Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Shirley MacLaine Part 3

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Josh Kaye

Where Is She Now?

As Shirley MacLaine gets closer to her 80’s, she seems to be getting busier and busier by the year. Since 2000, MacLaine has appeared in 14 different movies or TV shows. In 2000, Shirley MacLaine made her directing debut with the film Bruno. At the time, she was 66 years old, which is around the time most people would be retiring!

Of the 14 films that she recently appeared in, nine were feature films, most notably: In Her Shoes, Rumor Has It…, Valentine’s Day and Bewitched. She picked up a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress for In Her Shoes. The other five films were TV movies: These Old Broads (2001); Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay (2002); Salem Witch Trials (2002); Coco Chanel (2008); and Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning (2008). She would go on to receive an Emmy nomination for Coco Chanel (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie), as well as Golden Globe nominations for both Hell on Heels and Coco Chanel (both for Best Performance by An Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television).

On April 27 of this year, Shirley MacLaine can be seen starring in the Richard Linklater film, Bernie, as wealthy widow Marjorie Nugent. Also, later on this year, MacLaine will be appearing as a regular in the award winning British series, Downton Abbey, as Martha Levinson, Cora’s mother. Aside from this, rumor has it (forgive the pun) that MacLaine will possibly appear in seven different movies between 2012 – 2013. Six of the seven films are still in pre-production and are only rumors, but she is officially confirmed to star with Christopher Walken in Lian Lunson’s The Boom Boom Room. These could be two extremely exciting years for one of the world’s greatest living actresses, and if you’re like me, you won’t want to miss out on what comes next.

 

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

Visit CMH’s BlogHub for more posts about Shirley MacLaine by Veteran and Emerging Classic Movie Bloggers.

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Shirley MacLaine Part 2

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Josh Kaye

Actress. Singer. Dancer. Author. Activist. There seems to be nothing that Shirley MacLaine can’t do. Shirley MacLaine Beaty was born April 24, 1934 in Richmond Virginia to Ira Owens Beaty and Kathlyn Corinne. Shirley was performing in front of people at a young age, first beginning with ballet. Unfortunately, many of her roles were boys’ roles because there were no boys in her ballet class and she was the tallest girl available. While warming up backstage before a performance as Cinderella’s fairy godmother, she broke her ankle — but this didn’t stop her from going out there and performing the role anyway. Within time however, MacLaine realized that ballet wasn’t for her, and she instead pursued Broadway dancing — and then acting.

After high school graduation, MacLaine headed to Broadway, and a year later she was chosen to be Carol Haney’s understudy in The Pajama Game. In an ironic turn of events, Haney would end up breaking her ankle, and MacLaine would fill in for her. A few months later, MacLaine would again fill in for Haney — this time, the same night that well-known film producer Hal B. Wallis was in the audience. Impressed with MacLaine’s performance, he signed her to work for Paramount Pictures.

MacLaine’s feature film debut was Alfred Hitchcock’s The Trouble with Harry (1955), which won her a Golden Globe for New Star Of The Year. I apologize for breaking the fourth wall here, but if Hitchcock sees enough talent in a person with no film experience to feature them in his film, then this person must be fantastic. A year later, MacLaine would star in Some Came Running, for which she received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Her second Best Actress nomination would come two years later with The Apartment, but she lost to Elizabeth Taylor. When speaking about her chances, she said, “I thought I would win for The Apartment, but then Elizabeth Taylor had a tracheotomy”.

Nomination three of five came in 1963 for the film Irma la Douce, which reunited her with Billy Wilder and Jack Lemmon. Again, she would lose Best Actress, this time to Patricia Neal for her performance in Hud. In the 70’s, MacLaine would be nominated two more times, one for Best Documentary, The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir, and the other for Best Actress in The Turning Point. In The Turning Point, MacLaine portrays a retired ballerina, which was probably a role all too familiar to her.

In 1978, MacLaine won the Women in Film Crystal Award, which is awarded to outstanding women who helped expand the role of women within the entertainment industry. In 1983, MacLaine finally won her first Best Actress Academy Award for her role as Aurora Greenway in the James L. Brooks film Terms of Endearment. The film would also win Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Jack Nicholson.

 

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

Visit CMH’s BlogHub for more posts about Shirley MacLaine by Veteran and Emerging Classic Movie Bloggers.

