Editorial Review:

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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

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Rating: - Quite Simply One of the Greatest Movies of All-Time
This is the 716th review of this movie! What can I say that has not already been said about this wonderfully compelling movie? I will not comment on the restoration process or the pros and cons of buying the 2-disk or 4-disk set, as this is adequately discussed by many other reviewers. I will say that this movie won 10 Academy awards and is still regarded as the 6th best epic movie of all-time. That should be credentials enough to want to view this extraordinary movie.

Watching this movie is an absolutely delightful experience, and I can just imagine attending the movie in the theatre for the first time! I can just imagine the excitement and the buzz of conversation during the intermission, for the first half of this movie is quite unlike any other movie up to that date in time. This is a visual experience on film unlike any other. The cinematography is what amazed me. The magnificence of the sets, the lighting, the dramatic closing shots of scenes, and the sheer enormity of the film floors the viewer. I will never forget the camera shot of Scarlett looking for the doctor in the streets of Atlanta, going from wounded soldier to wounded soldier as the camera slowly backs away revealing the enormity of the wounded lying in the streets as Sherman's cannons bomb the city to flames. Similarly, there is also the shot of Scarlett declaring at Tara (her planation home) that she would never go hungry again. The sky backdrop is so vividly lit, and the indomitable spirit of life that resides in Scarlett's chin-up, upright silhouette speaks volumes about her ability to survive the war and the destruction of her beloved Tara.

Gone With The Wind is one of the greatest films of all-time as it transcends time itself. It is still as relevant today as it was in 1939 (the greatest year in film history by the way, as The Wizard of Oz and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington were also released this year). It is truly an epic of epic proportions, the best of its day by a wide margin, and not to be eclipsed for decades.

This is a wonderful movie experience; one you will never forget. And unlike Rhett Butler, at the end of this film dear reader, you frankly will "give a damn".

Jim Koenig

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Rating: - missing minutes
* The movie was missing the last 10 minutes--so my daughter watched the 3 hr movie without the last 10 minutes---very disappointing!! ...

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Rating: - Outstanding
I was very impressed with the packaging, movie and footage. I would recommend purchaasing from this seller anytime.

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Rating: - Ecstacy and Agony
* \"Gone with the Wind\" is a fabulous film, the film by which all others are gauged. It debuted in 1939, perhaps the year that produced the most high quality films of all time. Watching this film is like viewing a great painting. Every time I watch it I get something new. I also detect subtleties and insights I never recognized when I was younger.

I won't attempt to summarize this well-known film, because I see that there have been over seven hundred reviews before this one. I will tell you about a personal experience that some reviewers might find interesting.

Many years ago when I was a medical student, I spent three months as an observer on a psychiatric ward containing patients with mixed diagnoses. One of the patients was an inconspicuous old lady diagnosed as a catatonic. She simply rocked in her rocking chair and stared at the floor. She was totally unresponsive. A psychiatrist asked me if I'd like to look at her history...and...what a history it was. There was a scrap book with letters, press clippings and newspaper photographs.

It turns out, as a young [and quite beautiful] woman she was a Georgia debutante. The letters were from...well... a director with the initials DOS. The earliest letters were enthusiastic saying that she was a shoo-in for the part of Scarlett Ohara. Then the letters grew more tentative stating that she must realize that she had serious competition from Bette Davis, Kate Hepburn and Vivian Leigh. The letters grew increasingly pessimistic and finally rejected her altogether. Reportedly, this little old lady's decline started the same day.

Ron Braithwaite author of novels--\"Skull Rack\" and \"Hummingbird God\" on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico ...

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Rating: - Everyone should own a copy of this
My grandmother first introduced me to this movie and I've owned a copy since it first came out on DVD. Based upon one of the best-written novels of all time, the film is outstanding in it's own right. Covering the war from the viewpoint of it's heroine, Scarlett O'Hara, 'Gone With the Wind' explores the effects of the war on a well-to-do Southern family and the plantation they live on, Tara. A wonderful character study, Scarlett and her romantic interest, Rhett Butler, do what they must to survive in trying times. The characters are not perfect, never sappy, and always mesmerizing. This is simply a film you should own - not rent - and share with your family and friends. Timeless, even if you normally do not enjoy vintage films!