Gone with the Wind (DVD)

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Audio:
Like the earlier edition, this new set has a soundtrack that can be played back in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, the default, or in the film's original 1.0 monaural. The monaural is a quaint nod to historical accuracy, but the newer track, especially Max Steiner's magnificent music, is distinctly preferable in 5.1 multichannel and will undoubtedly please everyone but purists. The surround mode does not provide the discrete five-channel sonics that a completely up-to-date soundtrack would afford, but it is pleasantly enveloping, and the added stereo effects like cannon shots and explosions are effectively convincing.

Extras:
Beyond the obvious--scene selections, subtitles, a brief trivia game, and a booklet of production notes on the making of the movie--the previous edition (released by MGM) offered no extra materials. Now being released by Warner Brothers, the four-disc set makes amends by offering a slew of bonus items worthy of the importance of the film.

Discs One and Two:
Whereas MGM divided the film between flip sides of a single disc, Warner Bros. have chosen to present the film on two separate discs. Along with the film are the Dolby Digital 5.1 and monaural soundtracks; English and French spoken languages; English, French, and Spanish subtitles; a full-length audio commentary by film historian Rudy Behlmer; and a total of sixty-three scene selections, thirty-one on disc one and thirty-two on disc two.

Disc Three:
The third disc features the splendid 1988, two-hour documentary, "The Making of a Legend: Gone With the Wind." It was written by David Thomson, directed by David Hinton, and divided into thirty-two chapters for easy reference. Here you'll find everything from the early problems acquiring the book rights to the many screen tests to the film's actual production. It is a must-view for anyone vaguely interested in "GWTW" or Hollywood history. In addition, there is a seventeen-minute piece on "Restoring a Legend" detailing the restoration of the film's picture and sound. That is followed by "Dixie Hails Gone With the Wind," a four-minute vintage newsreel of the 1939 Atlanta première of "GWTW." Next is an eleven-minute historical short subject, "The Old South," meant to set the stage for the film's release in areas of the country unfamiliar with the film's subject matter. After that is footage of the 1961 Civil War Centennial, held in Atlanta for one of the film's numerous re-releases. Finally, we have a one-minute prologue for the international release of the film, explaining the American Civil War to foreign audiences; plus three foreign-language versions of several famous scenes; five different theatrical trailers from 1939 through 1989; and a list of the movie's many awards.

Disc Four:
The final disc presents four documentaries, each devoted to one or more of the film's stars. The first is "Melanie Remembers: Reflections by Olivia de Havilland," a newly made, thirty-eight-minute set of reminiscences by one of the film's few surviving cast members. She is a charming and gracious hostess and offers a wealth of insight. Next is "Gable: The King Remembered," a 1975 biography of the actor, lasting over an hour and divided into fourteen chapters. After that is "Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond," a 1990 biography of the actress, lasting forty-six minutes and divided into sixteen chapters. The fourth documentary is a rather cumbersome one devoted to "The Supporting Players." It's awkward because it's divided into brief, one-to-four-minute snippets about a number of actors and actresses, separated into three categories and several sub-categories on various sub-menus. It means quite a lot of needless clicking around to watch them all. To conclude the bonuses, WB sneak in a plug for one of their upcoming theatrical releases at the end of the program.

The four discs come housed in a cardboard-and-plastic case that fans out into five connected sections, the whole thing fitting into an embossed cardboard slipcover. Enclosed with the discs is a replica of the twenty-page booklet sold in theaters that initially showed "GWTW." Its original purchase price was twenty-five cents.

Parting Thoughts:
So, I sense that some of you out there still want to convince me that Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet make better romantic leads than Gable and Leigh. Well, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

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