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Coming To A Theater Near You — Casablanca / Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Shirley MacLaine

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Josh Kaye

Before I go on to talk about fantastic actress Shirley MacLaine, I wanted to let you know about a wonderful event happening on Wednesday, March 21st — Casablanca will be re-released in select theaters around the country. As you already know, Casablanca is, in my opinion, the best film to ever win Best Picture, which of course makes it one of the best films to ever be created. And now the chance to watch this film on the big screen is here! So if you’re available March 21st, make sure you don’t miss this fantastic event. Just go here for more details and to see which theaters are showing Casablanca.

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Christopher Plummer Part 3

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Josh Kaye

Where Is He Now?

Plummer seems to be becoming more famous now than he ever has been before, not just appealing to those who knew him as Captain Von Trapp, but becoming popular to a younger audience as well. His rise to fame to us younglings began with his appearance in Michael Mann’s Oscar-nominated film The Insider in 1999. Many predicted that Plummer would be nominated for an Oscar, but it did not happen. Plummer would go on to appear in Ron Howard’s Academy Award-winning film A Beautiful Mind in 2001 as Dr. Rosen.

Plummer’s best roles seem to have come over the past 3 years, beginning with the Best Animated Film of 2009, Up. Plummer voiced the role of villain Charles Muntz, which he describes as “an absolutely marvelous movie.” In the same year, he would also go on to appear in Shane Acker’s animated film 9, Terry Gilliam’s marvelous fantasy film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (playing the lead role of Doctor Parnassus), and Michael Hoffman’s The Last Station. The Last Station provided Plummer with his very first Oscar Nomination for his portrayal of Leo Tolstoy. He would go on to lose the Best Supporting Actor award to Christoph Waltz for his role as Colonel Hans Landa in Inglorious Basterds.

At the ripe, young age of 82, Christopher Plummer has become the oldest actor to ever win an Academy Award for his supporting performance in the film Beginners. It was the 84th edition of the Oscars ceremony, which prompted Plummer to say to the award, “You’re only two years older than me, darling. Where have you been all my life?” Plummer would go on to win numerous other awards for Best Supporting Actor as well, such as the Golden Globe award, BAFTA award, and numerous Critics awards. Plummer will next be seen in Stephen Frears’ Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight, which focuses on Ali’s battle against the U.S. Government.

 

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Christopher Plummer Part 2

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Josh Kaye

With a career that spans seven decades, Christopher Plummer is one of the most important actors of our time. Plummer was born on December 13, 1929 in Toronto, Ontario to Isabella Mary and John Orme Plummer. Through his mother, Plummer is a great-grandson of the third Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John Abbott. Before developing a love for acting, Plummer has been studying to be a concert pianist. But after watching Laurence Olivier’s film Henry V (1944), Plummer began to develop a love for the theater and began to act in high school.

Before going into film, Plummer made his name known on the stage, gaining experience travelling with the Canadian Repertory Theatre from 1948-1950, appearing in 75 roles. Beginning in 1952, he began acting in the Bermuda Repertory Theater. Plummer made his Broadway debut in 1953 with the play The Starcross Story. Unfortunately for him, it was a flop and closed after one night. Plummer would go on to appear in 15 other Broadway plays, the highlight being Elia Kazan’s production of Archibald Macleish’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, J.B. Plummer would go on to be nominated for his first Tony Award as Best Actor in Play.

1958 marked the year where Plummer first appeared on the big screen in Sidney Lumet’s film Stage Struck as a young writer. During that year, he also appeared in Nicholas Ray’s Wind Across the Everglades as Walt Murdock, which would be Plummer’s first leading role. After this, he did not appear in film again for six years until Anthony Mann’s The Fall of the Roman Empire, which Plummer played the Emperor Commodus. With his next film, Plummer became a household name that everyone would know, as he would star as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music.

It’s important to note that Plummer’s first preference would always be the theater. In an interview with NPR, Plummer says,

“You see, I loved the theater and I stayed in the theater most of my life and I was a bit snobbish about it. I made a lot of movies through the ’60s and ’70s which were pretty awful, but then most of the movies in the ’60s and early ’70s were pretty awful. The quality wasn’t always there, unfortunately, but the money was. And I was grateful for that because I could afford to then do what I wanted to do in the theater.”

While he may have not enjoyed The Sound of Music (often referring to it as The Sound of Mucus), Plummer does say that he is grateful for the film “because it certainly was famous and put me in the public eye and I could help fill a theater when I was doing the great works.”

