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David O. Selznick wanted Gone with the Wind to be somehow more than a movie, a film that would broaden the very idea of what a film could be and do and look like. In many respects he got what he worked so hard to achieve in this 1939 epic (and all-time box-office champ in terms of tickets sold), and in some respects he fell far short of the goal. While the first half of this Civil War drama is taut and suspenseful and nostalgic, the second is ramshackle and arbitrary. But there's no question that the film is an enormous achievement in terms of its every resource--art direction, color, sound, cinematography--being pushed to new limits for the greater glory of telling an American story as fully as possible. Vivien Leigh is still magnificently narcissistic, Olivia de Havilland angelic and lovely, Leslie Howard reckless and aristocratic. As for Clark Gable: we're talking one of the most vital, masculine performances ever committed to film.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (481)

One of the Most Overrated Films Ever
Gone With the Wind is remember as a great movie because of it's epic scope and excellent production values. But 60 years later when the big budget no longer thrills us, we are left with a decent film but nothing special.

To begin with the entire film is very campy and melodramatic. The whole film is very heavy-handed and over-done. Scenes like where Scarlet crys "I'll never be hungry again" are just plain ackward. Someone should have tatooed the word "subtlty" on Selznick's head.

The script is fairly weak too. It presents a very narrow, one dimensional view of the Civil War. Worse, the Civil War ends half way through the movie and the rest of the film lacks the first half's energy.

Another major flaw is that the characters lack any real depth. Scarlet is cold and nasty through the whole movie. She never changes untill the last two minutes of the movie. There is simply no development. Ashley is noble and his wife is so nice and sweat that it makes me sick. These characters simply aren't human and don't feal real. Probably the only character in the whole movie who actually developes at all is Ret. Sadly, Clark Gable's strong performance isn't enough to carry the rest of the cast.

It should also be noted that Gone With the Wind is very racist at some points. The scene where all the slaves are going off to fight the "evil yankees" is enough to turns one's stomache. Most of the black characters are portrayed as child-like and stupid. The only exception to this is Mimi who does an excellent job and deserved her Oscar.

Gone With the Wind is still an example of fine production values but when you strip away all the lavish sets and money spent on the film, you're left with a rather hollow experiance. While there is no denying that it is a very pretty movie, even today, and it does have it's moments, Gone With the Wind is simply an over-done and campy movie. This film does not deserve to be ranked up there with the likes of Citizen Kane or the Godfather. It's just not that good.

After more than 400 reviews...
...you can't say much else!! A spectacle to end all spectacles; the epitomy of costume, art direction, and cinemagraphic grandeur (Technicolor film was still rare in the 1930's, and the industry was already engulfed in production of at least one *other* color movie that same year). I wasn't enthralled with this film when I first saw it years ago but I have come to appreciate its epic presentation and gothic, almost soapy, storytelling. And the cast is entirely first-rate, from the leading lady (whose historical casting was a mini-series in itself) to the supporting roles (Hattie McDaniel, Thomas Mitchell, Ona Munson, Laura Crews, Ann Rutherford, Harry Davenport, Oscar Polk, 'Superman's' George Reeves, et al) to the hundreds (thousands?) of extras who populated the pre-and-postwar South (the tracking shot of the Twelve Oaks mansion at the start of the barbecue and the sprawling, widening shot of Scarlett walking amidst all the wounded soldiers come to mind). It is a great script ("Waste always makes me angry;" "Do you ever shy away from marrying men you don't love?") and great direction (Victor Fleming, George Cukor, and Sam Wood- anyone else?). It is a record-holder of sorts among Oscar nominated (or Oscars won) films, but it came out in an extraodrinary year of films. 1939 also saw the releases of, among others, GOODBYE MR. CHIPS, DARK VICTORY, THE OLD MAID, GUNGA DIN, ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL, JUAREZ, ON BORROWED TIME, THE WOMEN, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, AT THE CIRCUS, BABES IN ARMS, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, LOVE AFFAIR, MADE FOR EACH OTHER, and THE WIZARD OF OZ.

Lesley Howard is brilliant and a strong character
In his role of Scarlett O'Hara's (initially) true secret love. I had been a fan of Mr. Howard's for many years. His performance here is among his finest. Also check him out in The Petrified Forrest. As for the rest of the film. When he's not in it it's a little strong on the romantic side.

Worth Another Look for this Fan of Classic Film
Gone with the Wind creates many strong opinions, but I daresay many of them by people who haven't seen the film, or at least not in many years. It is sort of an amalgamation of both Margaret Mitchell's book and a reworking of DW Griffith's even more controversial silent blockbuster Birth of a Nation.

I had written this off as a silly commercialized Hollywood fairly tale but recently decided to give it another look. Basically, I think the claims of racism are far overblown, especially compared to other films of this era. It seems to me that Selznick and company went to great pains to stamp out the more overtly racist themes of Griffith's famous 1915 film. For instance, Scarlett's attempted rapists were all white; real black actors have menial but still important roles; those black actors are treated with dignity and respect; and finally the "n" word probably more frequent in southern parlance of the day was replaced with the more delicate term of "darky", and never used in a scornful fashion. And while establishment opinion in the North still clings to belief that the Civil War was a most noble and unselfish effort, the truth was something much less certain. Surely slaves in the prewar South were not all treated as gingerly as in this film; but just as certainly they were also brutally repressed in the North as well (just watch Gangs of New York for a history lesson on Northern feelings towards African Americans). All wars have a side people would rather forget, and this one was certainly no different. Also on the positive side, the film does a good job of capturing this broad historic period with smart scenes amidst well designed sets. It's really quite a grand production, in color no less, with a marvelous historical and cinematic scope.

On the less positive side, the heralded performances I think are a bit overrated. Clark Gable's presence helps considerably, but he is certainly not nearly as natural or comfortable as he was in It Happened One Night. And Mitchell's sappy, soap operaesque story frequently slips nearly into the preposterous, especially in latter scenes of the film when the historic takes a back seat to the dramatic. But maybe that's what gave the film its broad appeal, as it has a little of something for everyone. I think another factor may have really launched its success: released during the cold winter of 1939, its four-hour sitting time gave depression-weary Americans a warm night on the town for a cheap price that they could all afford.

Regarding the standard edition DVD, its very serviceable but the extras are appallingly poor for a film of this esteemed history. Also, Spanish subtitles would have been nice (only has English and French).

The Best of the Best
A total classic...everyone should own this film. ... Read more

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Fred Zinnemann's epic drama is a splendid showcase for Audrey Hepburn, who stars as the young nun Sister Luke, who is deeply spiritual yet conflicted about whether or not she can conform to convent life. Though the film is a mesmerizing--and quite leisurely--two and a half hours, its plot is fairly simple--young Gabrielle (Hepburn) enters the convent pledging her life to God, learns the disciplines associated with the life, receives her dream assignment of going to the Congo as a missionary nurse, and once there, is forced to face whether she is meant for the rigorous life of poverty, chastity, and most difficult of all, obedience. The film does a marvelous job of portraying the challenges of cloistered life without being either off-putting or overly romantic. And Hepburn, sometimes with only her eyes, communicates all the drive, faith, and conflict of a young woman so torn. --Anne Hurley ... Read more

Reviews (32)

A Conflicted Soul
In a truly great performance, Audrey Hepburn stars as Gabrielle (and later, Sister Luke), a young Belgian girl and daughter of a famous surgeon, who enters the convent with the ultimate dream of working as a nurse in the Belgian Congo. From the outset, Hepburn has difficulty working within the vow of obedience, and it becomes a daily struggle to remain faithful to her vow. The struggle becomes more pronounced in the Congo when working with Peter Finch, a brilliant surgeon who sees her conflict but is not a believer. Hepburn and Finch have a relationship that is one of the highlights of this film. The Nun's Story is not an action packed feature, but rather a character study about coming to grips with one's faith, character, and true self. Hepburn does a terrific job of portraying Sister Luke's conflicts, all the more difficult given the emotional restraint she must show in the role of a nun. The supporting cast of film veterans adds to the excellence of the acting. I also enjoyed the insight into the training and demands placed on nuns. The level of sacrifice required surprised me, and although it's not an experience that most of us will ever have ourselves, there's much about human nature that can be appreciated and learned in this film.

