December 19, 2023

Gone With the Wind (1939)

1 hour 21 minutes

Episode 56: GONE WITH THE WIND

We've got a big one for you this week. One of the most popular, controversial, and discussed films of all time, Gone With the Wind has without a doubt made an indelible impression on movie history. Coming at the peak of the Hollywood Golden Age, it's a grand and epic saga based on the Margaret Mitchell blockbuster.

We did into the movie itself and its complicated legacy in this, one of our longest, episodes. Vivien Leigh stars as Scarlett O'Hara, a strong-willed Southern Belle in the years before, during and after the American Civil War. Clark Gable is the scandalous rouge, Rhett Butler. Also starring are Olivia de Havilland, Leslie Howard, Thomas Mitchell (no relation to Margaret) and Hattie McDaniel, who made history as the first person of color to win a competitive Oscar.

This movie won Best Picture for the watershed year of 1939. It ranks #14 on our countdown.*

Spoiler Alert: We talk about the movie in its entirety, so if you haven't yet seen it, check it out. Or not. That ball is in your court.

Come back next week for our discussion of The Silence of the Lambs.

*What is this list?

We explain it in more detail in our Trailer and its Description, but as a high-level answer: we aggregated several different lists that rank the ninety-four winners of the Best Picture Academy Award in a rough attempt to get a consensus. It is not intended to be rigorous or definitive. It's just a framework to guide our journey through cinema history.

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