Gone With The Wind - 4-Disc Collector's Edition (DVD)

Going into whether or not Gone with the Wind is a good movie is really not even worth the time considering it is a multiple Oscar winner and has been a highly celebrated film since its release in 1939. The film has managed to withstand time and even move into the modern era with a brand new digital restoration accompanied by a 5.1 Dolby Digital audio track, and with all that said, this was the first time I had ever seen the 4-hour epic, and I must say I enjoyed every minute of it.

What is considered a collector's edition DVD has changed since the inception of the DVD and Warner Bros. exhibits that they fully understand the importance of treating a classic film with care and giving the consumer what they want, and a little bit of what they didn't expect.

Based on Margaret Mitchell's best-selling novel of the same name, Gone with the Wind is considered one of the best movies of all time. It sits at the #4 spot on AFI's "100 Years... 100 Movies" list and even has the tagline "The most magnificent picture ever!"

This story of the "Old South" takes us back to the time of the American Civil War leading us through time by telling the story of Scarlett O'Hara, a selfish high-brow woman who demands she gets what she wants. Troubled by the fact the man that she loves is marrying another woman her fight through the tumultuous times of the Civil War involve three husbands and a roller coaster ride from a life of riches to a life of poverty and back again. Never satisfied with her life, even after her picture book marriage to the debonair Rhett Butler (Gable) and the birth of her only child she always longs for more and that which she cannot have.

Vivien Leigh gave the performance of her life along with such stars of the time as Olivia de Havilland and Clark Gable. Gone with the Wind is etched in time and this 4-disc collector's edition DVD only further solidifies its place. Despite a few boring features mixed in with the good, the newly restored version of the film is more than enough to make this a worthwhile buy.

Starting with the movie itself you get a newly restored version that is crisp and pops off the screen along with a 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack. On top of that is the original English mono soundtrack and a rather boring audio commentary by film historian Rudy Behlmer, who can't seem to sound excited about anything he is talking about as he regurgitates facts as if he is reading them off a sheet of paper.

Nevertheless, you aren't buying this for "what's his name's" commentary, but special features are important when you are forking over more cash than usual and WB more than makes up for a crappy commentary with some excellent features on discs three and four.

The highlight of the special features has to be the 2-hour documentary on the making of the film from 1989 "The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind." Narrated by Christopher Plummer this doc looks at the film from every aspect possible from casting decisions, scripting issues, director departures and more. It also offers up a look at the 1940 Oscar ceremonies, original footage of the Atlanta premiere of the film and several screen tests from not only the actors that got the roles in the film, but others that tested for roles, primarily for the part of Miss Scarlett.

Next up is a great look at the process Warner Bros. went through in restoring the picture for Gone with the Wind, giving you the ins and outs of how Technicolor works and just how time consuming it is to restore a 4-hour long movie.

The two features showing the 1939 and 1961 Atlanta Premiere Newsreels are a good bit of nostalgia, especially the 1939 premiere in which Margaret Mitchell praises producer David O. Selznick for bringing her massive tale to the big screen.

There are also a couple of features focused on the international releases including a short 1-minute segment that appeared before each screening giving international audiences insight into the history dealt with in the film, and secondly there is a featurette that shows three of the key scenes from the film presented in German, Italian and French, which is interesting if not anything else.

Those were my particular favorites but film fans and fans of the era may find more enjoyment in the cast profiles presented in the collection which give inside looks at Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh and a guided tour of Gone with the Wind by Olivia de Havilland herself, which I must say is extremely tedious considering Olivia really tries to create emotion through the use of the dramatic pause. It felt as if I was listening to a female James Lipton give me her life story... a real snoozer.

For those that want to go even further into the cast there is a feature called "The Supporting Players: Cameo Portraits of an Unforgettable Ensemble," which covers just about everyone in the cast from those at Tara, Twelve Oaks and into Atlanta. It is quite a massive segment that lasts for about 45 minutes, but be careful you could get lost in the GTW family tree.

Along with all the special features you will receive a collector's booklet, which is an exact replica of the original 22-page souvenir booklet that was sold during premiere road-show engagements from 1939 through 1941. This is a really cool addition, but then again I like the booklets that come with all DVDs, provided they are supplied... I don't know, just a personal opinion.

Overall, despite the few features that I found disinteresting, there is no doubt this is the ultimate edition of Gone with the Wind. It would be hard to imagine anything better (although I am sure there could have been more) to bring this classic movie home. Film buffs and GTW fanatics are sure to find hours of enjoyment in this collection, plus it looks great on the shelf, and for $28 who is complaining?