Nuns who look like and act like nuns!!
This is one of the truly great films of the late 50's in the genre of religion. It details with wonderful accuracy the plight of a woman caught in an order of nuns that asks her to be a nurse and cloistered nun all in one. The schizo life-style does not suit Audrey Hepburn who suffers to live it, from Belgium to the Belgian Congo and back to the ravages of WW II. She must make a decision weather to aid the allies or stay in the convent and be neutral and therfore somewhat conspirstorial; it all couched under the vow of obedience which haunts her from the very start, acting as a metaphor for individual will vs. institutional Church. For the time this was produced, the themes and the ending are daring indeed. The Catholic Church hated this film but could not have it cut or condemned because it was a blockbuster in one week.On the cutting edge of Vatican II this story, beginning in the 20's, ending in ww II, is quite prophetic. Audrey Hepburn has more than just convent ways..she is a nun, with a habit that makes her look like a true nun. A stunning performance and an academy award winning one, but she did not get it. In any case, get The Nun's Story and learn about religious life in the Catholic Church before it disappeared. By the way, where is the lbx DVD of this film????

Disappointing
The entire movie, I thought she was going to marry the doctor in Congo, and then she doesn't! The end was much too solemn. The conclusion wasn't powerful either; it was very abrupt.

Here's how I think the ending should have gone: Gabriel leaves the convent with a smile on her face and sails for the Congo. When she arrives, she finds the doctor converted. They're overwhelmingly glad to see each other, and they have a beautiful wedding. OR, as an alternate ending, Gabriel can marry Gene. Either way, I'll be satisfied.

Hep-py now?
It's a testament to the filmmakers that the scene in which Sister Luke signs papers to leave the church has real gravity.
The final shot sits on the fence, that is if to say "you can walk in as well as out", but I found it too distracting. I kept thinking: "You close doors behind you." Guess I'm not terribly spiritual, then.

The Nun Story : The Failure of the Flesh
I have found the Nun's Story to be a fascinating study of what the "fleshly" Christian experiences when he/she tries to lead the Christian life. Saint Paul draws an important distinction between the truly spiritual Christian and the fleshly or carnal Christian. The fleshly Christian tries to obey and please God in his own strength, or--to use another term--by relying on his flesh. When Sister Luke reaches the end of her own resources, that is, the resources of her flesh, she realizes her life in the convent and to obey God, is impossible for her. It would take a miracle for her to be able to forgive the Germans after she learns that they have savagely killer her father.

But that's just the point!! It would have been a truly inspiring story if at this point, Sister Luke gets down on her knees, utterly broken by the events of the world, and prays something like the following,"Dear Lord, I cannot do what you ask me to do, You will have to do it for me and in me--by revealing Your dear Son, Jesus Christ in me. In my own strength, in my flesh, I am absolutely powerless! I am absolutely depending on your grace and Life. It is utterly impossible for me to forgive these Germans--apart from you! Amen!!" This, I think, is what Paul is talking about when he says in II Corinthians 12:9 that God told him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for [My]power is perfected in [your] weakness."

One night, Corrie Ten Boom experienced this dependence on God when she finished preaching on forgiveness, only to find the former German prison guard, the man responsible for the death of her beloved sister, standing before her at the altar call. She confessed to God, her inability to forgive the man--in her own strength, i.e., in her flesh--and called out to God to forgive him through her, that is, to give her the supernatural ability to forgive. And He answered her prayer! She forgave the man with tears in her eyes, to the glory of God, the Father!!

A parallel can likewise be drawn to the film "The Keys of the Kingdom," starring Gregory Peck. In this film a very proud nun, learns to depend on the indwelling life of Christ to meet her needs to be loving. She remarks, "It's odd that my moment of deepest humiliation has also brought me to my moment of deepest peace." (I'm paraphrasing.)

It is intriguing and frustrating to watch The Nun's Story, but I learned a lot about my own walk through watching it and reflecting on it deeply. ... Read more

Reviews (481)

One of the Most Overrated Films Ever
Gone With the Wind is remember as a great movie because of it's epic scope and excellent production values. But 60 years later when the big budget no longer thrills us, we are left with a decent film but nothing special.

To begin with the entire film is very campy and melodramatic. The whole film is very heavy-handed and over-done. Scenes like where Scarlet crys "I'll never be hungry again" are just plain ackward. Someone should have tatooed the word "subtlty" on Selznick's head.

The script is fairly weak too. It presents a very narrow, one dimensional view of the Civil War. Worse, the Civil War ends half way through the movie and the rest of the film lacks the first half's energy.

Another major flaw is that the characters lack any real depth. Scarlet is cold and nasty through the whole movie. She never changes untill the last two minutes of the movie. There is simply no development. Ashley is noble and his wife is so nice and sweat that it makes me sick. These characters simply aren't human and don't feal real. Probably the only character in the whole movie who actually developes at all is Ret. Sadly, Clark Gable's strong performance isn't enough to carry the rest of the cast.

It should also be noted that Gone With the Wind is very racist at some points. The scene where all the slaves are going off to fight the "evil yankees" is enough to turns one's stomache. Most of the black characters are portrayed as child-like and stupid. The only exception to this is Mimi who does an excellent job and deserved her Oscar.

Gone With the Wind is still an example of fine production values but when you strip away all the lavish sets and money spent on the film, you're left with a rather hollow experiance. While there is no denying that it is a very pretty movie, even today, and it does have it's moments, Gone With the Wind is simply an over-done and campy movie. This film does not deserve to be ranked up there with the likes of Citizen Kane or the Godfather. It's just not that good.

After more than 400 reviews...
...you can't say much else!! A spectacle to end all spectacles; the epitomy of costume, art direction, and cinemagraphic grandeur (Technicolor film was still rare in the 1930's, and the industry was already engulfed in production of at least one *other* color movie that same year). I wasn't enthralled with this film when I first saw it years ago but I have come to appreciate its epic presentation and gothic, almost soapy, storytelling. And the cast is entirely first-rate, from the leading lady (whose historical casting was a mini-series in itself) to the supporting roles (Hattie McDaniel, Thomas Mitchell, Ona Munson, Laura Crews, Ann Rutherford, Harry Davenport, Oscar Polk, 'Superman's' George Reeves, et al) to the hundreds (thousands?) of extras who populated the pre-and-postwar South (the tracking shot of the Twelve Oaks mansion at the start of the barbecue and the sprawling, widening shot of Scarlett walking amidst all the wounded soldiers come to mind). It is a great script ("Waste always makes me angry;" "Do you ever shy away from marrying men you don't love?") and great direction (Victor Fleming, George Cukor, and Sam Wood- anyone else?). It is a record-holder of sorts among Oscar nominated (or Oscars won) films, but it came out in an extraodrinary year of films. 1939 also saw the releases of, among others, GOODBYE MR. CHIPS, DARK VICTORY, THE OLD MAID, GUNGA DIN, ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL, JUAREZ, ON BORROWED TIME, THE WOMEN, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, AT THE CIRCUS, BABES IN ARMS, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, LOVE AFFAIR, MADE FOR EACH OTHER, and THE WIZARD OF OZ.

Lesley Howard is brilliant and a strong character
In his role of Scarlett O'Hara's (initially) true secret love. I had been a fan of Mr. Howard's for many years. His performance here is among his finest. Also check him out in The Petrified Forrest. As for the rest of the film. When he's not in it it's a little strong on the romantic side.

Worth Another Look for this Fan of Classic Film
Gone with the Wind creates many strong opinions, but I daresay many of them by people who haven't seen the film, or at least not in many years. It is sort of an amalgamation of both Margaret Mitchell's book and a reworking of DW Griffith's even more controversial silent blockbuster Birth of a Nation.

I had written this off as a silly commercialized Hollywood fairly tale but recently decided to give it another look. Basically, I think the claims of racism are far overblown, especially compared to other films of this era. It seems to me that Selznick and company went to great pains to stamp out the more overtly racist themes of Griffith's famous 1915 film. For instance, Scarlett's attempted rapists were all white; real black actors have menial but still important roles; those black actors are treated with dignity and respect; and finally the "n" word probably more frequent in southern parlance of the day was replaced with the more delicate term of "darky", and never used in a scornful fashion. And while establishment opinion in the North still clings to belief that the Civil War was a most noble and unselfish effort, the truth was something much less certain. Surely slaves in the prewar South were not all treated as gingerly as in this film; but just as certainly they were also brutally repressed in the North as well (just watch Gangs of New York for a history lesson on Northern feelings towards African Americans). All wars have a side people would rather forget, and this one was certainly no different. Also on the positive side, the film does a good job of capturing this broad historic period with smart scenes amidst well designed sets. It's really quite a grand production, in color no less, with a marvelous historical and cinematic scope.

On the less positive side, the heralded performances I think are a bit overrated. Clark Gable's presence helps considerably, but he is certainly not nearly as natural or comfortable as he was in It Happened One Night. And Mitchell's sappy, soap operaesque story frequently slips nearly into the preposterous, especially in latter scenes of the film when the historic takes a back seat to the dramatic. But maybe that's what gave the film its broad appeal, as it has a little of something for everyone. I think another factor may have really launched its success: released during the cold winter of 1939, its four-hour sitting time gave depression-weary Americans a warm night on the town for a cheap price that they could all afford.

Regarding the standard edition DVD, its very serviceable but the extras are appallingly poor for a film of this esteemed history. Also, Spanish subtitles would have been nice (only has English and French).

The Best of the Best
A total classic...everyone should own this film. ... Read more

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This high point in the 1940s vogue for movies about family life at the turn of the century was directed by George Stevens (Shane), and stars Irene Dunne as the matriarch of a Norwegian family that faces hard knocks with grace in 1910 (or so) San Francisco. Based on John Van Druten's hit play (derived from Kathryn Forbes's autobiographical memoir), the film is gorgeously rendered and quite moving as an act of memory. The sterling cast of character actors--Edgar Bergen, Rudy Vallee, Oscar Homolka, Barbara Bel Geddes, Ellen Corby, Cedric Hardwicke--add great texture and a depth of experience that make the film feel quite lived-in. Hardwicke's turn as a penniless boarder who "pays" his rent by reciting from classic literature is a special highlight. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Mama as Memory
Few films can tug at the heart strings as well as I REMEMBER MAMA. Adapted from the John Van Druten play, which was itself taken from the Kathryn Forbes novel, I REMEMBER MAMA captures indelibly slices of time in the life of a Norwegian family living in San Francisco at the turn of the 19th century. Narrated by a grown up Katrin (Barbara Bel Geddes), the film combines the problems of adapting to life in the United States with solutions that seem unworkable to those still steeped in the ways of the Old Country. At the center is Mama(Irene Dunne), who orchestrates the lives of her large extended family. Irene Dunne is superb with her profound understanding of human nature. She shows in scene after scene that a matriarch must be flexible enough to account for and guide the divergent personalities of her family. For her sisters, Mama makes it clear that she will not permit them to bully her vulnerable children. For her children, she extends praise when it is needed and stoicism when that is needed too. And for the boarder who skips town without paying his owed rent, she resigns herself that he has paid in a different coin, that of reading the classics to her children, thus inculcating in them a love of words. Surrounding Irene Dunne is a group of superb supporting actors, all of whom add flavor to a film that is linked only by the memories of Katrin. Perhaps the most outstanding job is the one done by the non-paying boarder, Mr.Hyde (Cedric Hardwicke), who nightly regales the family with timeless tales narrated in his booming voice, the sum total of which is to create a story within a story with each passing tale. Although the years pass, no one seems to age, and that is all right since the segue from scene to scene is accomplished so seamlessly that the audience scarcely notices. Oscar Homolka as Uncle Chris hits just the right note as the blustery yet kindly man who hides his kindness beneath a pushy attitude. Interspersed through key scenes in the movie are the appearances of Katrin, who interrupts the narrative to talk directly to the audience, commenting like a subdued omniscient narrator on the plot. Again, rather than putting off the audience with a style of narration that in another film would surely be seen as intrusive, in I REMEMBER MAMA, Katrin's comments, as well as all the various strands of the film, are seen instead as welcome threads that unite what could have been an aimless, disjointed movie into a chronicle of a family that rings true with each passing scene. Not many movies can come close to accomplishing this. Homolka, Bel Gedddes, and Dunne were all nominated for Academy Awards. This is truly one of the most heart-warming films of all time.

A families common goal
I enjoyed watching this film. Irene Dunn, who plays "Mama", does an excellent job holding this family together. She, also, does a great job of establishing and holding onto the treasures that makes this family blend together. What good memories I will have of this movie when I drink a cup of coffee. The movie is narrated by Barbara Bel Geddes. She brings the love this family has for each other by her presentation of the story. How many families do we know today who would share all aspects of the ups and downs a family faces, especially financial? Nothing was held back from anyone in the family which allowed them all to work towards one common goal.

they don't make them like this any more
it will make you cry and laugh a truley wonderful and memorable movie

dvd please
This is a magnificent performance by a wonderful artist, Irene Dunne, PLEASE....DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great Movie...see it!

A Hilarious, Touching Family Movie
Our whole family (ages 1-44) watched this movie together and every one of us (except the 1 yr old) laughed and cried throughout the whole thing. Dunne is an amazing actress for her day and plays "Mama" beautifully. Uncle Chris is a brilliant character that adds much color to this black-and-white film. The family- Mama's husband and children- are delightful to watch mature and grow up. The aunts are a load of fun! From beginning to end, this movie grabs your attention-and you will most certainly laugh! I also suggest reading the book "Mama's Bank Account" before or after watching the film. What a great movie! WONDERFUL! ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Headline Scandal in Old Paris
Bette Davis is a young governess brought in to educate and basically mother the children of the Duc and Duchesse de Praslin in Paris of the 1840's. The Duc and Duchesse are at war with each other, trying to keep the children out of it. Davis' calm manner and way with the children soon catches the eye of the doting father, Charles Boyer, leading to a love between the two that is never acted upon. The Duchesse, Barbara O'Neill, grows to resent the governess for having taken the affections of her husband and children from her. It leads to a series of dramatic events that tears the family apart. Davis is subdued and unusually controlled as the governess, a fine counterbalance to the fiery dramatics of the spurned O'Neill. Boyer is excellent as the tormented Duc, torn between duty and love. It's a long film, but Anatole Litvak's tight direction and the quality production keep the story moving along well. Although primarily melodrama, it's has aspects of mystery and social commentary woven into its plotline, all anchored by Davis quiet performance. It's one of her least known films from that era, but one worth viewing.

If you think you're not a Bette Davis fan...
If you think you're not a Bette Davis fan, please try this movie before deciding. I almost didn't watch this film until my grandmother recommended it to me. Bette Davis shines in this wonderfully impressive role as a governess full of love, patience and mercy. Very different from her other roles, where being in the spotlight and causing trouble were paramount.
The movie begins with her teaching at a school for girls, where, upon learning some gossip about Bette, treat her awfully. Instead of giving up or turning to harsh tactics to control her class, she arrives one morning, and announces that she wants to tell them a story. Then after hearing her story, they can each be the judge, to decide if she is fit to teach them.
The story is one that you will not walk away from without feeling like you never want it to end. It's the kind of story that will have you so involved, it's like you yourself have been transported to France, that you are the governess, living out this story as if it were real. And you gain a whole new respect for Bette's acting. This movie is absolutely by far one of her best.

Wonderful Movie!
All This and Heaven Too is a marvelous romantic film about a French duc's unspoken love for the governess of his childen. There's the neurotic wife to spoil things and the wife's faithful servant to act as her spy as well as the ascetic Roman Catholic spiritual advisor. Charles Boyer and Bette Davis do a great job of expresing their love for each other without words. This is old-fashioned filmaking at its best. A perfect movie for a foggy or rainy Saturday or Sunday afternoon. The movie also speaks out against hypocrisy and keeping up appearances for the "sake'' of society. Highly recommended.

