Gone With The Wind — 70th Anniversary Edition

For a film produced in 1939, both the romantic track and the characters in Gone With The Wind are neither mushy nor melodramatic

This screen adaptation of the Margaret Mitchell’s Pulitzer-winning romance drama set in the backdrop of the American Civil War, a classic in modern literature, is perhaps one of those rare instances when a film does justice to the book from which it has been adapted. Though the film is a sprawling epic coursing through various timelines and involving innumerable characters, it is the romantic track between its leads Rhett Butler Scarlett O’Hara that is definitely its beating heart. So much has been said and written about the film, but what will seem unique for the present-day viewer is the fact that, for a film produced in 1939, the romantic track and both the characters are neither mushy nor melodramatic. Far from it, Rhett and Scarlett are in fact very self-centred individuals who are very much aware of their faults and almost seem to revel in this fact. And, despite a running time of almost four hours, the film’s pace doesn’t sag at any point and it is quite exhilarating to witness the manner in which the tone of certain scenes changes from playfulness to sadness. If you, like Rhett Butler, still say, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” wait! In addition to two DVDs of the film, you also get dedicated individual DVDs on the film (which has an audio commentary, featurettes on the film’s restoration process, global premiere, the prologue for the international version, trailers, and footages from the Oscar ceremony in 1939 in which the film won a whopping 10 awards) and the cast (documentaries on Gable, Leigh, an interview by Olivia De Havilland and a featurette on the supporting cast). There’s also an extra DVD featuring a documentary on the landmark movies released during 1939 and a made-for-TV film on producer David O Selznick’s hunt for Scarlett. The collectibles include a photo book on the making of the film with information on the cast and crew, postcards of the art work from the film and copies of the original production notes. A collector’s edition in every sense!

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