 

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Christopher Plummer

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Josh Kaye

After paying tribute to some of the greatest award-winning films to ever hit the big screen, it’s only fair to pay tribute to some of the greatest Classic Movie actors and actresses who are still living and working today. These living legends will forever be idolized by today’s upcoming actors and actresses, as they paved the way for everyone else to follow. And what better way to begin this list then with an actor who just won his first Academy Award this year? That’s right. Some of you know him as Captain Von Trapp. Me? I know him as Charles Muntz. I know him as Leo Tolstoy. I know him as Hal Fields. But we all know him as the legendary — Christopher Plummer

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2011 Best Picture Winner – The Artist

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Josh Kaye

2011 Best Picture Winner – The Artist

Other Nominated Films:
The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse

When I first decided to do my Best Picture Countdown, my original plan was to take the Best Picture winner of 2011 and compare it to the #1 ranked film on my list. I didn’t expect to be handed a gift like this though, so I’m changing my original plan. Instead of doing a comparison to Casablanca, I’ve decided that it would only be fair to give The Artist its own personal moment like every other film on this list. I admit, this may not have been the case if the winning film was Hugo or The Descendants, but The Artist is different in so many ways. The Artist is the first silent film to win Best Picture since the very first winner of the award in 1929, Wings. The Artist is also the first completely black-and-white film to win Best Picture since 1960, when the award went to The Apartment. When watching some of the great silent films, I would always wonder what it would be like to see a silent film in theaters. The Artist has given us all that chance — a chance to experience the magic of cinema in the way it had begun. The story of The Artist takes place in Hollywood between the years 1927 and 1932, which, if you know your Classical Film history, is around the time that talkies started to rise and silent films began to fall. The Artist focuses on the career of fictional silent film star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin). The film opens as Valentin is backstage during the premiere of his latest film, A Russian Affair. The crowd loves the film, and he takes the stage to bow and happily accept their accolades. After the premiere, Valentin is outside the theater posing for the adoring press, when unexpectedly, a young woman (Bérénice Bejo) bumps into him as she attempts to pick up her bag that had accidentally fallen to the ground. The two stare at each other, unsure of what to do next, when George laughs it off and the two begin posing together for the press. At one point, she kisses George on the cheek — a photo of which ends up on the front cover of Variety the next day with the headline, “Who’s That Girl?” On a bus the next day, the girl is reading the paper, keeping the front page visible for all to see in the hopes of being recognized as “that girl.”  She arrives at Kinetograph Films, the studio that produces the films of George Valentin, where she is hoping to audition as an extra.  At the audition, she sits next to The Butler (Malcolm McDowell) and shows him the front page of the paper. The Butler opens the paper in its entirety focusing on the question in the headline, “Who’s That Girl?”, and reminds her that no one knows who she is. A man then comes out of a door looking for three females who can dance, and it’s here where she shows her skills and gets the part. As she’s walking away, she looks back at The Butler and says, “The names Miller. Peppy Miller!” I don’t want to ruin the rest of the story for you, so I’m just going to stop here. When creating a silent film, it’s important that you have the right actor for the right role, especially if you’re attempting to make a silent film in today’s era of blockbuster cinema. I can honestly say that Jean Dujardin is the perfect actor for this movie. Jean has one of the most expressive faces that I’ve ever seen in any movie in any era. I remember when he won the Golden Globe for Best Actor (Motion Picture Musical or Comedy) — he showed off his expressive face by moving his ‘independent’ eyebrows in all directions. I was in awe. And that was just his eyebrows!  That being said, Jean is able to show so much emotion with just the slightest movement, and it’s amazing. I also want to comment on the music of Ludovic Bource. A silent film is never, of course, completely silent, as there is always a musical score accompanying the film. Bource was able to create a score that was, at times, festive and fun while at other times, nostalgic and romantic — a score that any silent film composer would be proud of. I expect that there will be a resurgence of silent films over the next few years. I don’t expect them all to be amazing, but that’s okay. It’s okay since it’s about time people remember and pay homage to the roots of cinema…where it all came from and how it all began. With The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius shows us just how much of a romantic he is — by channeling his love and admiration for the Vintage Hollywood Classics by creating a Modern Day Classic.  Congratulations to the 2011 Best Picture Award Winner, The Artist.

