A legendary film all around, and probably the most popular motion picture ever made. Based on the century's best-read American novel, Gone With the Wind was a movie whose reputation, to say the least, preceded it. (Then-critic Pare Lorentz wrote of “the most incredible publicity campaign about anything we've known in a decade; and that includes Prohibition, elections and wars.”) The search for a screen Scarlett O'Hara became a national pastime (according to The MGM Story, when Norma Shearer was offered the part and, one month later, turned it down, the New York Times published an editorial regretting her decision!). But as Rhett Butler, Clark Gable, although on contract to MGM, was the people's choice, hands down. This led to an intricate deal between David O. Selznick, at that point an independent producer, and MGM. (MGM acquired the film outright after the 1944 demise of Selznick International.) In the end, the film survived three directors and as many scripts. But if audiences have continued for over four decades to give a damn about Gone With the Wind, it is ultimately because the film still captivates. With its delicate colors, exquisite crane shots, and stunning production design, Gone With the Wind is a testament to the technical resources of the studio production system to do what it always set out to do: tell a story. Our print is a 35mm Technicolor print in the original format.