--- title: "Gone with the Wind" year: 1939 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind" fi1m_id: "gone-with-the-wind" imdb_id: "tt0031381" tmdb_id: 770 wikidata_id: "Q2875" fi1m_score: 74 critics_score: 81 critics_reviews: 6 published: "2026-09-15" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:33.635777+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Gone with the Wind (1939) Directed by Victor Fleming · 3h 58m · MPA G · Drama, War, Romance ## Identity Gone with the Wind - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** gone-with-the-wind - **IMDb ID:** tt0031381 - **TMDB ID:** 770 - **Wikidata ID:** Q2875 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031381/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/770, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2875 **Fi1m score: 74** · Critics 81 from 6 reviews *In a sentence:* Vivien Leigh is excellent company as a woman we would never invite round twice > Vivien Leigh makes this overlong romance worth the effort, though its indulgence of a slaveholding society cannot be brushed aside. The scale is impressive; the second half too often lets Scarlett’s troubles drag. ## Synopsis Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) pursues her own desires as war disrupts the slaveholding society around her. Her story centres on love and its complications, with Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), Melanie Hamilton (Olivia de Havilland) and Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) sharing a drama that moves between personal quarrels and the consequences of conflict. Hattie McDaniel plays Mammy, Thomas Mitchell plays Gerald O’Hara and Barbara O’Neil plays Ellen O’Hara. Victor Fleming directs Sidney Howard’s adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s novel, which follows Scarlett through a changing society while keeping her private concerns at its centre. ## Review *Gone with the Wind* is worth the long evening for Vivien Leigh, though we would not recommend accepting its view of history for a minute. Victor Fleming’s film, produced by David O. Selznick, gives a selfish woman’s romantic troubles the scale and weight of a war drama. At 238 minutes, it has room to make those troubles absorbing and then to overdo them. It asks for considerable patience with Scarlett O’Hara, and Leigh supplies much of the reason to grant it. Leigh makes Scarlett’s artificiality a pleasure to watch. The performance does not soften her appetite for attention or apologise for it, and that gives the romance a difficult, lively centre. Her selfishness keeps us interested in what she will demand next, even when we have little sympathy left for the demand. Romantic melodrama often works hard to make its heroine deserving, so there is pleasure in watching Leigh behave badly with such conviction. Clark Gable’s Rhett Butler gives her a partner with enough presence to keep the exchanges from becoming a solo performance. Gable seems comfortable with the film’s extravagance, which helps make the romance persuasive when the writing threatens to labour it. Olivia de Havilland’s Melanie Hamilton and Leslie Howard’s Ashley Wilkes have less force in this company. Sidney Howard’s screenplay, adapted from Margaret Mitchell’s novel, remains so attentive to Scarlett that the people around her can feel like support for her next bout of unhappiness. The panoramic Atlanta scenes give the production’s size a purpose: we can look beyond Scarlett and see war occupying a whole city. William Cameron Menzies’s production design makes those expanses convincing enough to hold our attention without a romantic quarrel to help. Ernest Haller keeps the colour controlled across the wide views, so it contributes to the action without making everything equally insistent. These passages give us a welcome opportunity to look beyond the central relationships. Steiner’s score is less inclined to restraint. Its thunderous emphasis suits the size of the production, but it can insist too heavily on feelings the actors have already made clear. The second half grows soapier, and the pacing gives too many romantic difficulties more time than they need. The repeated emotional emphasis becomes tiring, particularly when the quarrels have ceased to surprise and the film is still giving them its full attention. The more serious objection is the film’s affection for the slaveholding society it depicts. We winced at the cheerful portrayals of enslaved people, because their apparent contentment is used to make that society look benign. Hattie McDaniel gives Mammy force and authority, but the writing still treats service as a reassuring part of the social order. The film spends so much care on making that society attractive that its treatment of slavery cannot be dismissed as an incidental mistake. Give it an evening when there is no need to hurry, and take an interval. A