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By
NICK ZEGARAC
"Gone with the Wind" plays like an old friend with its clichés of southern pageantry, its depiction of the noble slave and its lurid burning of Atlanta. David O. Selznick's masterfully told civil war melodrama is based on Margaret Mitchell's best selling novel. Mitchell, it seems, only wrote the book to keep her mind nimble while recovering from a horse riding accident. She never intended that it should be published. She also never intended that any sequel should be written. By now, spoiled southern belle -- Scarlett O'Hara -- has become a lionized icon in the canons of American cinema.
It seems odd that Vivien Leigh was not the obvious choice from the start but Selznick spent nearly two years in preproduction and a nation wide search for the greatest female lead in any motion picture. There really isn't much to say that hasn't already been said of this perennial classic. Perhaps the greatest kudos came from a film critic for the New York Times during the 1960s who claimed, "There have only been two motion pictures in the history of American film; 'Gone with the Wind' and everything else!"
This is a flipper disc minted from the 1996 general release print that hit theaters for the film's anniversary. The DVD's color palette seems subdued to say the least, with muddy colors that at times betray the richness and lush lurid feel of the original three strip Technicolor process. Though fine details can be seen even during the darkest scenes, intermittent edge enhancement, shimmering of fine details and aliasing throughout both sides of this disc generally distract.
The audio has been remixed to 5.1 and although dated exhibit richness in music tracks not present in the original mono recording. There are no extras. This is a film screaming for a remastering effort with extras that must include Turner's "The Making of a Legend" documentary and at least one audio commentary, not to mention the host of outtakes, test footage and theatrical trailers that exist over at the Warner Archives.
The rumor is that "Gone with the Wind" is getting a new gussied up high def' remastering and should resurface in a deluxe edition sometime next year. I can't think of a better reason to start giving a damn again! |
