The movie book of the year has arrived, and it is spectacular. The Making of Gone with the Wind by Steve Wilson is a fabulous new book released in conjunction with the opening of the Gone with the Wind exhibit at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas.
All of producer David Selznick‘s voluminous files are housed at the UT film center. And from this treasure trove of materials, Wilson has fashioned an opulent book that chronicles the making of the most famous film in history. There are some incredible photographs, copies of memos and story boards and a very intelligent retelling of the saga of Gone with the Wind from book to film.
Last year we had the great Vivien Leigh tribute book (see blog) to savor. This year the spotlight is again on Leigh in the role that made her an icon for the ages. The making of Gone with the Wind was as convoluted as the plot of Margaret Mitchell‘s famous book. And like Harper Lee with To Kill a Mockingbird, Mitchell never wrote another book and spent the rest of her life trying to avoid its fame. Margaret Mitchell only lived 10 more years after the famous Atlanta premiere of GWTW. She was killed by a taxi while crossing a street in Downtown Atlanta on her way to see a movie.
Gone with the Wind had three directors. George Cukor