film this long benefits from a little distance, particularly once the quarrels begin to weigh more heavily than the war. Scarlett can wait while the kettle boils. *Fi1m score 74, published 15 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews are consistently favourable, with praise clustering around the scale of the production, the Technicolor photography and the cast. Several critics admire the adaptation’s fidelity to Margaret Mitchell’s novel, while others find the romance between Scarlett and Rhett more compelling than its historical setting. Vivien Leigh receives particular praise for her Scarlett, and the panoramic Atlanta scenes, settings and use of colour repeatedly earn attention as more than decoration. The differences concern which flaws matter most, rather than whether the film succeeds. Length and soapier stretches trouble some critics; later reviews also confront its romanticisation of slavery, with Eye for Film additionally questioning its treatment of rape. The New Yorker offers a notable dissent on Leigh, finding her comparatively ordinary while praising Clark Gable’s suitability for Rhett. The spread remains broadly positive, though that agreement accommodates sharply different levels of discomfort with the story and its central character. ## Straight answers **Is Gone with the Wind worth watching?** *Gone with the Wind* is worth watching for Vivien Leigh, and we scored it 74. Her Scarlett O'Hara behaves badly with such conviction that the romance stays lively across 238 minutes, though the second half grows soapy and the film's affection for the slaveholding society it depicts cannot be brushed aside. Give it an unhurried evening and take an interval. **How long is Gone with the Wind, and what is it rated?** *Gone with the Wind* runs 3h 58m and is rated G by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and war film. **Where can I watch Gone with the Wind in the US?** *Gone with the Wind* is streaming on HBO Max, Hulu and The Roku Channel in the US. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Gone with the Wind, and is it suitable for children?** *Gone with the Wind* carries a PG certificate in the UK, and its violence is the wartime kind seen at a distance rather than dwelt on. Children may find four hours of romantic quarrels harder to sit through than anything frightening. Parents should know it presents slavery as a cheerful, benign part of the social order, which wants discussing rather than passing unremarked. **How does Gone with the Wind compare to The Heiress?** *Gone with the Wind* is the bigger and warmer film; [*The Heiress*](https://film.one/film/the-heiress) is the better one. William Wyler's Henry James adaptation is cold, exact and never sentimental, with Olivia de Havilland giving wounded pride a quiet, formidable presence that she has no room for as Melanie here. Choose the earlier film for scale and Leigh; choose the later one if you want to be hurt. **Is Gone with the Wind based on a true story or a book?** *Gone with the Wind* is based on Margaret Mitchell's novel, not on a true story, though it is set against the American Civil War. Sidney Howard's screenplay keeps Scarlett O'Hara's private troubles at the centre while the war rearranges the society around her. No knowledge of the book is needed; the film explains itself at length. **What should I watch after Gone with the Wind?** After *Gone with the Wind*, try [*The Heiress*](https://film.one/film/the-heiress) (1949, Fi1m 90): Olivia de Havilland gives wounded pride a quieter, increasingly formidable presence. Then [*The Leopard*](https://film.one/film/the-leopard) (1963, Fi1m 88): For another grand household struggling to accept that history has moved on; and [*The Music Room*](https://film.one/film/the-music-room) (1958, Fi1m 88): A declining aristocrat clings to ceremony while his household can scarcely afford it. ### Reviews we read (7) - **The New York Times**, Frank S. Nugent (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as a handsome, scrupulous and unstinting version of the novel that matches it almost scene for scene. He singles out the brilliant casting and performances, especially Vivien Leigh as Scarlett and the overall fidelity to Margaret Mitchell's story. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1939/12/20/archives/the-screen-in-review-david-selznicks-gone-with-the-wind-has-its.html) - **Variety**, John C. Flinn Sr. (85/100, inferred): The critic calls it one of the truly great films destined for record-breaking business, praising the lavish production, cast, and technical excellence. He singles out the faithful adaptation of the novel and Vivien Leigh's memorable performance as Scarlett while noting the overlong running time as a minor flaw. [Read](https://variety.com/1939/film/reviews/gone-with-the-wind-2-1200412649/) - **Empire**, Kim Newman (80/100, inferred): The film is an impeccably well-made epic delivered by producer David O. Selznick, with most truly great scenes in the first half under George Cukor and soapier stretches by Victor Fleming. Gorgeous Technicolor, a thunderous Max Steiner score and sheer visual splendour make it essential viewing for anyone interested in romance or movies, even if it centres on a selfish character. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/gone-wind-review/) - **Time Out**, Cath Clarke (4/5): The review notes the wince-inducing stereotypes of happy slaves but argues no one watches for historical accuracy. It praises the four-hour epic romance in gorgeous Technicolor as what keeps audiences returning, with Scarlett and Rhett as the main event. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/gone-with-the-wind) - **The New Yorker**, John C. Mosher (75/100, inferred): The critic finds sense in the production's immensity once the panoramic Atlanta scenes appear and praises the Technicolor as a triumph that contributes to the action. He singles out Clark Gable as perfectly suited to Rhett Butler while noting Vivien Leigh is somewhat commonplace as Scarlett. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1939/12/30/1939-12-30-051-tny-cards-000002119) - **Sight and Sound**: The critic praises the film's breathtaking settings and restrained Technicolor photography that evokes a vanished era. They regret its focus on the life-story of a 'hussy' but commend the skilled direction, de-glamorized war scenes, and well-chosen cast including Vivien Leigh as Scarlett. [Read](http://old.bfi.org.uk/features/ultimatefilm/chart/details.php?ranking=1) - **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (70/100, inferred): The critic calls it one of the most spectacular and indulgent romantic melodramas in cinema history, praising its epic ambition, strong performances (especially Vivien Leigh embracing Scarlett's artificiality) and considerable power despite its length. She notes the romanticisation of slavery and problematic approach to rape as reasons it cannot be taken entirely seriously but still finds it smouldering effectively and worth seeing on the big screen. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/gone-with-the-wind-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## Details - **Director:** Victor Fleming - **Director:** Victor Fleming - **Screenplay:** Sidney Howard - **Novel:** Margaret Mitchell - **Cinematography:** Ernest Haller - **Music:** Max Steiner - **Production design:** William Cameron Menzies - **Costume design:** Walter Plunkett - **Producer:** David O. Selznick - **Cast:** Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara; Clark Gable as Rhett Butler; Olivia de Havilland as Melanie Hamilton; Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes; Hattie McDaniel as Mammy; Thomas Mitchell as Gerald O'Hara; Barbara O'Neil as Ellen O'Hara; Evelyn Keyes as Suellen O'Hara - **Runtime:** 3h 58m - **Certificate (MPA):** G - **Release (the US):** 17 June 1940 - **Genres:** Drama, War, Romance - **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Winner, 1939) - **Budget:** $4 million - **Box office:** $402 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2oX0zQA67U ## Where to watch in the US - HBO Max: streaming - Hulu: add-on, hd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd *Checked 2026-09-15.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BR, CH, CL, CO, DE, EC, GB, IE, MX, PA, PE, PT, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1940: Best Actor (nominated); Best Original Score (nominated); Best Sound (nominated); Best Special Effects (nominated); Best Actress (won); Best Cinematography, Color (won); Best Director (won); Best Film Editing (won); Best Picture (won); Best Production Design (won); Best Supporting Actress (won); Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (won) ## If you liked this - *The Heiress* (1949), Fi1m 90: Olivia de Havilland gives wounded pride a quieter, increasingly formidable presence. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-heiress.md) - *The Leopard* (1963), Fi1m 88: For another grand household struggling to accept that history has moved on. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-leopard.md) - *The Music Room* (1958), Fi1m 88: A declining aristocrat clings to ceremony while his household can scarcely afford it. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-music-room.md) - *The Age of Innocence* (1993), Fi1m 86: Another lavish romance where social rules make private desires difficult to satisfy. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-age-of-innocence.md) - *Raise the Red Lantern* (1991), Fi1m 91: Another enclosed society where status and desire make daily life a struggle. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/raise-the-red-lantern.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind