12. Gone with the Wind (1939)

Director: Victor Fleming

Starring: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable,  Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland

Other Oscar Wins: Best Actress in a Leading Role (Vivien Leigh), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Hattie McDaniel), Best Director, Best Writing, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing

Other Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Clark Gable), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Olivia de Havilland), Best Sound, Best Effects, Best Score

Favourite Line: "If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again."

Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind.

Gone with the Wind, rated by the American Film Institute as the 6th Greatest Movie of All Time, and also the top grossing movie of all time (if adjusted for inflation), is an incredible picture with very compelling storytelling, and is just so enormous that it is hard not to be in awe of the film.

This is the story of the manipulative and selfish southern belle, Scarlett O'Hara, whose world is turned upside down by both the American Civil War, and the marriage of her beloved Ashley to another woman. 

First and foremost, Gone with the Wind is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. The cinematography is absolutely brilliant, and every shot is simply stunning, and it is well deserving of it's own Oscar. The most impressive moment of the film for me, is when Scarlett is looking for a doctor to help with Melanie's baby, and she walks through a field of hundreds of injured confederate soldiers. The shot really hits home the scale and brutality of the war that surrounds these characters.

Art by Olly Moss

As for acting, Vivien Leigh steals the show as Scarlett herself. You can see every thought and feeling that comes to Scarlett across her face, and she draws you in, despite being a rather dislikable character. She rightly earned her Oscar as well. 

A few interesting facts. Gone with the Wind has a few firsts, including being the first colour film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and it is also the first film in which an African-American (Hattie McDaniel) was both nominated for and won an Academy Award. Despite Hattie McDaniel's achievement, she, along with the other African-American cast members, could not attend the film's premier in the very segregated Atlanta. Another interesting fact is that because of the Hollywood Production Code, the film's producer was fined $5,000 for swearing in what became one of the most famous movie lines of all time- "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn".

Gone with the Wind is a wonderful film, which should be seen by all.