Gone With the Wind . Austin Chronicle . 03-15-99

Gone With the Wind

DIRECTED BY: Victor Fleming

REVIEWED: 03-15-99

Just so all you Chron readers don't think I'm a lout with no taste for the classics, I'll have you know I bought a copy of Gone With the Wind as a Christmas present for my wife. Turns out it is still as good as any four-hour movie can get. Fully restored and featuring a new six-channel soundtrack, this is a definitive collector's DVD. Extras include a trivia section (Lucille Ball was considered for the part of Scarlett) and the original theatrical trailer, which is quite a sight in comparison to today's preview reels. Oh yeah, there's a movie in there, too. It takes up both sides of the disc, and the restoration looks great. The most thrilling realization of this is during the burning of Atlanta. Today, you'd just superimpose some flames on some CGI buildings and be done with it. In 1939, you had to burn down a city (or a backlot of building, as the case was here) to get the shot, and that's what they did. It looks phenomenal. Another highlight is the aftermath of the war in the South, with thousands (literally) of wounded lying in the streets of Atlanta as a sort of makeshift hospital. Those are real extras, peppered with dummies. Again, it looks real because it is real. Someone tell Jim Cameron he's got a long way to go and a lot to learn.

--Mike Emery

Full Length Reviews
Gone With the Wind

Capsule Reviews
Gone With the Wind
Gone With the Wind
Gone With the Wind

Other Films by Victor Fleming
The Wizard of Oz

Film Vault Suggested Links
The English Patient
Fifty Four
Oscar and Lucinda

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