Gone with the Wind is a American epic historical romance film adapted from the novel by Margaret Mitchell. The film was produced by David O. The film had a troubled production. The start of filming was delayed for two years until January because Selznick was determined to secure Gable for the role of Rhett, and filming concluded in July. The role of Scarlett was challenging to cast, and 1, unknown women were interviewed for the part. Sidney Howard 's original screenplay underwent many revisions by several writers to reduce it to a suitable length.
The original director, George Cukor , was fired shortly after filming began and was replaced by Fleming, who in turn was briefly replaced by Sam Wood while taking some time off due to exhaustion.
Post-production concluded in November , just a month before its premiere. It received generally positive reviews upon its release on December 15, While the casting was widely praised, the long running time received criticism.
It set records for the total number of wins and nominations at the time. Gone with the Wind was immensely popular when first released. It became the highest-earning film made up to that point and held the record for over a quarter of a century. When adjusted for monetary inflation , it is still the highest-grossing film in history. It was re-released periodically throughout the 20th century and became ingrained in popular culture.
Although the film has been criticized as historical negationism , glorifying slavery and the Lost Cause of the Confederacy myth, it has been credited with triggering changes in the way in which African Americans were depicted cinematically. Gone with the Wind is regarded as one of the greatest films of all time , and in , became one of the twenty-five inaugural films selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