 

Nominated for 10 Oscars, Winner of 5
Best Achievement in Costume Design – Mark Bridges (WON)
Best Achievement in Directing – Michel Hazanavicius (WON)
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score – Ludovic Bource (WON)
Best Motion Picture of the Year – Thomas Langmann (WON)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role – Jean Dujardin (WON)
Best Achievement in Art Direction – Laurence Bennett (production designer), Robert Gould (set decorator)
Best Achievement in Cinematography – Guillaume Schiffman
Best Achievement in Film Editing – Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role – Bérénice Bejo
Best Writing, Original Screenplay – Michel Hazanavicius

George Valentin: Look at what you’ve become. You’ve become proud! You’ve become stupid!


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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture # 1 — Casablanca (1943)

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Josh Kaye

1. Casablanca (1943)

Other Nominated Films:
For Whom the Bell Tolls, Heaven Can Wait, The Human Comedy, In Which We Serve, Madame Curie, The More the Merrier, The Ox-Bow Incident, The Song of Bernadette, Watch on the Rhine

Casablanca is a unique film in many ways. For one, it only won three Academy Awards. You have films like Ben-Hur which won 11 Oscars, All About Eve which was nominated for 14 and won 6, and plenty of other films that were nominated and won more Oscars than Casablanca. Also, Casablanca is a relatively short film — the shortest of the Top 10 on this countdown (should note that Marty is the shortest film in history to win Best Picture at 90 minutes). Then, you have epic films like Ben-Hur (again), Lawrence of Arabia, Gone with the Wind, and all of them are great in their own ways. And finally, Casablanca was nominated for two acting awards, but came out empty handed. Humphrey Bogart would go on to lose to Paul Lukas in Watch on the Rhine and Claude Rains would lose to Charles Coburn in The More the Merrier.  Casablanca‘s storyline revolves around Rick Blaine (Bogart), a cynical American living in Casablanca in 1941. Rick runs a swank nightclub/gambling den known as “Rick’s Café Américain.” The joint attracts people of all kinds: the Vichy French, the Italians, and the Nazi’s for example. It is also a place where refugees go when trying to escape to the United States — as well as the men who are trying to catch them. Rick tries to keep neutral and detached in all matters involving the war. Petty crook Signor Ugarte (Peter Lorre) comes into Rick’s Cafe and brags to Rick about having “letters of transit” that were obtained through the murder of two German couriers. The significance of these papers is that they allow those who possess them the ability to travel freely around German-controlled Europe and into the neutral land of Portugal from where they could book passage to the United States. These papers would be considered a treasure by any refugees looking to get out of Casablanca.  Ugarte intends to sell the letters to the highest bidder at the club that night. Unfortunately, he is arrested by the local police under the command of corrupt Vichy Captain Louis Renault (Rains). Ugarte dies in custody without revealing to anyone that he had given the letters to Rick. The film really begins to move when Rick’s ex-lover and her husband arrive at the Cafe: Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) and Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). The reason for Rick’s cynical and bitter attitude lies in his past with Ilsa, and this is where I feel I should end.  For those of you who have seen Casablanca, you know that the rest is history…you know that this is the greatest love story ever told on the big screen. For those of you who have yet to see it…well…what are you waiting for? Casablanca is on seven of the American Film Institute‘s top 100 lists: #2 on Movies (although on the revised list it was bumped down to 3), #37 on Thrills, #1 on Passions, #4 on Heroes and Villains (Rick Blaine), #2 on Songs (As Time Goes By), #5, 20, 28, 32, 43, and 67 on Quotes, and #32 on Cheers. But that’s not all — in 2005, Casablanca was named one of the 100 greatest films over the last 80 years by Time.com (the films were not ranked), and in 2006, the Writers Guild of America, West voted Casablanca the best screenplay of all time in its 101 Greatest Screenplays list. I actually rented a book that contained Casablanca‘s screenplay, and I really have to say that it is truly a piece of art. I’ve read about 50 screenplays over the past few years and there are none that even come close to it. I can go on and on about how fantastic Casablanca truly is, but I think you understand what I’m saying. There’s only one way to end this piece, and that’s by giving you a fun fact. One of the most famous magazine publishers and night club owners was inspired by Casablanca. Who is it? you ask? The one and only Hugh Hefner and his Playboy Clubs.*

 

Winner of 3 Oscars, Nominated for 8
Best Director – Michael Curtiz (WON)
Best Picture – Warner Bros. (WON)
Best Writing, Screenplay – Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch (WON)
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Humphrey Bogart
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Claude Rains
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White – Arthur Edeson
Best Film Editing – Owen Marks
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture – Max Steiner

(#5) Rick: Here’s looking at you, kid.
(#20) Rick: Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
(#28) Ilsa: Play it, Sam. Play “As Time Goes By.”
(#32) Captain Renault: Round up the usual suspects.
(#43) Rick: We’ll always have Paris.
(#67) Rick: Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.

