Gone With The Wind tells the passionate love story of Southern belle Scarlett O’Hara and adventurer Rhett Butler played out against the epic history of the American Civil War and the demise of the Old South. Adapted from Margaret Mitchell’s Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel, this 1939 film stars the incandescent Vivien Leigh as the strong-willed plantation owner’s daughter Scarlett O’Hara and film legend Clark Gable as the roguish Captain Rhett Butler. Gone With The Wind tells Scarlett’s story from her romantic pursuit of Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), who is married to his cousin, Melanie Hamilton (Olivia de Havilland), to her marriage to Rhett Butler, and finally to her struggles after the war where she rebuilds her life from the shattered remains left behind by the Union Army. Hattie McDaniel’s genuine performance as Mammy earned her the first ever Oscar for an African American actor. Produced by David O. Selznick for Selznick International Pictures and directed by Victor Fleming (Wizard Of Oz, Joan Of Arc), Gone With The Wind became Hollywood’s first blockbuster through fearless film-making on a grand scale, intimate drama and enduring romance – all presented in stunning Technicolor. When adjusted for inflation, it remains the highest grossing motion picture of all time. Nearly four hours in length, Gone with the Wind is the longest running movie ever to win a Best Picture Oscar.
