Free to follow every thread. No paywall, no dead ends.
Gone with the Wind (film) | HearLore
— Ch. 1 · Epic Production History —
Gone with the Wind (film).
~7 min read · Ch. 1 of 8
Selznick International Pictures spent two years delaying the start of filming until January 1939. The production was troubled from its inception, with principal photography concluding only in July of that year. Post-production work continued until the 11th of November 1939, just a month before the film's premiere. Sources at the time put the estimated production costs at $3.85 million, making it the second most expensive film made up to that point. Only Ben-Hur (1925) had cost more than this epic historical romance. Selznick himself operated the controls for the explosives that burned down new facades built specifically for the burning of Atlanta scene. This massive undertaking required extensive location scenes photographed in California, mostly in Los Angeles County or neighboring Ventura County.
Casting The Iconic Leads
The casting process became a complex, two-year endeavor involving thousands of potential candidates. Selznick began a nationwide casting call interviewing 1,400 unknowns for the role of Scarlett O'Hara. The effort cost $100,000 and proved useless for the main objective of casting the role, but created priceless publicity. Early frontrunners included Miriam Hopkins and Tallulah Bankhead, who were regarded as possibilities by Selznick prior to the purchase of the film rights. Joan Crawford, who was signed to MGM, was also considered as a potential pairing with Clark Gable. By December 1938, four actresses including Jean Arthur and Joan Bennett were still under consideration. Only two finalists, Paulette Goddard and Vivien Leigh, were tested in Technicolor on December 20. Goddard almost won the role, but controversy over her marriage to Charlie Chaplin caused Selznick to change his mind. Vivien Leigh's casting was announced on the 13th of January 1939, after screen tests confirmed she was the dark horse choice. Selznick informed newspaper columnist Ed Sullivan that Miss Leigh's parents were French and Irish, matching Scarlett O'Hara's fictional background.
Screenplay And Directorial Turmoil
Sidney Howard's original screenplay underwent many revisions by several writers to reduce it to a suitable length. Howard's first submission was far too long and would have required at least six hours of film. Selznick dismissed director George Cukor three weeks into filming and sought out Victor Fleming, who was directing The Wizard of Oz at the time. Fleming was dissatisfied with the script, so Selznick brought in the screenwriter Ben Hecht to rewrite the entire screenplay within five days. Hecht returned to Howard's original draft and succeeded in revising the entire first half of the script by the end of the week. Selznick undertook to rewrite the second half himself but fell behind schedule, so Howard returned to work on the script for one week. As of the end of principal photography, Cukor had undertaken eighteen days of filming, Fleming ninety-three, and Wood twenty-four. Another MGM director, Sam Wood, worked for two weeks in May when Fleming temporarily left the production due to exhaustion. Although some of Cukor's scenes were later reshot, Selznick estimated that three solid reels of his work remained in the final cut.
Technical Innovations And Design
Cinematographer Lee Garmes began the production, but on the 11th of March 1939, after a month of shooting footage that Selznick and his associates regarded as too dark, was replaced with Ernest Haller working with Technicolor cinematographer Ray Rennahan. Most of the filming was done on the back forty studio backlot of Selznick International with all location scenes being photographed in California. Tara, the fictional Southern plantation house, existed only as a plywood and papier-mâché facade built on the Selznick studio lot. Costume designer Walter Plunkett drew on nineteenth-century sources such as illustrations in Godey's Lady's Book while streamlining volume and ornamentation to suit 1930s screen taste. The costumes combined historical reference with contemporary Hollywood aesthetics. Color, texture, and fabric were used to reinforce Scarlett O'Hara's narrative arc and character development. While early gowns feature light pastels and vibrant primary colors, her post-war attire transitions to darker crimson and burgundy tones as her circumstances become more dire. Max Steiner spent twelve weeks working on the score, the most prolonged period he had ever spent writing one, resulting in a two-hour-and-thirty-six-minute composition.
