Written by Margaret Mitchell, Sidney Howard, and Oliver H.P. Garrett
Directed by George Cukor, Victor Fleming, and Sam Wood

When I first bought a Blu-ray player, there were two things I wanted for Christmas. One of those was the Gone With the Wind collector’s edition on Blu-ray.  This came in a large red velvet box and features three discs. One is just for the complete film while the other two are loaded with extras.

For anyone who doesn’t know the story, this is based on a book written by Margaret Mitchell.  It is the story of Scarlett O’Hara, a young lady in the antebellum South who is quite well-off and spoiled.  She sees her whole world shattered as the result of the Civil War and must cope with the fallout from that.  She spends the bulk of the film pining over the one man she can’t have, Ashley Wilkes.

The film is a study not really of the Civil War, but of the time the book was written. We are now much more aware of what is being taught in our schools, and the discrepancies that occur when topics are presented in a way to gain the approval of administrators in certain states. Gone With the Wind is the result of how the Civil War was presented in the South. Margaret Mitchell lived in Atlanta and was raised with the myths that slavery was actually good for blacks, as well as the war being “the war of Northern aggression.” You couldn’t write that book or make this movie today. At the same time, it helped expose the racism that was still present in this country, even in states such as California. Hattie McDaniel, who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Mammy, could not attend the premiere in Atlanta at all and was forced to sit at a segregated table during the Awards program. We still had a long way to go in 1939 and this film reflects that.

In Blu-ray, the film shows the efforts made that result in a beautifully restored print of the complete movie.  I was impressed that it had the Overture at the beginning prior to the actual film starting.  Other discs and tapes I’ve seen through the years cut this out.  This is the first clue that this edition is truly worth the price, even if you already have the movie in your collection.  Gone is any of the background noise present in the music during this sequence (as well as the Intermission one during the middle of the film).  The sounds coming out of our HDTV were impressive.

As for the picture, even the scenes on the menu are excellent.  The print is incredible and I was impressed beginning at the opening credits.  I can’t remember ever seeing some of the scenes as vivid and beautiful as they look here, and I’m sure that the colors weren’t quite this rich nor the print this crisp in the theatre in 1939.  Warner Brothers used a process called Ultra-Resolution to achieve this and the result is dazzling.  Throughout the film, my eyes were glued to the screen. During key scenes such as the burning of Atlanta, the picture took my breath away.  This shot had greater detail and deeper, richer color.  In scenes such as when Scarlett is running off after having heard Ashley will marry Melanie, the house and grounds behind her are just so vivid right down to the leaves on the trees.  Most of these scenes are compiled in part of matte paintings which look so much better than they ever did.  The amount of detail that can be picked up is better than ever before.

That’s enough to recommend the movie, but the 70th Anniversary Collector’s Edition is much, much more.  When I first opened the box and saw three discs, I thought the film was on at least two of them.  That’s not the case. The film is contained on just one disc with the double-sided one and the final one containing special features.  There’s a six-hour (you read that right), three-part documentary on MGM titled MGM: When the Lion Roars.  It’s narrated by Patrick Stewart and gives the history of MGM.  It’s a very interesting look at this time in not just MGM Studios, but Hollywood in general.  It’s not told in a fairy-tale fashion but balances the good with the bad although I’m sure there were plenty of juicy bits not talked about.  The picture on this isn’t up to the quality of the film, but I liked it quite a bit.  Specific to Gone With the Wind is an entire final disc containing a plethora of features including a few specials I’d seen before, such as The Scarlett O’Hara War which tells the story of how some of Hollywood’s top actresses would have done anything for the role.

Finally, in the box are a Photo & Production Art Book, ten 5×7 watercolor reproduction art prints, copies of correspondence from Producer David O. Selznick on the production of the film, and a reproduction of the original 1939 program.  There’s also a CD contianing various portions of the soundtrack.  This boxed set is a real treat for serious fans of the film with all of these included.

The restoration to the film alone puts this in the “must have” category to me, and everything else is icing on the cake.  I’ve never seen Gone With the Wind look this good, and I saw it once in Radio City Music Hall. The picture is dazzling, and one of the best restorations I’ve come across so far.


DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:

• MGM: When the Lion Roars
• The Making of a Legend: Gone With the Wind
• Warner Brothers Home Entertainment Presents 1939″ Hollywood’s Greatest Year
• Gone With the Wind: The Legend Lives On
• Gable: The King Remembered
• Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond
• Melanie Remembers: Reflection by Olivia de Haviland
•The Supporting Players
• Restoring a Legend
• Dixie Hails Gone With the Wind
• Historical Theatrical Short The Old South
• Atlanta Civil War Centennial
• 1939 Announcement Trailer
• 1961 Civil War Centennial Trailer
• 1967 70mm Reissue Trailer
• 1968 Reissue Trailer
• 1989 50th Anniversary Trailer
• Moviola: The Scarlett O’Hara War
• Additional Footage including International Prologue and Foreign Language versions