Gone With the Wind

US (1939): Drama/War/Romance

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.

Victor Fleming received directing credit for the film (George Cukor and Sam Wood worked uncredited), which also features outstanding perfomances by Hattie McDaniel, Thomas Mitchell, Ona Munson, Laura Hope Crews, Carroll Nye, Harry Davenport, Leona Roberts, Evelyn Keyes, Ann Rutherford, Butterfly McQueen, Victor Jory, Jane Darwell, Cammie King, George Reeves and Fred Crane. (Amazon.com)

 Use this link to view the trailer for the 1961 re-issue of Gone With the Wind on TCM.com.

13 nominations, 8 Awards, 1 Special Award
Set records for most nominations and most Awards.