Premiere And Box Office Records
About 300,000 people came out in Atlanta for the premiere at the Loew's Grand Theatre on the 15th of December 1939. It was the climax of three days of festivities hosted by Mayor William B. Hartsfield, which included a parade of limousines featuring stars from the film. Eurith D. Rivers, the governor of Georgia, declared December 15 a state holiday. An estimated 300,000 Atlanta residents and visitors lined the streets for seven miles to view the procession of limousines that brought stars from the airport. Only Leslie Howard and Victor Fleming chose not to attend due to World War II concerns and personal conflicts with Selznick respectively. From December 1939 to July 1940, the film played only advance-ticket road show engagements at prices upwards of $1, more than double the price of a regular first-run feature. After reaching saturation as a roadshow, MGM revised its terms to a 50 percent cut and halved the prices before it finally entered general release in 1941. Including distribution and advertising costs, total expenditure was as high as $7 million.
Academy Awards And Industry Recognition
At the 12th Academy Awards, Gone with the Wind set a record for Academy Award wins and nominations, winning eight competitive categories from thirteen total nominations. It won for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Editing. Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to win an Academy Award, beating out her co-star Olivia de Havilland who was also nominated in the same category. The record of eight competitive wins stood until Gigi (1958) won nine, and its overall record of ten was broken by Ben-Hur (1959). Meanwhile, screenwriter Sidney Howard became the first posthumous Oscar winner. Selznick personally received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for his career achievements. The running time for Gone with the Wind is just under 221 minutes, while Lawrence of Arabia runs for just over 222 minutes. However, including the overture, intermission, entr'acte, and exit music, Gone with the Wind lasts for 234 minutes.
Racial Controversies And Criticism
Black commentators have criticized the film since its release for its depiction of black people and whitewashing of the issue of slavery. Carlton Moss, a black dramatist, observed that whereas The Birth of a Nation was a frontal attack on American history and the Negro people, Gone with the Wind was a rear attack on the same. He went on to characterize it as a nostalgic plea for sympathy for a still-living cause of Southern reaction. Following Hattie McDaniel's Oscar win, Walter Francis White, leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, accused her of being an Uncle Tom. McDaniel responded that she would rather make seven hundred dollars a week playing a maid than seven dollars being one. Opinion in the black community was divided, with some calling it a weapon of terror against black America while others recognized McDaniel's achievements as representative of progress. In 2017, Gone with the Wind was pulled from the schedule at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis after a 34-year run of annual showings. On the 9th of June 2020, the film was removed from HBO Max following an op-ed by screenwriter John Ridley published in the Los Angeles Times.
Enduring Legacy And Cultural Impact
Gone with the Wind broke attendance records everywhere, selling an estimated sixty million tickets across the United States within four years of its release. Its worldwide distribution returned a gross rental of $32 million by the end of 1943, making it the most profitable film ever made up to that point. The 1967 reissue generated a box-office gross of $68 million, making it MGM's most lucrative film after Doctor Zhivago. Across all releases, it is estimated that Gone with the Wind has sold over 200 million tickets in the United States and Canada. It generated approximately 35 million tickets in the United Kingdom and over 16 million in France. In total, Gone with the Wind grossed over $390 million globally at the box office. In 2007 Turner Entertainment estimated the gross to be equivalent to approximately $3.3 billion when adjusted for inflation to current prices. Guinness World Records arrived at a figure of $3.44 billion in 2014 making it the most successful film in cinema history. U.S. birth records show usage of the name Scarlett increased more than seven-fold immediately after the film's release.
When was the filming of Gone with the Wind completed?
Principal photography for Gone with the Wind concluded in July 1939, and post-production work continued until the 11th of November 1939. The production began two years after Selznick International Pictures delayed its start to January 1939.
Who played Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind?
Vivien Leigh won the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind after being announced as the choice on the 13th of January 1939. Paulette Goddard was a finalist but lost the part due to controversy surrounding her marriage to Charlie Chaplin.
How many Academy Awards did Gone with the Wind win?
Gone with the Wind won eight competitive Academy Awards from thirteen total nominations at the 12th Academy Awards ceremony. The film also secured Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Editing.
Where were location scenes filmed for Gone with the Wind?
Most location scenes for Gone with the Wind were photographed in California, specifically within Los Angeles County or neighboring Ventura County. Tara existed only as a plywood and papier-mâché facade built on the Selznick studio backlot rather than an actual plantation house.
When was Gone with the Wind removed from HBO Max?
The film was removed from HBO Max on the 9th of June 2020 following an op-ed by screenwriter John Ridley published in the Los Angeles Times. This removal occurred after the film had been pulled from the Orpheum Theatre schedule in Memphis in 2017 following a 34-year run.