(1939) It's the king of corn
and the soapiest soap
opera ever filmed, but who'd have it any other way? If
CITIZEN
KANE is the screen's greatest film, GONE WITH THE WIND is the screen's
greatest entertainment. Based on Margaret Mitchell's
phenomenal
bestseller, GWTW's storyline is little more than a love triangle set
midst the Civil War. But, as with all great films, it is the
characters that make it a classic. That, plus the obsessive
attention to detail that producer David O. Selznick poured into his
labor of love. The film also boasted an impeccable cast (with
the
exception of a miscast Leslie Howard), including King of Hollywood
Clark Gable in what is probably his finest screen
performance.
But it is the remarkable gale-force performance of relative newcomer
Vivien Leigh that holds the film together and provides its relentless
drive and energy. As the New York Times observed at the time:
"She is so beautiful, she need hardly be so talented. She is
so
talented, she need hardly be so beautiful."
- JL