Afternoon of Total Escape
The perfect Sunday afternoon "old" movie. Laugh, cry, fall in love. Once you've seen this movie it stays with you always.

I Want a Snow-Globe
This is a truly remarkable film, and why "Rebecca" won Best Picture over this one in 1940 I will never understand, because this one is so much better. Not that I don't like Rebecca, but... that's beside the point...

Bette Davis plays Henriette Deluzy-Desportes, who is a sweet, kind governess to three girls and a boy, the children of the Duc and Duchesse du Praslin. I do like Bette in roles such as these, much better than the hard, scheming, or vicious woman she has the reputation of being. This is a sweet, chaste, hopeless love story between the Duc and Henriette, and the jealous, neurotic wife who completes the triangle. (The jealous, neurotic wife is the same lady who played Ellen O'Hara in Gone With the Wind. Now I will never look at Ellen O'Hara the same way again.) At first I thought it strange that the film did not probe more into la Duchesse's character to explain why she was a jealous, neurotic wife - but then, the story is told from Henriette's perspective, and I don't think she really understood the jealous, neurotic wife either.

You gotta love Bette's hair in this movie. I mean - it looks like someone sculpted it over her ears just so with hairspray. But the lovely dresses make up for the weird hair. All except the one she wore to the theatre with the huge ruffled flower on the front. And the children are all quite sweet. I've always enjoyed Virginia Weidler whenever I have seen her, and the little boy was an angel too. Charles Boyer's voice... Let's just say I dig the guys with the accents, Paul Henreid and Peter O'Toole among others.

The first time I watched this, I thought that the Duc's suicide at the end was a bit too melodramatic after all the more realistic drama that preceded it, and I didn't understand why he had to kill his wife either. A moment of violent passion, I suppose. Still, with Henriette, you come to love him so much that although you dislike these aspects, you can't hate him for it either. But the book says this is what happened, and that makes it more believable.

Speaking of the book, I recently read it - same title, and by Rachel Field. I recommend reading that along with watching this movie. Basically the movie adheres to the book, except that the book has a lot more after the film ends, and some of the scenes are switched around a bit.

Overall I thought this a very engaging, almost perfect film. I hope to own it one of these days, but meanwhile I'm happy to know the library has a copy for me to check out. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

wait a minute...
actually the image above is of the 1962 Roger Corman version with Vincent Price in the lead role

No Cariacatures Here
Laurence Olivier's Richard III is fun to watch, but his Duke of Glouchester is warped inside and out: ugly and humpbacked, strutting about. Basil Rathbone's Richard is very different from that.

True, he has a humpback too--in fact, his armor has a bump in it to allow for the hump--but he carries himself gracefully, as Rathbone always does. He's just as evil, though. Whereas Olivier has a number of asides to the audience through which we learn of his machination's purposes, Rathbone's got a little closet with the succession to the throne literally spelled out in dolls. Doll #1 is brother Edward played by Ian Hunter, who enjoys every trick Richard plays on everyone else, and condones all the murdering going on. It's clear he hasn't the imagination to realize that ultimately Richard will target dolls #4 and 5, Edward's own two sons, the famous Little Princes who vanished in the Tower of London. Doll #2 is the semi-senile usurped king Henry VI, played by Miles Mander, veteran of many a Shirley Temple and Sherlock Holmes movie. He gets dispatched at prayer by Richard's loyal executioner friend Mort, lovingly brought to us by clubfooted Boris Karloff. He pledges himself to Richard saying, "You're more than a prince, more than a king...You're a god to me!" Wow, how's that for hero worship? Doll #3 is the son of that usurped king, who's biggest transgression is having married the woman Richard loved. So much for him, eventually. My personal favorite is Doll #6, Richard's other brother Clarence, Vincent Price in a very early role. These two have never gotten along, so we shouldn't be surprised when a drinking bout between the brothers takes a particularly nasty turn for poor Clarence. Every time there's a victim, off the corresponding doll goes into the fireplace while the remaining dolls move up, the Richard Doll lagging behind, but making steady progress. It's a neat contrivance of the screenwriters, although Rathbone doesn't really demonstrate a need for such psychodrama.

The movie does have a major drawback, and that's the white-hat hero whom Mort puts to every torture device imaginable, for a reason I've forgotten. This guy's not so good looking (actually looks somewhat pinched faced, like a Zachary Scott type), and his character is annoying. I suppose the filmmakers felt there had to be a good character to counterbalance all the other stuff that was going on, but frankly, the other stuff is true and a lot more interesting than this fake good guy.

"Tower of London" is a great treat because it provides us another opportunity to see the always-dashing Basil Rathbone. What I found remarkable during this outing was the way that all these nefarious doings seemed perfectly justified the way that Basil was comporting himself. Ian Hunter has a lot more to do than I've ever seen in any other movie role he had, and I'm sorry for his usual underutilization; actually, he's pretty good. And Vincent? He brings much fun to his role as the pampered sissyboy brother who plays right into Basil's hands.

Chase up some courage and watch "Tower of London" to see a wonderful old movie.

Shakespeare's "Richard III" stripped down to a Horror show
"The Tower of a London" is an interesting horror film because it involves the same characters as Shakespeare's play "Richard III." Boris Karloff plays Mord, the executioner at the Tower and the ally of Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Basil Rathbone) in his quest for the crown. It is Mord who kills the aging King Henry VI and the young princes. Like "Richard III," the film ends with the Battle of Bosworth, but the chief difference between the two works are the Grand Guignol murders by Mord, such as when Richard and his executioner drown the Duke of Clarence (Vincent Price) in a vast butt of malmsey. Karloff might get to do more killing in this 1939 film directed by Rowland V. Lee, but this is very much Basil Rathbone's film and his Richard does not suffer much in comparison to Olivier's celebrated performance on film. Actually, they make a fascinating double-bill, but be sure to save "The Tower of London" for the second feature.

Basil Rathbone is the man!
you cannot compare this with any of the other universal horror movies that came around the same time. This is not a horror movie but a historical drama depicting the unscrupulous rise to power of Richard the III, played in the most evil and backstabbing way by Basil Rathbone( most excellent actor of Sherlock Holmes fame and Son of Frankenstein). The plot and script are so much more intricate and intelligent than the other universal horrors, but no wonder it's not a horror movie. Some say this is a bland role for Karloff, but he plays an executioner that is the subserviant friend of Richard the III, of course he is going to come across as a brute, but what else would you expect of an executioner from the middle ages. Vincent Price(in an early role in his career) is excellent as a snivelling coward, that is in the way of Richards rise to power. Overall an excellent movie, one of Universal's best from the time period of the classic monsters.

Mistaken version
BEWARE ! This is NOT the version with Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff & Vincent Price. This is a newer remake with Vincent Price only. Note the film dates. The description does NOT match this movie. The earlier one is a masterpiece, & although you may like this one, it is not the what the description says. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

FRITZ LANG FiLM NOiR NOT TO BE OVERL{+.+}KED
A noir to hold fondly in heart.

I love this noir. I haven't seen it in a couple of years. However, I recall it has excellent character acting, mysterious rooms and walls, and great script/ lines.

The mellow of mysterious ambience of this film make it a keeper, especially for mystery/noir folk. Of course, I always love Joan Bennett (SCARLET STREET)in a crook show. Michael Redgrave (THE LADY VANISHES)also, for that matter!

This film is so well-paced and desirable, I would recommend it even to non-mystery fans. It is one of those mysteries I think alot of people could like. As I recall, it seemed to have a bit of a supernatural feel to it, as well. A pleasant time was had by all. (I won't spoil plot elements for you.)

I'll just say, so few of today's films, mystery/thriller or otherwise, have this element of 'keepsake' about them.

Don't let someone else get to it first!

