Gone with the Wind directed by Victor Fleming

Victor Fleming • - Fleming was born in Pasadena,

California.

• - He began in Hollywood as an assistant cameraman.

• - Hired as official cameraman of President Woodrow Wilson’s trip to Europe

• - Worked primarily for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

• - Although many of his movies were fairly routine adventures, several have survived as classics, particularly The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Gone with the Wind (1939).

3 Strip Technicolor• - Technicolor was first developed in

the 20’s, as a two-color process and only composed of red and green.

• - “Three strip” Technicolor came along in the mid 30’s.

• - It is referred to as “three-strip” Technicolor because it utilized a custom-made camera which actually ran three separate strips of film through it at the same time. The camera was so loud it need to be contained in a sound proof box.

• - The actual film that was run through the camera was not color, but black and white and each was exposed through a different color filter.

On Set

• - Gone with the Wind took 3.9 million to make and grossed over 200 million.

• - Took over 1,350,000 feet of negative.

• - Set covered 7,000 feet of streets and Fleming had to devise a scheme for lifting a camera 35 feet into the air.

History• - The film is a historical epic of

the War between the States and Reconstruction.

• - Released in 1939

• - Sidney Howard’s script was derived from Margaret Mitchell’s first and only published, best-selling Civil War and Reconstruction Period novel of over 1,000 pages that first appeared in 1936.

• - Producer David O. Selznick had acquired the film rights to Mitchell’s novel for $50,000, a record amount at the time.

Costumes - Curtains

• - Authenticity of the time is enhanced by the costuming, sets, and variations on Stephen Foster songs and other excerpts from Civil War martial airs.

Awards, Directors, History, Oh, My!

• - The film received eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress (for Hattie McDaniel-the first time a black had been nominated and honored). 13 nominations.

• - Although almost half of the film was directed by Victor Fleming (45%), four other directors contributed various parts of the film; Sam Wood (15%), William Cameron Menzies (15%), George Cukor (5%)-the first director, Reeves Eason (2%), and the remaining from various second unit directors (18%)

• - The film extends over a time period of twelve years in the life of a plantation belle Scarlett O’Hara, from the start of the Civil War through the Reconstruction Period, and covers her various romantic pursuits against the backdrop of historical events.

Themes

• - The film is historically romantic in its treatment of many aspects of the era, including a decidedly racist view of slavery and the portrayal of the black characters.

• - The film is divided into two halves. Part I deals with Scarlett O’Hara before and during the war. Part II continues the story line after the war and Scarlett’s tumultuous relationship with Rhett Butler.

Filler Info• Time/era of movie: 19th Century• Poverty plotlets: struggle to escape poverty• Setting: Deep South• Loss of innocence caused by exposed to atrocities of war causing

hardening of character• Obsession with a lover• Obsession puts livelihood at risk-ignore the truth

• Clark Gable: Rhett Butler• Vivien Leigh: Scarlett O’Hara-British Actress• Leslie Howard: Ashley Wilkes• Olivia de Havilland: Melanie Hamilton• Hattie McDaniel: Mammy