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Amazon.co.uk Review
Gone with the Wind is a sprawling mosaic of a picture, one of the best-loved and most successful in movie history, but also one of the most frustrating. 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. From the aristocratic old world of Tara to the horrors of Atlanta under siege, Gone with the Wind features any number of indelible scenes and images: the genteel girls taking an enforced siesta during the Twelve Oaks barbecue, a horrified Scarlett walking through the wounded, the flight from burning Atlanta, and Scarlett's moving pledge against a burnished sunset set to Max Steiner's glorious music score. But the second half shifts gear, the melodramatic quotient is upped yet further as tragedy piles upon tragedy, and despite its unwieldy length everything feels rushed. Add to that the central problem that the audience never really understands, why Scarlett could ever fall for weak-chinned Ashley in the first place, and the picture begins to unravel unsatisfactorily. Behind the scenes problems doubtless contributed, with directors coming and going, Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable apparently barely able to stand the sight of each other, and producer David O Selznick's endless rewrites and interference. Nonetheless, this 1939 box-office smash remains one of Hollywood's finest achievements, an irresistible spectacle chock-full of the finest stars in the filmic firmament striking sparks off one another. They really don't make 'em like this anymore.
On the DVD: No extra features on this DVD, which is a pity given the amount of material that must be available, but it has to be admitted this disc is worth the asking price simply to drink in the astonishing quality of the picture, sumptuously presented in its original 1.33:1 "Academy" ratio. The mono sound is vivid, too, showcasing Max Steiner's headily romantic score. --Mark Walker
Special Features
1.33 Full Screen
DVD 10
French
English
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English French
Dolby Digital 5.1
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Arabic\Dutch\English\French\German\Italian\Spanish
DVD 10
French
English
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English French
Dolby Digital 5.1
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Arabic\Dutch\English\French\German\Italian\Spanish
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the greatest movies ever - a masterpiece which will never age,
By
This review is from: Gone With The Wind [1940] [DVD] [1939] (DVD)
As a man I am probably not the most typical fan of this movie, which is very feminine, and sometimes surprisingly feminist. And still I can not help it. I always loved GWTW and it still has on me a magical effect, as few others manage to do (the others being essentially "Star Wars", "The longest day", "The seven samurai" and "Alien"). This is an adaptation of a very long (and excellent) book, so it has to be long. And it is. And me for one I am very happy that it is, because there is no way to tell the whole story shorter. Period.GWTW is two stories in one and they are both passionate - and very, very sad. The background is about the death of a country, a civilisation and a way of life. And no matter what is your opinion on the American South, a death is never happy - but it can be a great story. And it is. The scene with Scarlett walking between the wounded Confederate soldiers in the railway station of Atlanta is unbelievable - those who never saw it, missed something great and perfect. The second story is about the coming of age and maturing of a very beautiful, but antipatic, mean and rather stupid young girl. Scarlett is 17 at the beginning of the movie - immature, silly, lazy and spoiled she is in fact a horrible (although cute) little brat. The cataclysm swallowing her world will force her to change and she will show a surprising strength - you simply must admire her for the moment when she succesfully deals with the repugnant Yankee plunderer, who came to steal the very last money and the very last food of four starving and sick women. The scene in which, on the ruins of the world, in the background of blood coloured sunset she swears that she will never be hungry again, is one of the most powerful ever in the history of cinema. Now, being initially just a silly, spoiled child, Scarlett couldn't help but fall for the wrong guy, handsome, intelligent and kind but weak Ashley Wilkes - when in the same time becoming the object of interest of possibly the most incredibly appealing macho in world history, Rhett Butler, played by Clark Gable, in his greatest role ever. Then there is Melanie, Ashley's wife, played by Olivia de Havilland. You have to read the book to fully realise how incredibly strong and clever is Melanie. She in fact is the real "Power woman" in the movie - although her iron rule is made with the softest of gloves. I always was in deep awe of this character and of the way Olivia De Havilland played her. Relations and tragedies between those four are one of the greatest stories ever told on the screen. Of course, like all the great stories, and mostly like life itself, this is one is devoided of happy ending... although? The last scene of the movie is just incredible... there is so much you can see in it and how you see this scene, well, it depends of your heart. This is a mythical movie, played by great actors, with an incredibly powerful and moving musical score and with costumes and decors which still can impress, even today. I strongly believe that who never stood with Scarlett under this dead tree, looking at this bloody sunset, holding this pathetic radish she digged barehanded from the dirt and screaming to God that she will never, never be hungry again... he missed something important that should not be missed.
87 of 91 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well Worth The Wait!,
By Pink Blur "evacassidyfan" (Sheffield) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Gone With The Wind (4 Disc Collector's Edition Box Set) [1939] [DVD] (DVD)
Wow! I accidentally came across this new DVD version of Gone With The Wind whilst browsing in the shops. I have previously ignored other DVD versions, because they didn't put any special features on them which disappointed me deeply. I always knew that eventually a DVD with special features would be released, and it has now been released in style with this edition. I was very excited when I saw it contained 4 different discs. It contains 'The Making Of A Legend' which I saw on TV previously. It is a highly enjoyable account of the story of the making of GWTW, and the most avid fan will enjoy it immensely. It shows behind the scenes shots of all the stars, and some of the auditions starring other populars actors/actresses of the time. It is interesting to see this, and compare their performances to those of the stars of the film. Being a massive Vivien Leigh fan, I was very pleased to see that one of the discs contains the Vivien Leigh documentary 'Scarlett and Beyond' which is lovely. There is also a great recent interview with the brilliant Olivia De Havilland. She looks amazing for her age, and her account of the making of the film is spellbinding. She is a very interesting lady. The overall quality of the film is brilliant. It is almost as if the film was done in recent years. The details and colour is much more superior to any editions before, and you notice things that you didn't notice before. The colour of Vivien Leigh's eyes is more vivid, and you can see that her eyes are actually green, and not the blueish colour that they have on previous versions. If you love this film then buy it. If you're a mad GWTW fan, then definitely buy it, you would be a fool not to. I promise you, you will not be disappointed!!
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well I Like It Anyway,
By
This review is from: Gone With The Wind [1940] [DVD] [1939] (DVD)
I was surprised to see so many negative reviews of this film. I've always enjoyed it, but will admit that it sags a bit towards the end.
I view it in the context of when it was made, and how groundbreaking it was in terms of its budget and scope, and the legends surrounding it. It is really a high class soap opera, but that is not meant as a put down. It was popular here during the blitz, and I can imagine how people then could identify with Scarlett O'Hara when she returned to a ravaged and ruined Tara. Nobody on film has ever waved a radish as meaningfully as Vivien Leigh, as she vowed to overcome and prosper. Three of the four main players are British, which makes me proud. The film does depict slavery and racism, but please also know that Hattie McDaniel picked up a supporting role Oscar for her portrayal of Mamie. She was the first African American to win an Accadamy Award. In that respect, the film stands as a powerful symbol of black advancement. An epic of its time, that is still worth watching today.
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