Excellent thriller.
This lesser known old dark house thriller from Lang, comes highly recommended. It's not about a haunted house actually, but I'd still call it spooky. I first saw it only a few years ago, but it's already become a fave of mine in this particular category. -Sort of, anyway; the beginning is a bit slow and too romantic, and manages to look completely un-interesting to a Horror fan, but the wait is worth it. While on vacation in South America Bennett falls for stranger Redgrave, and promptly moves in with him. -He's strange indeed; with all the secret rooms in the big house, and two other just as strange occupants. I'll say no more; now go check it out. If you enjoyed the British "Dead Of Night" for instance, Lang's long corridors and the eerie atmosphere here should be a sure pleaser. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

One of Hollywood's greatest melodramas
It's funny how, in this day and age, golden-age dramas can fall very definitely into one of two categories: ridiculous, and sublime. Happily, Barbara Stanwyck's finest hour, 'Stella Dalls', falls firmly into the second category, thanks to a wonderful performance by Ms. Stanwyck as the titular heroine.

Stella Martin is the daughter of an impoverished steel-mill family. She is ambitious, however, and when she catches the eye of the recently-broke Stephen Dallas, he pushes his feelings for his wealthy ex-girlfriend aside and makes the best of a bad situation. Unhappily married to the uncouth Stella, he spends more and more time away from her, taking only short holidays with his beloved daughter, Laurel. Stella soon realises that a mother's love cannot provide the best social advantages for Laurel, and makes the ultimate sacrifice for the good of her family.

Stanwyck's supporting cast are of a type, but they're still good - John Boles as Stephen and Barbara O' Neil as Helen Morrisson give strong performances. Alan Hale does an excellent job with the character of Ed Munn, a good-time gambler on the road to self-destruction. He plays the role with a sensitivity and pathos rare to films of this era. Anne Shirley as Laurel is cloying and sentimental, but then again, she's supposed to be.

It's Ms. Stanwyck's performance as Stella that saves this movie from mediocrity, and catapults it into the ranks of other big-league melodramas such as 'Now, Voyager' and 'Imitation of Life'. As Stella, she is perfectly capable of forcing us to empathise, and we respond in kind. Surely, hers is the ultimate sacrifice, and we are with her every step of the way. Her eyes, her expressions of total selflessness and her total devotion to the betterment of her daughter give us a true sense of what motherhood is about.

Beautifully directed by King Vidor, it's a triumph that this picture is finally available on DVD. It's not a happy movie, but it is a testament to the once-extraordinary power of Hollywood to create beautiful and emotional pieces of cinema.

One of Stanwyck's greatest roles and an all time favorite
Tearjerker supreme, with a top-notch performance by Barbara Stanwyck, who impersonates and gives true life to coarse, low class, self-effacing Stella Dallas, "mother above all". This is one of the greatest and strongest dramatic performances ever achieved on the screen by an American actress.

Stanwyck plays an ambitious girl of humble origins, who falls in love and marries recently impoverished aristocratic Boles (Stephen Dallas), whose social differences eventually separate them. She raises their little child, Laurel, suffering, crying and sacrificing herself for her daughter's sake, from then onwards.

John Boles is quite effective, but, as usual, lacks punch as Stephen Dallas. On the other hand, Anne Shirley is believable and very good as grown-up Laurel. Alan Hale is simply incredible and the epitome of vulgarity, as lowbrow and ever-partying Ed Munn; and Barbara O'Neil (future Scarlett O'Hara's mother) is rightly patrician, well-bred and classy, as Boles' old-time fiancée and friend.

In spite of its 30's ultrasentimentality by today's standards, absolutely recommended viewing. The DVD quality is good indeed.

Stanwyck is the gem of this 1930s melodrama
As other reviewers have said, "Stella Dallas" is a highly sentimental, soap-operaish 1930s movie. But it's still a good film, despite that fact that many aspects of the plot and characterization are dated.

Barbara Stanwyck is the gem of this film, and she gives the most convincing performance (except for Alan Hale, her drunken friend, Ed). The movie begins with Stella, a girl from a working-class mill family, who dreams of marriage to Stephen Dallas, a well-to-do mill executive. With all the charm she can muster, Stella walks into Stephen's office at a crucial point in his life: he is in despair. She revives him, and the two are married within two weeks. What follows is rather predictable: the marriage was a mistake. Stephen's upper class society of manners and Stella's burning desire to experience the passion and wealth of life are sorely incompatible. After the birth of their daughter, Laurel, they part ways: he lives in New York, and she stays in Boston with their daughter. However, they do not divorce for nearly 15 years. Stella raises Laurel, and Stephen takes the child on vacations often. As Laurel grows older, it is obvious that her intellect and mannerisms mirror her father, and not her working-class, garish mother. Despite the fact that Laurel is essentially the only person or thing that Stella loves, Stella contrives a plot to deceive Laurel so that the teenage girl will willingly go live with her father, his new, beautiful, wealthy wife, and her three sons in a New York mansion.

Stanwyck's acting is superb, one of the best in her career. She convincingly portrays a woman who is trapped in her lower-class social status, but desperately reaches for money and associations with the "right people." Anne Shirley, who plays Laurel in her teen years, seems to overact at times, but she delivers a top-notch performance as an innocent, wholesome teen torn between her separated parents. John Boles' performance is stiff and restrained, as usual, and his character is very flat (but it's supposed to be). Barbara O'Neil earns the audience's respect as the only person who genuinely understands Stella. And Alan Hale is brilliant as the crass, drunken, party-animal Ed Munn, and Stella simply can't resist his zest for life (at least initially).

Although the film is encumbered with overly sentimental dialogue and a bit of overacting, it's a pretty good 1930s melodrama.

Barbara Stanwyck's Finest Hour - Classic Tear-Jerker
Barbara Stanwyck, although barely 30, convincingly plays the loving mother to a young adult daughter. Coming from a working-class background, the young "Stella" is determined to climb the social ladder. Her meeting with executive "Mr. Dallas" seemed to be mutual love-at-first-sight. Soon after their child, Lollie, is born, Stella's disposition changes. When hubby suggests the family move to New York to be near his business dealings, Stella flat refuses.

The action skips about 16 years, showing a grown-up Lollie, still happily living with her mother. During a visit with the father and his wealthy new wife, Lollie is showered with expensive presents, and asked to stay with them permanently. Lollie refuses, insisting that her place is with Mother.

Here is where the Kleenex moments come in: Having overheard some cruel dialogue about them while traveling with Lollie in a train compartment, Stella, unable to provide the lavish life her daughter was sure to enjoy with the father, puts on a bawdy act of meanness and cruelty, to turn the daughter away. The ultimate heartbreak is the scene of Lollie's Wedding Ceremony (which I will not devulge).

Lollie's character is basically a sweet young woman, devoted to her mother. When at an outing with her friends she denies the mother (who is making somewhat of a spectacle of herself in a drug store), my sympathy for Lollie drops significantly. The scene is reminiscent of "Imitation Of Life", where the entire story is centered around the daughter's shame for her mother. This one spoiling scene seems unnecessary in the otherwise brilliant film. Still I highly recommend "Stella Dallas" to fans of the leading lady. The original radio play is also well worth the time!****

A GREAT DRAMA! STANWYCK GIVES A TOUR-DE-FORCE PERFORMANCE!
"Stella Dallas" is an extraordinary emotional rollercoaster of a movie, and a must-see for fans of the legendary Barbara Stanwyck. Stanwyck is Stella Martin, a tough cookie mill girl who steps up in class by marrying the wealthy Stephen Dallas (John Boles). They have a daughter, Laurel (Anne Shirley), whom Stella lavishes love on. But although Stella has a heart of gold, her coarse manners and unrefined taste are looked down upon by society. Stella won't have her daughter looked down on, too, and in securing her daughter's future happiness, Stella realizes that she must make a sacrifice greater than any she could ever make...

Stanwyck walks off with the picture, absolutely perfect as Stella (Stanwyck, I believe, REALLY should have won the Oscar she was nominated for for this film). Anne Shirley is just a tad overly enthusiastic as Laurel, but she is also sincere and honest in her Oscar-nominated performance. John Boles is- fair in his relatively small role. Barbara O'Neil is excellent as Helen Morrison, a kind-hearted friend of Stephen Dallas. Alan Hale is perfectly vulgar in his meaty role of Ed Munn, a coarse friend of Stella's.

