A movie based on Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel that covers Tarah a plantation in Georgia and the once prosperous life of the Old South in all it's grandeur before being swept by the Civil War up to the reconstruction era.
We have a story full of swashbuckling heroes and heroines-of youths going off to war-romances both forbidden and secret, thriving and spanning over several years. We have Scarlett O'Hara, the young, vibrantly beautiful, impulsive, sometimes selfish lady who could have anything and anyone she wants but sets her eye on the enigmatic, Ashley Wilkes who is to marry his cousin Melanie Hamilton. And we have Rhett Butler a man who sets his sights on Scarlett, wants her for himself despite and in spite knowing of her devotion to Ashley- this whole tone sets up the entire movement of the story.
75 years later the film that took movie viewers by storm during Hollywood's golden age-with Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh-at the forefront, giving life to their manipulative, strong, vital characters delivering some of the most quintessential lines in movie history such as:
"Frankly my dear I don't give a damn"
"As God as my witness. As God as my witness they're not going to lick me. I'm going to live through this and when it's all over I'll never be hungry again nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill as God as my witness I'll never be hungry again."
"Tara! Home. I'll go home. And I'll think of some way to get him back. After all ... tomorrow is another day."
-is still considered the most successful film in box-office history, included in several lists of the 100 greatest films of all times.
The mark of a good lasting movie is that it doesn't loose the quality-when through each viewing you get more and more out of it, the experience only getting better overtime. Gone with the Wind is exactly that, the emotions are there, you get to live each scene; the escape from the burning, chaotic Atlanta. The wounded displayed on the public street seemingly reaching far and wide--in awe.
As with all great things, the making of the project took a lot of time, effort, sweat, blood and tears beig made. There were many instances were the movie could have crashed and burned and ended up not being pushed through at all. It took almost two years waiting for Clark Gable's-who was Selznick's first choice- MGM contract to expire. And after than they begun the daunting process of casting the Scarlett O'Hara. There was a nationwide search claiming that over 14000 plus women were seen for the part-which was excellent publicity on their part-though in reality only 400 were seen and even fewer screen tested. The four finalists being Jean Arthur and Joan Bennett, Paulette Goddard and Vivien Leigh. The latter two were the ones who battled it out-with Leigh eventually landing the much coveted role.
The production of the movie itself was fraught with complications; There were a total of three directors with the original one George Cukor, being fired a mere three weeks into filming. He was then replaced by Victor Fleming, who in turn(because of needing a break due to exhaustion) was briefly replaced by Sam Wood. The script, originally written by Sidney Howard, underwent many changes. It was rewritten, altered, lengthened, and shortened in an attempt to find a suitable enough length for the film(the end product was still 4 hours long).
They were on a tight schedule, with many people called in to aid in filming with at least a dozen writers to aid with the constant revision work. The actors were met with less than favorable working conditions. They ended up five weeks into filming with a completely different script from where it had originally started-most of which was shot in a whole week working 20 hours straight, during which the producer Selznick did not allow anyone in the room to take breaks; bananas were given to the cast and crew for their sustenance.
In the end it all proved worth it, The movie swept up ten Academy Awards(eight competitive, two honorary) out of thirteen nominations. The awards were for Best Picture(The first colored film to win), Best Director (Victor Fleming), Best Adapted Screenplay (posthumously awarded to Sidney Howard), Best Actress (Vivien Leigh) and with Hattie McDaniel, Best Supporting Actress making history as the first African-American to win an Academy Award. It set the bar for all other big-budgeted historical epic movie productions.
© 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
