Clark Gable
Rhett Butler
Search results
A classic romance drama set in the American Civil War and Reconstruction periods, starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. IMDb provides cast and crew information, user and critic reviews, trivia, goofs, quotes, and more for this Best Picture winner.
- (327K)
- Drama, Romance, War
- Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood
- 1940-01-17
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American epic historical romance film adapted from the 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell. The film was produced by David O. Selznick of Selznick International Pictures and directed by Victor Fleming.
- $3.85 million
- David O. Selznick
- Max Steiner
- December 15, 1939 (Atlanta premiere)
Rotten Tomatoes provides critical and audience reviews, ratings, videos, and information for the classic 1939 film Gone With the Wind, starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. The film is a romantic epic of the American South during the Civil War, but also faces criticism for its racist and outdated perspective.
- (104)
- Victor Fleming
- G
- Clark Gable
- Overview
- Production notes and credits
- Cast
- Academy Award nominations (* denotes win)
Gone with the Wind, American epic film, released in 1939, that was one of the best known and most successful films of all time. It enjoyed a more-than-30-year reign as the all-time Hollywood box office champion, and it won eight Academy Awards (in addition to two honorary awards). Based on the runaway best-selling 1936 novel Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, the movie is almost four hours long and includes an intermission.
The film, set in the American South during the time of the Civil War, tells the story of Scarlett O’Hara (played by Vivien Leigh), the headstrong and willful daughter of the owner of the plantation Tara. The story begins in 1861. Scarlett is in love with Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), but she learns that he intends to marry his cousin Melanie Hamilton (Olivia de Havilland). At a party at Ashley’s home, Scarlett’s overtures to Ashley are seen by another guest, Rhett Butler (Clark Gable). Ashley rebuffs Scarlett, and she therefore agrees to marry Melanie’s brother Charles (Rand Brooks). War is declared, and the men go off to enlist. Charles dies of measles during the war, and the widowed Scarlett goes to Melanie’s home in Atlanta. She meets Rhett at a charity fund-raising bazaar, and she dances with him, violating the customary rules of mourning. Rhett, a successful blockade runner, continues to visit Scarlett over the next few months, as Atlanta comes increasingly under siege. Ashley returns home on a Christmas furlough and asks Scarlett to take care of Melanie, who is pregnant. Melanie goes into labour as Atlanta is being evacuated, and Scarlett and her servant Prissy (Butterfly McQueen) must attend the birth on their own. Scarlett summons Rhett to take her, Melanie, Prissy, and the baby back to Tara, and they flee through the burning city, only to find that Tara has been pillaged by Union soldiers. Scarlett’s mother has died, and her father has fallen into a depression. The only people remaining there are her father, her sisters, and the former slaves Mammy (Hattie McDaniel) and Pork (Oscar Polk).
Britannica Quiz
Best Picture Movie Quote Quiz
In the second half of the movie, Scarlett tries to resurrect Tara. She and her sisters and the house servants work in the fields. Ashley returns when the war ends but is unable to offer Scarlett help in paying the exorbitant Reconstruction taxes. Scarlett decides to ask Rhett for money, and she and Mammy construct a dress from velvet curtains for her to wear to meet Rhett. However, Rhett has become a Union prisoner and cannot help her. In desperation, Scarlett marries her sister’s wealthy beau, Frank (Carroll Nye). She uses his money to save Tara and then establishes a lumber business in Atlanta. After Scarlett is attacked while riding in her carriage near a shantytown, Frank, Ashley, and some other men attack the shantytown, and Frank is killed in the raid. Rhett then marries Scarlett, and they have a daughter, but Scarlett continues to pine for Ashley, and the marriage is stormy. Their daughter dies after having been thrown from a pony, and later Melanie dies in childbirth. Scarlett realizes that Ashley loves only Melanie and that she loves Rhett, but Rhett refuses her and leaves her alone at Tara with the words, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
The film’s producer, David O. Selznick, bought the film rights a month after the publication of Mitchell’s novel. Several roles in the film—notably that of Scarlett—involved lengthy searches and elaborate deal making. As many as five directors and 13 writers toiled to bring the epic to life. Shooting for the film took 140 days. The famous “burning of Atlanta” scene required the fiery destruction of a 30-acre back lot. Three days of festivities were held for the film’s premiere in Atlanta. Gone with the Wind was the first colour movie to win the Oscar for best picture, and Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to be nominated for and to win an Oscar.
•Studios: Selznick International Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
•Directors: Victor Fleming and uncredited directors including George Cukor and Sam Wood
•Writers: Sidney Howard (screenplay) and uncredited writers including Oliver H.P. Garret, Ben Hecht, Jo Swerling, and John Van Druten
•Music: Max Steiner
•Vivien Leigh (Scarlett O’Hara)
•Clark Gable (Rhett Butler)
•Leslie Howard (Ashley Wilkes)
•Olivia de Havilland (Melanie Hamilton)
•Hattie McDaniel (Mammy)
•Butterfly McQueen (Prissy)
•Picture*
•Lead actor (Clark Gable)
•Lead actress* (Vivien Leigh)
•Supporting actress (Olivia de Havilland)
•Supporting actress* (Hattie McDaniel)
•Art direction*
- Pat Bauer
Jun 21, 1998 · A classic film of the Civil War era, "Gone With the Wind" tells a sentimental and erotic story of Scarlett O'Hara, a modern woman who defies the Old South and its values. The reviewer praises the film's sweep, dialogue, acting and historical accuracy, but criticizes its tainted nostalgia and its treatment of African-American characters.
People also ask
How long is gone with the wind based on?
Is Gone with the wind a good movie?
When did 'Gone with the wind' come out?
Is 'Gone with the wind' racist?
Martina Cortina. Housemaid at Twelve Oaks (uncredited) Luke Cosgrave. Bandleader (uncredited) Kernan Cripps. Yankee Soldier in Shantytown (uncredited) Patrick Curtis. Melanie's Baby (uncredited) Ned Davenport.