The film has a sensitive but wrenching screenplay which calls for handkerchiefs in many scenes: (One scene has Stella and Laurel waiting for children to come to Laurel's birthday party who never come because of Stella's notoriety, a scene in which Stella overhears Laurel's friends talking about her with snide remarks, and the final, heartbreaking scene...) King Vidor's direction rounds out the exquisite drama and makes "Stella Dallas" one of the most powerful dramatic masterpieces of all time. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Barbara Stanwyck gave one of her inimitable and wonderfully enigmatic performances as a mill worker who marries her way into high society and soon experiences layers of frustration. Channeling her restlessness, she soon makes a positive though highly self-sacrificial decision on her daughter's behalf, and endures the agony of being replaced in her husband's life by an old, blue-blooded flame. King Vidor (The Crowd) directs with a fascinating sense of duality about Stanwyck's character: is her lower-caste vulgarity something to sneer at or something to applaud for the contrast she presents to the mannered upper classes? Stanwyck plays the riddle brilliantly, right down to the final moment of her character's weird self-satisfaction at being ostracized from her daughter's honeyed life. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (12)

One of Hollywood's greatest melodramas
It's funny how, in this day and age, golden-age dramas can fall very definitely into one of two categories: ridiculous, and sublime. Happily, Barbara Stanwyck's finest hour, 'Stella Dalls', falls firmly into the second category, thanks to a wonderful performance by Ms. Stanwyck as the titular heroine.

Stella Martin is the daughter of an impoverished steel-mill family. She is ambitious, however, and when she catches the eye of the recently-broke Stephen Dallas, he pushes his feelings for his wealthy ex-girlfriend aside and makes the best of a bad situation. Unhappily married to the uncouth Stella, he spends more and more time away from her, taking only short holidays with his beloved daughter, Laurel. Stella soon realises that a mother's love cannot provide the best social advantages for Laurel, and makes the ultimate sacrifice for the good of her family.

Stanwyck's supporting cast are of a type, but they're still good - John Boles as Stephen and Barbara O' Neil as Helen Morrisson give strong performances. Alan Hale does an excellent job with the character of Ed Munn, a good-time gambler on the road to self-destruction. He plays the role with a sensitivity and pathos rare to films of this era. Anne Shirley as Laurel is cloying and sentimental, but then again, she's supposed to be.

It's Ms. Stanwyck's performance as Stella that saves this movie from mediocrity, and catapults it into the ranks of other big-league melodramas such as 'Now, Voyager' and 'Imitation of Life'. As Stella, she is perfectly capable of forcing us to empathise, and we respond in kind. Surely, hers is the ultimate sacrifice, and we are with her every step of the way. Her eyes, her expressions of total selflessness and her total devotion to the betterment of her daughter give us a true sense of what motherhood is about.

Beautifully directed by King Vidor, it's a triumph that this picture is finally available on DVD. It's not a happy movie, but it is a testament to the once-extraordinary power of Hollywood to create beautiful and emotional pieces of cinema.

One of Stanwyck's greatest roles and an all time favorite
Tearjerker supreme, with a top-notch performance by Barbara Stanwyck, who impersonates and gives true life to coarse, low class, self-effacing Stella Dallas, "mother above all". This is one of the greatest and strongest dramatic performances ever achieved on the screen by an American actress.

Stanwyck plays an ambitious girl of humble origins, who falls in love and marries recently impoverished aristocratic Boles (Stephen Dallas), whose social differences eventually separate them. She raises their little child, Laurel, suffering, crying and sacrificing herself for her daughter's sake, from then onwards.

John Boles is quite effective, but, as usual, lacks punch as Stephen Dallas. On the other hand, Anne Shirley is believable and very good as grown-up Laurel. Alan Hale is simply incredible and the epitome of vulgarity, as lowbrow and ever-partying Ed Munn; and Barbara O'Neil (future Scarlett O'Hara's mother) is rightly patrician, well-bred and classy, as Boles' old-time fiancée and friend.

In spite of its 30's ultrasentimentality by today's standards, absolutely recommended viewing. The DVD quality is good indeed.

Stanwyck is the gem of this 1930s melodrama
As other reviewers have said, "Stella Dallas" is a highly sentimental, soap-operaish 1930s movie. But it's still a good film, despite that fact that many aspects of the plot and characterization are dated.

Barbara Stanwyck is the gem of this film, and she gives the most convincing performance (except for Alan Hale, her drunken friend, Ed). The movie begins with Stella, a girl from a working-class mill family, who dreams of marriage to Stephen Dallas, a well-to-do mill executive. With all the charm she can muster, Stella walks into Stephen's office at a crucial point in his life: he is in despair. She revives him, and the two are married within two weeks. What follows is rather predictable: the marriage was a mistake. Stephen's upper class society of manners and Stella's burning desire to experience the passion and wealth of life are sorely incompatible. After the birth of their daughter, Laurel, they part ways: he lives in New York, and she stays in Boston with their daughter. However, they do not divorce for nearly 15 years. Stella raises Laurel, and Stephen takes the child on vacations often. As Laurel grows older, it is obvious that her intellect and mannerisms mirror her father, and not her working-class, garish mother. Despite the fact that Laurel is essentially the only person or thing that Stella loves, Stella contrives a plot to deceive Laurel so that the teenage girl will willingly go live with her father, his new, beautiful, wealthy wife, and her three sons in a New York mansion.

Stanwyck's acting is superb, one of the best in her career. She convincingly portrays a woman who is trapped in her lower-class social status, but desperately reaches for money and associations with the "right people." Anne Shirley, who plays Laurel in her teen years, seems to overact at times, but she delivers a top-notch performance as an innocent, wholesome teen torn between her separated parents. John Boles' performance is stiff and restrained, as usual, and his character is very flat (but it's supposed to be). Barbara O'Neil earns the audience's respect as the only person who genuinely understands Stella. And Alan Hale is brilliant as the crass, drunken, party-animal Ed Munn, and Stella simply can't resist his zest for life (at least initially).

Although the film is encumbered with overly sentimental dialogue and a bit of overacting, it's a pretty good 1930s melodrama.

Barbara Stanwyck's Finest Hour - Classic Tear-Jerker
Barbara Stanwyck, although barely 30, convincingly plays the loving mother to a young adult daughter. Coming from a working-class background, the young "Stella" is determined to climb the social ladder. Her meeting with executive "Mr. Dallas" seemed to be mutual love-at-first-sight. Soon after their child, Lollie, is born, Stella's disposition changes. When hubby suggests the family move to New York to be near his business dealings, Stella flat refuses.

The action skips about 16 years, showing a grown-up Lollie, still happily living with her mother. During a visit with the father and his wealthy new wife, Lollie is showered with expensive presents, and asked to stay with them permanently. Lollie refuses, insisting that her place is with Mother.

Here is where the Kleenex moments come in: Having overheard some cruel dialogue about them while traveling with Lollie in a train compartment, Stella, unable to provide the lavish life her daughter was sure to enjoy with the father, puts on a bawdy act of meanness and cruelty, to turn the daughter away. The ultimate heartbreak is the scene of Lollie's Wedding Ceremony (which I will not devulge).

Lollie's character is basically a sweet young woman, devoted to her mother. When at an outing with her friends she denies the mother (who is making somewhat of a spectacle of herself in a drug store), my sympathy for Lollie drops significantly. The scene is reminiscent of "Imitation Of Life", where the entire story is centered around the daughter's shame for her mother. This one spoiling scene seems unnecessary in the otherwise brilliant film. Still I highly recommend "Stella Dallas" to fans of the leading lady. The original radio play is also well worth the time!****

A GREAT DRAMA! STANWYCK GIVES A TOUR-DE-FORCE PERFORMANCE!
"Stella Dallas" is an extraordinary emotional rollercoaster of a movie, and a must-see for fans of the legendary Barbara Stanwyck. Stanwyck is Stella Martin, a tough cookie mill girl who steps up in class by marrying the wealthy Stephen Dallas (John Boles). They have a daughter, Laurel (Anne Shirley), whom Stella lavishes love on. But although Stella has a heart of gold, her coarse manners and unrefined taste are looked down upon by society. Stella won't have her daughter looked down on, too, and in securing her daughter's future happiness, Stella realizes that she must make a sacrifice greater than any she could ever make...

