Review of Gone with the Wind (1939) by Stuart R — 05 Jul 2011

In the days when there were a dozen cinemas in every city, people still queued round the block to see this one; and it's not difficult to see why. You could be picky and judge it by today's production standards - yes there are a few stereotypes; a bit of melodrama; Leslie Howard is a bit wooden at times; but forget all that - for this is a great film in every sense - a breathtaking epic of scale; two genuine stars in Leigh and Gable at the very top of their game; beautifully filmed (remember colour had only been around a few years when this was made), a wonderful soundtrack by composer Max Steiner, and a powerful and witty screenplay from Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Sidney Howard from Margaret Mitchell's era-defining novel.

So many talents bounded together by one of the great filmmakers of the golder age of cinema - David O'Selznick. Cinema had produced its greatest masterpiece when this film was released, and even today - if you're to sit down and ponder upon the best film ever made - this will always be a strong contender.