The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind (TV 1988)

This is a documentary that revisits the making of Gone with the Wind with Archival footage, screen tests, insightful interviews and rare film footage.

Director:

David Hinton

Writer:

David Thomson

Stars:

Christopher Plummer, L. Jeffrey Selznick, David O. Selznick

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Plummer	...	Narrator (voice)
L. Jeffrey Selznick	...	David O. Selznick (voice)
David O. Selznick	...	Himself - Producer of 'Gone with the Wind' (archive footage)
Irene Mayer Selznick	...	Herself - Wife of David O. Selznick (archive footage)
William A. Wellman	...	Himself - Director of 'A Star Is Born' (archive footage) (as William Wellman)
Marcella Rabwin	...	Herself - Executive Assistant to David O. Selznick
Katherine Brown	...	Herself - Eastern Story Editor for David O. Selznick (as Kay Brown Barrett)
George Cukor	...	Himself - Starting Director of 'Gone with the Wind' (archive footage)
Margaret Mitchell	...	Herself - Author of 'Gone with the Wind' (archive footage)
Jimmy Fidler	...	Himself - Radio Broadcaster (voice) (archive footage)
Silvia Shulman Lardner	...	Herself - Secretary to David O. Selznick (as Silvia Schulman Lardner)
Tallulah Bankhead	...	Herself - Actress Testing for Scarlett (archive footage)
Susan Hayward	...	Actress in a film clip (archive footage)
Margaret Tallichet	...	Herself - Actress Testing as Scarlett (archive footage)
Frances Dee	...	Herself - Actress Testing as Scarlett (archive footage)

Storyline

This documentary on the making of GWTW focuses on the driving force behind the legendary film, producer David O. Selznick. He purchased the rights and over several years, tried to have a script developed. Several writers had their hand in the effort and in truth, the script was never properly finalized, something that dogged the production throughout its production. While the decision to cast Clark Gable as Rhett Butler was fairly straightforward, finding the right actress to play Scarlett O'Hara captured national attention with several of Hollywood's top stars vying for the part. The original director, George Cukor, left before the films completion as did his replacement, Victor Fleming. Selznick directed some of the scenes himself and was driven to get the film completed just as he wanted. From the film's initial test screening, the film-going public adored the results.

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Plot Keywords:

making of | colon in title | nine word title | atlanta georgia

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

October 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Film, der zur Legende wurde: Vom Winde verweht

Company Credits

Production Co:

Turner Entertainment, Daniel Selznick Properties, MGM/UA Home Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Available as a bonus feature on the 2004 special edition DVD of Gone with the Wind.

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Connections

Features Jezebel (1938)

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Soundtracks

"Selznick International Theme"
(1937) (uncredited)
Written by Alfred Newman
Played for the Selznick International Logo

User Reviews

it's a wonderful story you'll never forget

Gone With The Wind is a story you'll never forget. The documentry about Gone With The Wind was excellent because it explains in detail about the movie, how it was all set out and how long it took to take to decide who would take the main parts in it. It must have been very difficult for the people who made this movie to make up their minds of who shall be the best person to play and to take part in Gone With the Wind. I think it all started in 1937 when the people asks some Actors and Actresses to take an audition and show what they have got. The documentry is fantastic to watch. I give it 10 out of 10.