Source of Hugh Hefner Note: http://www.nbc.com/the-playboy-club/video/hef-on-the-history-of-the-clubs/1347658/

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture # 2 — On the Waterfront (1954)

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Josh Kaye

2. On the Waterfront (1954)

Other Nominated Films:
The Canine Mutiny, The Country Girl, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Three Coins in the Fountain

This isn’t the first Elia Kazan film to make an appearance on this list: Gentleman’s Agreement won Best Picture in 1948 (#26 on the list). When talking about directors, I’ve primarily focused on the films they released and the impact those films had on audiences. While Kazan captivated audiences with his work behind the camera, he may be best known for the people that he put in front of the camera.  Kazan helped introduce many new and exciting actors to movie audiences including Marlon Brando, James Dean, Warren Beatty, Julie Harris, Andy Griffith, Eli Wallach and Eva Marie Saint. Always striving for cinematic realism, he was able to evoke incredible dramatic performances from his actors, directing them to 21 Oscar nominations and nine Oscar wins. But, let us move onwards! Actually, I lied. Before we move onwards, I just want to say that On the Waterfront is one of Marlon Brando’s earliest roles, and Eva Marie Saint’s very first film. Okay. Now let’s move onwards. It’s important to note that On the Waterfront is based on a number of true stories and is filmed on location around the docks of Hoboken, New Jersey.  On the Waterfront begins with Terry Molloy (Brando) luring fellow dockworker Joey Doyle (Ben Wagner) into an ambush so that he cannot testify against union boss, Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb), to the Waterfront Crime Commission.  Although Terry believes that Joey will simply be intimidated into not testifying, Joey is killed instead.  Everyone knows that he was murdered on orders from Friendly but no-one is willing to talk; instead they all play “D and D” (deaf and dumb). Terry is angry about being used as a tool in Joey’s death, but he too remains silent.   However things begin to change when Terry meets Joey’s sister, Edie (Saint). Edie’s is angry and upset about her brother’s death, and she tries to shame “waterfront priest” Father Barry (Karl Malden) into action.  Soon both Edie and Father Barry are urging Terry to testify against Friendly. This is where I’ll stop since if I go on…well…things would be ruined. I wouldn’t want to do that to you all.  On the Waterfront was one of the first films I watched when compiling my list, and I knew right away that it would end up ranking high on my list. Brando gives one of the best performances I’ve ever seen and Eva Marie Saint matches Brando scene for scene. Throughout my life, I’ve heard the line “I coulda been a contender” numerous times but never knew where it originated from. When I saw Brando say it …I was blown away. I never expected that line to pack such a punch in the gut, but it did. The line is so iconic that it was voted the #3 top movie quote in the American Film Institute’s Top 100, and the film itself was voted the #8 movie of all time. On the Waterfront provided producer Sam Spiegel his first win for Best Picture and Elia Kazan’s second win for Best Director.

 

Nominated for 12 Oscars, Winner of 8
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Marlon Brando (WON)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Eva Marie Saint (WON)
Best Art Direction – Set Decoration, Black-and-White – Richard Day (WON)
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White – Boris Kaufman (WON)
Best Director – Elia Kazan (WON)
Best Film Editing – Gene Milford (WON)
Best Picture – Sam Spiegel (WON)
Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Budd Schulberg (WON)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Lee J. Cobb
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Karl Malden
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Rod Steiger
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture – Leonard Bernstein

Terry: You don’t understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture # 3 — Gone with the Wind (1939)

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Josh Kaye

3. Gone with the Wind (1939)

Other Nominated Films:
Dark Victory, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Love Affair, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Ninotchka, Of Mice and Men, Stagecoach, The Wizard of Oz, Wuthering Heights

