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Gone With The Wind

Well, after more than two weeks of going in and out of the massive box set that Warner Brothers has put together for Gone With The Wind, and still not getting through all of it, I have to render a split decision. On the one hand, this is a wonderful set that compiles so much about a film that is steeped in Hollywood history. The flip side to this is a specialized box that only hardcore fans of the film or old Hollywood will want, but still doesn’t quite offer a complete package.

Let’s step back and take stock of one simple thing, this is the film that beat out Mr. Smith Goes To Washington and The Wizard of Oz for Best Picture Oscar. Doesn’t that alone justify even a cursory rental and viewing for the curious?

Without going into the tumultuous production the film endured to simply get made, there is so much to discuss with the film’s subject matter. One could go straight for the subject matter of a woman’s journey and her story, or what the Civil War has done to our country. The story in Gone With The Wind is so rich that one could endlessly discuss what was in the film. Another way to go would be to discuss the variations between the film and the novel, along with the merits and detriments to the overall story in translating such an epic literary work to the screen.

I won’t bother with a plot-rehash, because frankly if you haven’t seen the film I don’t want you reading this review. Seriously. Go rent it right now. To have any understanding of what an “epic film” is, you absolutely have to see Gone With The Wind. The real question, really, is if this new 70^th anniversary edition box set is worth the purchase price. I’m not going to review a film that you should have seen. It’s sort of like that book everybody reads in middle school, some people like it, some people don’t, but at least everybody has a common point of understanding. Gone With The Wind is like that. Quite simply, this is required viewing by anybody who says they like film.

Also, it should be pointed out, that this film was made in 1939, when social awareness and equality were not what they are today. Consider then also that this is a film taking place during and after the Civil War, when the treatment of a certain segment of our population wasn’t particularly good (not that it improved all that great by 1939 or even today).

Is this a perfect film? No, but it shouldn’t be judged by “normal” standards either. Not only do we have 70 years of film history to take into account (along with the impact Gone With The Wind has had) but also we need to take into account the social standards of the day as well as how and for whom films were made.

But is this DVD set worth purchasing? Upon opening the box there is a book with various stills (production, promotional and behind the scenes) and some text on the film, but this is more of a promotional piece than anything else. Also on the top of the box are some reproductions of memos from the production of the film. Underneath these is the heart of the set, the 5 (yes, 5) discs dedicated to the film as well as a 6^th – a CD sampler of the film’s soundtrack.

A few years ago the film was released in a 4 disc DVD set with a number of great extras, all of which appear to have been brought over here, as well as a few new items. If you’re the kind of person that absolutely needs a list of the special features in a set like this to determine if a purchase is warranted, I’m going to disappoint you. I haven’t finished all of them, so I can’t account for the quality of them. I will say this, if you want examinations of Gone With The Wind, its actor and the making of the film, there’s a lot here. Some of the highlights include:

• A 2 hour 1988 documentary on the making of Gone With The Wind

• The prologue attached to foreign prints

• 1939: Hollywood’s Greatest Year (newly produced for this set looking at this singular spectacular year in Hollywood history

• A little over half an hour of Olivia de Haviland reminiscing about her experiences on the film

Also included are documentary featurettes/features looking at Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, the restoration of the film, trailers from the various releases the film has seen over the years, and still more. There’s even a television movie from 1980 where Tony Curtis portrays the producer of Gone With The Wind and explores the problem of searching for a leading lady (though I haven’t watched this yet). There’s still more.

And I haven’t mentioned the fascinating audio commentary by film historian Rudy Behlmar. He goes into detail about the production of the film as well as differences between this and the book, along with many other details that fill the film’s 4 hour run time. It also hints at some stuff that just isn’t included (alternate takes and deleted scenes).

Sadly, there are some things missing. The first that really bothered me was the fact we are getting only a sampling of the film’s soundtrack. Why not a 2 CD set that includes the full film score? Also missing is a music only option for the film. To that end, there is nothing about the film’s composer Max Steiner. And now I’m going to just get picky, and complain about the empty space in the box – it could have been better filled with a copy of the book, or maybe the authorized sequel (no, not the one that was turned into a mini-series, but the one from just a couple of years ago that ignores that one).

So, does this 70^th anniversary edition of Gone With The Wind stack up and warrant a repurchase if you already own the set from a few years ago? Well, no. Not at the price, unless you are able to replace your older copy at a good deal. For those that love film and may have one of the pre-2004 releases, then this is certainly worth picking up. Expect an all out assault in 5 years however.

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Tags: Gone With The Wind

Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Dec 8th, 2009 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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