Stanwyck walks off with the picture, absolutely perfect as Stella (Stanwyck, I believe, REALLY should have won the Oscar she was nominated for for this film). Anne Shirley is just a tad overly enthusiastic as Laurel, but she is also sincere and honest in her Oscar-nominated performance. John Boles is- fair in his relatively small role. Barbara O'Neil is excellent as Helen Morrison, a kind-hearted friend of Stephen Dallas. Alan Hale is perfectly vulgar in his meaty role of Ed Munn, a coarse friend of Stella's.

The film has a sensitive but wrenching screenplay which calls for handkerchiefs in many scenes: (One scene has Stella and Laurel waiting for children to come to Laurel's birthday party who never come because of Stella's notoriety, a scene in which Stella overhears Laurel's friends talking about her with snide remarks, and the final, heartbreaking scene...) King Vidor's direction rounds out the exquisite drama and makes "Stella Dallas" one of the most powerful dramatic masterpieces of all time. ... Read more

Reviews (481)

One of the Most Overrated Films Ever
Gone With the Wind is remember as a great movie because of it's epic scope and excellent production values. But 60 years later when the big budget no longer thrills us, we are left with a decent film but nothing special.

To begin with the entire film is very campy and melodramatic. The whole film is very heavy-handed and over-done. Scenes like where Scarlet crys "I'll never be hungry again" are just plain ackward. Someone should have tatooed the word "subtlty" on Selznick's head.

The script is fairly weak too. It presents a very narrow, one dimensional view of the Civil War. Worse, the Civil War ends half way through the movie and the rest of the film lacks the first half's energy.

Another major flaw is that the characters lack any real depth. Scarlet is cold and nasty through the whole movie. She never changes untill the last two minutes of the movie. There is simply no development. Ashley is noble and his wife is so nice and sweat that it makes me sick. These characters simply aren't human and don't feal real. Probably the only character in the whole movie who actually developes at all is Ret. Sadly, Clark Gable's strong performance isn't enough to carry the rest of the cast.

It should also be noted that Gone With the Wind is very racist at some points. The scene where all the slaves are going off to fight the "evil yankees" is enough to turns one's stomache. Most of the black characters are portrayed as child-like and stupid. The only exception to this is Mimi who does an excellent job and deserved her Oscar.

Gone With the Wind is still an example of fine production values but when you strip away all the lavish sets and money spent on the film, you're left with a rather hollow experiance. While there is no denying that it is a very pretty movie, even today, and it does have it's moments, Gone With the Wind is simply an over-done and campy movie. This film does not deserve to be ranked up there with the likes of Citizen Kane or the Godfather. It's just not that good.

After more than 400 reviews...
...you can't say much else!! A spectacle to end all spectacles; the epitomy of costume, art direction, and cinemagraphic grandeur (Technicolor film was still rare in the 1930's, and the industry was already engulfed in production of at least one *other* color movie that same year). I wasn't enthralled with this film when I first saw it years ago but I have come to appreciate its epic presentation and gothic, almost soapy, storytelling. And the cast is entirely first-rate, from the leading lady (whose historical casting was a mini-series in itself) to the supporting roles (Hattie McDaniel, Thomas Mitchell, Ona Munson, Laura Crews, Ann Rutherford, Harry Davenport, Oscar Polk, 'Superman's' George Reeves, et al) to the hundreds (thousands?) of extras who populated the pre-and-postwar South (the tracking shot of the Twelve Oaks mansion at the start of the barbecue and the sprawling, widening shot of Scarlett walking amidst all the wounded soldiers come to mind). It is a great script ("Waste always makes me angry;" "Do you ever shy away from marrying men you don't love?") and great direction (Victor Fleming, George Cukor, and Sam Wood- anyone else?). It is a record-holder of sorts among Oscar nominated (or Oscars won) films, but it came out in an extraodrinary year of films. 1939 also saw the releases of, among others, GOODBYE MR. CHIPS, DARK VICTORY, THE OLD MAID, GUNGA DIN, ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL, JUAREZ, ON BORROWED TIME, THE WOMEN, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, AT THE CIRCUS, BABES IN ARMS, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, LOVE AFFAIR, MADE FOR EACH OTHER, and THE WIZARD OF OZ.

Lesley Howard is brilliant and a strong character
In his role of Scarlett O'Hara's (initially) true secret love. I had been a fan of Mr. Howard's for many years. His performance here is among his finest. Also check him out in The Petrified Forrest. As for the rest of the film. When he's not in it it's a little strong on the romantic side.

Worth Another Look for this Fan of Classic Film
Gone with the Wind creates many strong opinions, but I daresay many of them by people who haven't seen the film, or at least not in many years. It is sort of an amalgamation of both Margaret Mitchell's book and a reworking of DW Griffith's even more controversial silent blockbuster Birth of a Nation.

I had written this off as a silly commercialized Hollywood fairly tale but recently decided to give it another look. Basically, I think the claims of racism are far overblown, especially compared to other films of this era. It seems to me that Selznick and company went to great pains to stamp out the more overtly racist themes of Griffith's famous 1915 film. For instance, Scarlett's attempted rapists were all white; real black actors have menial but still important roles; those black actors are treated with dignity and respect; and finally the "n" word probably more frequent in southern parlance of the day was replaced with the more delicate term of "darky", and never used in a scornful fashion. And while establishment opinion in the North still clings to belief that the Civil War was a most noble and unselfish effort, the truth was something much less certain. Surely slaves in the prewar South were not all treated as gingerly as in this film; but just as certainly they were also brutally repressed in the North as well (just watch Gangs of New York for a history lesson on Northern feelings towards African Americans). All wars have a side people would rather forget, and this one was certainly no different. Also on the positive side, the film does a good job of capturing this broad historic period with smart scenes amidst well designed sets. It's really quite a grand production, in color no less, with a marvelous historical and cinematic scope.

On the less positive side, the heralded performances I think are a bit overrated. Clark Gable's presence helps considerably, but he is certainly not nearly as natural or comfortable as he was in It Happened One Night. And Mitchell's sappy, soap operaesque story frequently slips nearly into the preposterous, especially in latter scenes of the film when the historic takes a back seat to the dramatic. But maybe that's what gave the film its broad appeal, as it has a little of something for everyone. I think another factor may have really launched its success: released during the cold winter of 1939, its four-hour sitting time gave depression-weary Americans a warm night on the town for a cheap price that they could all afford.

Regarding the standard edition DVD, its very serviceable but the extras are appallingly poor for a film of this esteemed history. Also, Spanish subtitles would have been nice (only has English and French).

The Best of the Best
A total classic...everyone should own this film. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Mama as Memory
Few films can tug at the heart strings as well as I REMEMBER MAMA. Adapted from the John Van Druten play, which was itself taken from the Kathryn Forbes novel, I REMEMBER MAMA captures indelibly slices of time in the life of a Norwegian family living in San Francisco at the turn of the 19th century. Narrated by a grown up Katrin (Barbara Bel Geddes), the film combines the problems of adapting to life in the United States with solutions that seem unworkable to those still steeped in the ways of the Old Country. At the center is Mama(Irene Dunne), who orchestrates the lives of her large extended family. Irene Dunne is superb with her profound understanding of human nature. She shows in scene after scene that a matriarch must be flexible enough to account for and guide the divergent personalities of her family. For her sisters, Mama makes it clear that she will not permit them to bully her vulnerable children. For her children, she extends praise when it is needed and stoicism when that is needed too. And for the boarder who skips town without paying his owed rent, she resigns herself that he has paid in a different coin, that of reading the classics to her children, thus inculcating in them a love of words. Surrounding Irene Dunne is a group of superb supporting actors, all of whom add flavor to a film that is linked only by the memories of Katrin. Perhaps the most outstanding job is the one done by the non-paying boarder, Mr.Hyde (Cedric Hardwicke), who nightly regales the family with timeless tales narrated in his booming voice, the sum total of which is to create a story within a story with each passing tale. Although the years pass, no one seems to age, and that is all right since the segue from scene to scene is accomplished so seamlessly that the audience scarcely notices. Oscar Homolka as Uncle Chris hits just the right note as the blustery yet kindly man who hides his kindness beneath a pushy attitude. Interspersed through key scenes in the movie are the appearances of Katrin, who interrupts the narrative to talk directly to the audience, commenting like a subdued omniscient narrator on the plot. Again, rather than putting off the audience with a style of narration that in another film would surely be seen as intrusive, in I REMEMBER MAMA, Katrin's comments, as well as all the various strands of the film, are seen instead as welcome threads that unite what could have been an aimless, disjointed movie into a chronicle of a family that rings true with each passing scene. Not many movies can come close to accomplishing this. Homolka, Bel Gedddes, and Dunne were all nominated for Academy Awards. This is truly one of the most heart-warming films of all time.

