Eighty years after America fell in love with the cinematic classic Gone with the Wind, this new, special edition revisits the making of the award-winning movie and gives readers a rare look into the film's captivating, behind-the-scenes drama. This richly illustrated book is a must-have collector's item for old fans and new. Originally chronicled in the pages of LIFE, you'll find the travails of getting the movie made in the 1930s (1,400 actresses interviewed before Vivien Leigh was chosen; Selznick waited two years for Clark Gable to sign on to the project), the frenzy of its premiere, and much more. All of this coverage is revisited in this lavish coffee-table edition, which also includes behind-the-scenes photography from the set, stunning pictures of the famed burning of Atlanta scene, as well as all of the fascinating, intimate photography from the making of the movie. Furthermore, LIFE partnered with renowned southern authors to provide insight into the influence of the book and film on American culture and present a side-by-side chronicle of what Gone with the Wind claims, and what really happened during the Civil War. Informative, intriguing, and beautifully illustrated, this book is one for the ages.
LIFE Gone With The Wind
Introduction • Its plucky Southern belle still enchants us, but its racial politics are troubling. How do we reconcile Gone with the Wind’s mixed messages?
Olivia de Havilland Looks Back • She was just 22 when she played Melanie Hamilton in Gone with the Wind and is now 103 and resides in Paris. The last living principal cast member reminisced about her role.
It Began with the Book • Margaret Mitchell was a bright, feisty socialite who spent her twenties roaring through Atlanta. Then one day she decided to write a novel about the Civil War.
Southern Voices • Gone with the Wind casts a long shadow all over the world, but it resonates most powerfully below the Mason-Dixon line. Here, four distinguished writers from the South offer their perspectives on Scarlett’s saga.
The Rocky Road to Tara • It took three years, cost a princely sum and threatened to go off the rails more times than David O. Selznick cared to count. But against all odds, Gone with the Wind stayed the course—and turned out to be an epic for the ages.
The Search for Scarlett
Scarlett Fever Takes Hold • The dazzling Atlanta premiere was just the beginning. David O. Selznick’s great cinematic gamble captivated the nation, breaking records at the box office and making history at the Academy Awards.
Hattie McDaniel Makes History
On Plantation Politics • In Gone with the Wind, slaves are happy, masters are kind, and Yankees are dangerous criminals. It’s a rose-colored vision of the Old South that is hard to swallow today.
Scarlett and Rhett Forever • Margaret Mitchell famously refused to write a sequel, but her saga of the South lives on—in novels, in pop culture, and of course, in the hearts of fans.
Life After Tara
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