Like The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind originated in the same year — 1939 — cited as the greatest in Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Like Oz, Gone With the Wind has undergone a meticulous, multi-year, digital restoration process that has perfected the Technicolor image. Also like Oz, this Civil War melodrama is now available as a 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition in both DVD and Blu-ray.
Both come in handsome, limited-edition velvet boxes stuffed with goodies. Among the souvenirs is a picture book, a soundtrack CD, art prints and repros of correspondence and the roadshow program book.
On disc, the extras are the most extensive ever for this title. Some are recycled, such as the excellent making-of documentary hosted by Christopher Plummer in 1989.
There are three additions. Two are new docs, one on the legacy of Gone With the Wind and the other on the impact of 1939 movies. The third addition is the home entertainment debut of Moviola: The Scarlett O’Hara Wars, the 1980 made-for-TV drama about the casting Vivien Leigh.
For DVD, the velvet box contains a five-disc set. The movie is split over two. For Blu-ray, everything is condensed to two discs, with the movie on a single disc. In addition, the Blu-ray box has a standard DVD copy of the mammoth doc, MGM: When the Lion Roars, which was also packaged with The Wizard of Oz.
As great as the extras are — and there are exceptional insights into one of Hollywood’s beloved classics — the Blu-ray proves why higher definition is so desirable. The detail in the clothing, scenery and other visual aspects of Gone with the Wind is absolutely staggering. For example, check the lace pattern in Scarlett’s dress in the opening scene. For technical reasons, the image is even sharper now than on the day the film premiered in 1939.