A families common goal
I enjoyed watching this film. Irene Dunn, who plays "Mama", does an excellent job holding this family together. She, also, does a great job of establishing and holding onto the treasures that makes this family blend together. What good memories I will have of this movie when I drink a cup of coffee. The movie is narrated by Barbara Bel Geddes. She brings the love this family has for each other by her presentation of the story. How many families do we know today who would share all aspects of the ups and downs a family faces, especially financial? Nothing was held back from anyone in the family which allowed them all to work towards one common goal.

they don't make them like this any more
it will make you cry and laugh a truley wonderful and memorable movie

dvd please
This is a magnificent performance by a wonderful artist, Irene Dunne, PLEASE....DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great Movie...see it!

A Hilarious, Touching Family Movie
Our whole family (ages 1-44) watched this movie together and every one of us (except the 1 yr old) laughed and cried throughout the whole thing. Dunne is an amazing actress for her day and plays "Mama" beautifully. Uncle Chris is a brilliant character that adds much color to this black-and-white film. The family- Mama's husband and children- are delightful to watch mature and grow up. The aunts are a load of fun! From beginning to end, this movie grabs your attention-and you will most certainly laugh! I also suggest reading the book "Mama's Bank Account" before or after watching the film. What a great movie! WONDERFUL! ... Read more

Reviews (481)

One of the Most Overrated Films Ever
Gone With the Wind is remember as a great movie because of it's epic scope and excellent production values. But 60 years later when the big budget no longer thrills us, we are left with a decent film but nothing special.

To begin with the entire film is very campy and melodramatic. The whole film is very heavy-handed and over-done. Scenes like where Scarlet crys "I'll never be hungry again" are just plain ackward. Someone should have tatooed the word "subtlty" on Selznick's head.

The script is fairly weak too. It presents a very narrow, one dimensional view of the Civil War. Worse, the Civil War ends half way through the movie and the rest of the film lacks the first half's energy.

Another major flaw is that the characters lack any real depth. Scarlet is cold and nasty through the whole movie. She never changes untill the last two minutes of the movie. There is simply no development. Ashley is noble and his wife is so nice and sweat that it makes me sick. These characters simply aren't human and don't feal real. Probably the only character in the whole movie who actually developes at all is Ret. Sadly, Clark Gable's strong performance isn't enough to carry the rest of the cast.

It should also be noted that Gone With the Wind is very racist at some points. The scene where all the slaves are going off to fight the "evil yankees" is enough to turns one's stomache. Most of the black characters are portrayed as child-like and stupid. The only exception to this is Mimi who does an excellent job and deserved her Oscar.

Gone With the Wind is still an example of fine production values but when you strip away all the lavish sets and money spent on the film, you're left with a rather hollow experiance. While there is no denying that it is a very pretty movie, even today, and it does have it's moments, Gone With the Wind is simply an over-done and campy movie. This film does not deserve to be ranked up there with the likes of Citizen Kane or the Godfather. It's just not that good.

After more than 400 reviews...
...you can't say much else!! A spectacle to end all spectacles; the epitomy of costume, art direction, and cinemagraphic grandeur (Technicolor film was still rare in the 1930's, and the industry was already engulfed in production of at least one *other* color movie that same year). I wasn't enthralled with this film when I first saw it years ago but I have come to appreciate its epic presentation and gothic, almost soapy, storytelling. And the cast is entirely first-rate, from the leading lady (whose historical casting was a mini-series in itself) to the supporting roles (Hattie McDaniel, Thomas Mitchell, Ona Munson, Laura Crews, Ann Rutherford, Harry Davenport, Oscar Polk, 'Superman's' George Reeves, et al) to the hundreds (thousands?) of extras who populated the pre-and-postwar South (the tracking shot of the Twelve Oaks mansion at the start of the barbecue and the sprawling, widening shot of Scarlett walking amidst all the wounded soldiers come to mind). It is a great script ("Waste always makes me angry;" "Do you ever shy away from marrying men you don't love?") and great direction (Victor Fleming, George Cukor, and Sam Wood- anyone else?). It is a record-holder of sorts among Oscar nominated (or Oscars won) films, but it came out in an extraodrinary year of films. 1939 also saw the releases of, among others, GOODBYE MR. CHIPS, DARK VICTORY, THE OLD MAID, GUNGA DIN, ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL, JUAREZ, ON BORROWED TIME, THE WOMEN, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, AT THE CIRCUS, BABES IN ARMS, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, LOVE AFFAIR, MADE FOR EACH OTHER, and THE WIZARD OF OZ.

Lesley Howard is brilliant and a strong character
In his role of Scarlett O'Hara's (initially) true secret love. I had been a fan of Mr. Howard's for many years. His performance here is among his finest. Also check him out in The Petrified Forrest. As for the rest of the film. When he's not in it it's a little strong on the romantic side.

Worth Another Look for this Fan of Classic Film
Gone with the Wind creates many strong opinions, but I daresay many of them by people who haven't seen the film, or at least not in many years. It is sort of an amalgamation of both Margaret Mitchell's book and a reworking of DW Griffith's even more controversial silent blockbuster Birth of a Nation.

I had written this off as a silly commercialized Hollywood fairly tale but recently decided to give it another look. Basically, I think the claims of racism are far overblown, especially compared to other films of this era. It seems to me that Selznick and company went to great pains to stamp out the more overtly racist themes of Griffith's famous 1915 film. For instance, Scarlett's attempted rapists were all white; real black actors have menial but still important roles; those black actors are treated with dignity and respect; and finally the "n" word probably more frequent in southern parlance of the day was replaced with the more delicate term of "darky", and never used in a scornful fashion. And while establishment opinion in the North still clings to belief that the Civil War was a most noble and unselfish effort, the truth was something much less certain. Surely slaves in the prewar South were not all treated as gingerly as in this film; but just as certainly they were also brutally repressed in the North as well (just watch Gangs of New York for a history lesson on Northern feelings towards African Americans). All wars have a side people would rather forget, and this one was certainly no different. Also on the positive side, the film does a good job of capturing this broad historic period with smart scenes amidst well designed sets. It's really quite a grand production, in color no less, with a marvelous historical and cinematic scope.

On the less positive side, the heralded performances I think are a bit overrated. Clark Gable's presence helps considerably, but he is certainly not nearly as natural or comfortable as he was in It Happened One Night. And Mitchell's sappy, soap operaesque story frequently slips nearly into the preposterous, especially in latter scenes of the film when the historic takes a back seat to the dramatic. But maybe that's what gave the film its broad appeal, as it has a little of something for everyone. I think another factor may have really launched its success: released during the cold winter of 1939, its four-hour sitting time gave depression-weary Americans a warm night on the town for a cheap price that they could all afford.

Regarding the standard edition DVD, its very serviceable but the extras are appallingly poor for a film of this esteemed history. Also, Spanish subtitles would have been nice (only has English and French).

The Best of the Best
A total classic...everyone should own this film. ... Read more

Reviews (481)

One of the Most