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Movie:		9.0
Picture:		8.0
Sound:		8.0
Extras:		10.0
Score:		9.0

Director(s):	Victor Fleming
Writer(s):	Margaret Mitchell and Sidney Howard
Starring:	Barbara O'Neil • Thomas Mitchell • Vivien Leigh • George Reeves • Olivia de Havilland • Clark Gable • Hattie McDaniel
Genre:	Drama • War
Website:	http://warnervideo.com/gonewiththewind/
Release Date:	November 17, 2009
Rated:

List Price:	DVD - $45.49
Amazon:

For those of you who have been living under a rock (or were born in the last 15 years or so), here is a very abridged summary of Gone with the Wind: it enters on the lives of Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh), Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), and their friends and families, and how they're affected by the Civil War.

I don't really know what else to say about it. I mean...it's Gone with the Wind. It was re-released about a million times, and, as far as I know, faces no real threat of a remake. It's a classic — a wonderful, untouchable classic. I didn't read the book, so I don't know personally how faithful the movie is. A friend recently told me, though, that one of our high school English teachers told him it was the best film adaptation of a book she had ever seen. And trust me — this woman's word is law.

The movie, which looks and sounds great, thanks to obvious sound and video restoration, clocks in at a startling 238 minutes, and is separated onto two discs. It's a daunting investment of time, especially if you're the type who has to get through movies or books in one sitting. Plus there are the eight-plus hours of special features.

DVD Bonus Features

Yep, that's right: this bad boy features extras that more than double the length of the movie itself. The set features a DVD entitled “About the Movie,” which includes:

• The 1988 two-hour-long documentary The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind, a popular, in-depth chronology of the film, from the inception of producer David O. Selznick's idea to bring Margaret Mitchell's novel to life, to footage of the presentation of 10 Academy Awards to Gone with the Wind;

• The 2004 17-minute documentary “Restoring a Legend,” which explains the process behind making movies that were shot 70+ years ago look as good as — better than, in fact — they did when first released;

• “Dixie Hails Gone with the Wind,” footage of the Atlanta 1939 premiere of the film: festivities that include a very warm welcome; a parade; a grand march, “Atlanta's elite and Hollywood's elect” reviving “the grace and gallantry of the Old South”; and short speeches by the cast;

• “Historical Theatrical Short 'The Old South,'” a 10-minute short about the history of cotton in the south;

• “Atlanta Civil War Centennial,” footage of the Atlanta 1961 theatrical re-release of the film, in honor of the anniversary of the Civil War;

• “International Prologue,” a brief explanation of the Civil War for foreign audiences who might not know the details of the war;

• Three scenes dubbed into French, Italian, and German;

• The theatrical trailers, including the 1939 Announcement Trailer, to hype up the film without using any actual footage from the film; the 1961 Civil War Centennial Trailer,the first trailer released to use scenes from the movie; the 1967 70mm Re-issue Trailer; the 1968 Re-issue trailer; and the 1989 50th Anniversary Trailer, which used the initial sceneless trailer as its introduction; and

• A list of several of the Academy Awards the film won.

The second disc of special features, “About the Cast,” includes:

• “Melanie Remembers: Reflections by Olivia de Havilland,” a 40-minute interview with the actress who played Melanie;

• “Gable: The King Remembered,” the hour-long documentary, looking at the life and career of Clark Gable;

• “Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond,” the 45-minute documentary about the icon, hosted by Jessica Lange; and

• “The Supporting Players,” short looks at the ensemble that brought the world of Gone with the Wind to life.

The third disc, simply titled “Extras,” features:

• 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year,” a made-for-TV documentary released earlier this year, with interviews and scenes from films released in 1939;

• “Gone with the Wind: The Legend Lives On,” a half-hour look at why, 70 years later, the movie still resonates so strongly; and

• “Moviola: The Scarlett O'Hara War,” the 1980 film about how the role of O'Hara was cast.

That's not even all of it. You can watch the movie with commentary, or in the original mono track it was recorded in. There's a soundtrack sampler, which features eight of the tracks from the original soundtrack, including the epic opening number; a stack of painting prints depicting scenes from the movie; reprinted scans of letters between members of the film world; a movie program, similar to what one might receive at a play; and a glossy companion picture book.

At roughly $45, I'd say this is a worthwhile buy. Everything is displayed very nicely, all wrapped up in a large velour box, in which everything the set comes with has its own special place.