There are also two premiere newsreels, a gallery of trailers, the prologue from overseas versions, scenes with foreign language dubbing, and a historical short subject titled The Old South.
Disc 4, labeled About The Cast, doesn't contain quite as much, but is still very satisfactory. The real gem is the 2004 interview featurette Melanie Remembers: Reflections by Olivia de Havilland, in which Olivia gives her reflections on the making of this classic. Also included are two wonderful profile featurettes on Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. Both tell of the stories and stuggles of two of the all time great movie stars. Also included on disc 4 are many very short featurettes on the supporting players. It was here that I found out that Cammie King, the little girl who played Bonnie Blue Butler, had only one other film role - the voice of Faline in Disney's perennial classic Bambi.
Finally, this box set comes with a booklet - a reproduction of the original lobby brochure. A beautiful booklet and a sweet extra to have along with these four DVD discs of incredible stuff.
My review can't possibly do justice to this incredible DVD release of this legendary film. All I can say is if you're a fan of the movie, please don't hesitate to own this gorgeous set. The price isn't unreasonable and very definitely worth it.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent transaction, Sep 18, 2023
The film arrived in a timely fashion and in perfect condition. It plays like it is brand new! Will certainly do business with again.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
For once, a real "collector's edition", Sep 4, 2023
I sometimes get tired of the endless "special editions" that come out on dvd. Some of them offer genuinely interesting material (like deleted scenes) but very often it's just a bunch of trailers and rather boring commentary tracks. Well, this four-disc collector's edition of "Gone With the Wind" is different. It's well worth owning.
First, the movie. There are so many things to criticize about the movie (for one, it's shockingly naive view of race relations in the pre-Civil War South). Neverthless, I love this film, I love the opulence, the costumes, the extravagance, the energy, that were all a reflection of the movie's producer, David O. Selznick. In the documentary we find out that despite being officially directed by George Cukor (who was fired) and Victor Fleming, it was Selznick who was really behind the camera. Selznick also constantly tinkered with Sidney Howard's script. Nevertheless, the movie manages to be reasonably faithful to Margaret Mitchell's novel, and it has unexpected moments of humor despite the occasionally soapy storyline. This is the best example of Hollywood's "studio" system.
But in the end, there's one main reason to see this movie, and it's the remarkable performance of Vivien Leigh. How this 26-year old British beauty transformed herself into a ruthless Southern belle is the stuff of screen legend. And in the documentaries of disc 3 and 4, we find out that she was not particularly happy during the filming of GWTW. She was rudely treated by the director Victor Fleming and she desperately missed Laurence Olivier. But nevertheless, this performance is remarkable. Her Scarlett is always crackling with energy. In the documentaries we find out that Leigh suffered from bipolar disorder in real life, and her Scarlett has a manic, restless vitality. Her performance is so famous that its always a pleasure discovering the small moments of brilliance.Watch the embarrassed smile on Scarlett's face when she sees Rhett at the bazaar. Or the look of utter fatigue when she returns to Tara.
Besides Leigh, the other performances of this classic movie are of course wonderful. Hattie McDaniel as Mammy and Butterfly McQueen as Prissy are particularly remarkable. Look for Jane Darwell who's hilarious as the gossipy Mrs. Merriweather. Clark Gable as Rhett Butler and Olivia DeHavilland as Melanie Hamilton are also near-perfect. The only weak link in the cast is Leslie Howard, who is way too old and dull to be believable as Ashley Wilkes.
As I said, this is one collector's edition worthy of it's title. Disc 3 is devoted to the making of this movie. There's a two-hour documentary that goes into great detail about the trials and tribulations before, during, and after filming. There's fascinating screen tests of a variety of actresses as Scarlett, including Katharine Hepburn, Jean Arthur, and Paulette Goddard, who almost got the job. There's another documentary describing the restoration process.
Disc 4 has 88-year-old Olivia de Havilland's reminisces. She doesn't have any major revelations, although the prank she pulled on Clark Gable is funny. She also describes how she had to schmooze Jack Warner's wife in order to be released from her Warner Brothers contract. There are also two documentaries, one about Clark Gable, one about Vivien Leigh. And finally a documentary about the supporting players of GWTW, which I found was the most interesting part of Disc 4.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Wonderful Movie and Special Features, Sep 2, 2023
I love the story of Gone with the Wind. Scarlett's determination is wonderful and she won't let anything get in her way. The movie is a little different from the novel, but it's very good. This DVD Collection is wonderful. If you're a fan of the movie, you will absolutely love this collection. It's got special features which include a documentary of how the movie was made, screen tests, the original movie trailer and there's even a short history lesson of the "Old South" that is very interesting. This is a classic and I highly reccomend this special DVD collection.
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Based on 581 reviews.