One movie won 10 Academy Awards, holding the record for most wins until 1959.  One movie is the longest film on my list, standing at a whopping 234 minutes. And one movie is the highest-grossing film of all time*.  These honors belong to the one, the only, Gone with the Wind. Although incredibly racist at times, Gone with the Wind tells an amazing story of love, loss and war so eloquently that you forget you’re watching a movie — you become so completely immersed in the film that you feel as if you are there.  I remember the first time I watched it.  I received the film from Netflix; normally every movie comes in one sleeve…not this one. Gone with the Wind came with two DVDs just for the movie itself…I was terrified, thinking it would be a daunting task. But, I went on to watch it with a few friends and I absolutely loved it. We did take an intermission though…far too long. Anywho! I will admit…I feel extremely intimidated writing about Gone with the Wind — it’s such a big movie that it’s hard even just describing the plot.  I will do my best though!  The story begins on the eve of the Civil War at Tara, a Georgia cotton plantation owned by Gerald O’Hara (Thomas Mitchell).  O’Hara’s exceptionally pretty daughter, Scarlett (Vivien Leigh), is flirting with the Tarleton brothers, Brent (Fred Crane) and Stuart (George Reeves). They are talking about the likelihood of war breaking out between the North and the South — a topic Scarlett finds extremely boring.  To keep Scarlett amused, the brothers start talking about the next ball, and then share a secret with Scarlett: Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) is going to marry his cousin Melanie Hamilton (Olivia de Havilland).  Unaware that Scarlett is secretly in love with Ashley, the brothers go on to say that the engagement announcement will take place the next day at a barbecue on Ashley’s plantation, Twelve Oaks.  It is at the barbecue when we’re first introduced to Rhett Butler (Clark Gable). Rhett isn’t exactly popular amongst the party guests…he was turned out of West Point, disowned by his Charleston family, and he openly states that the South would have no chance against the North in the upcoming war. As the girls are taking their mid-afternoon naps, Scarlett sneaks away to the library to be alone with Ashley and confess her love to him.  Ashley says that he feels the same towards Scarlett, but claims that he and Melanie are more compatible. Scarlett accuses Ashley of misleading her and slaps Ashley. Ashley leaves the room, and Scarlett throws a vase at the wall in anger.  Rhett Butler suddenly pops up from the couch where he’d been resting, and reveals that he overheard the entire conversation. Scarlett is furious.  As Scarlett leaves the library, the barbecue is disrupted by some very important news: the war has begun. The men rush to enlist and the ladies all…well…they wake up from their naps (wish there was something more dramatic to add here).  As Scarlett watches Ashley kiss Melanie goodbye, Melanie’s brother Charles (Rand Brooks), who Scarlett flirted with earlier that day, asks Scarlett to marry him. Angry that Ashley rejected her, Scarlett accepts despite that fact that she does not love Charles.  They are married before he leaves to fight.  If I remember correctly, I believe I have summarized the first 20-30 minutes of the movie. It’s more than I expected to tell, but then there’s so much more to watch if you haven’t seen the movie yet. Alright, give me a few moments to catch my breath.

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Okay I’m back. Gone with the Wind is such a good movie, and there’s so much I could talk about! I could talk about the wonderful acting, the fantastic script, the mesmerizing music, the beautiful scenery…but I won’t go into all of that. If you’ve seen the movie…you know all of this. So I’ll just tell you the impact the film has had on the movie industry. Gone with the Wind is one of the highest ranked movies on numerous American Film Institute Top 100 Lists: #4 in 100 Movies, #2 in 100 Passions, #1, #31, and #59 in Movie Quotes (I’ll post all three below), #2 in Film Scores, #43 in Cheers, and #4 in Epic Films. Gone with the Wind was the first film to receive more than five Oscars. On March 22, 2011, ABC aired a television special: Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time — Gone with the Wind ranked #1 for Greatest On-Screen Kiss, #1 for Greatest Line, #3 for Greatest Film Character (Scarlett O’Hara), and #1 for Best Film beating out The Wizard of Oz, The Godfather, E.T. and my #1 film on this list. I’m going to be completely honest now, I’m wiped out. I know that there’s so much more I could say about Gone with the Wind, but I think you’ll understand if I just say: Gone with the Wind will always be one of the greatest films to ever hit the big screen.

Nominated for 13 Oscars, Winner of 8
Honorary Award – William Cameron Menzies – For outstanding achievement in the use of color for the enhancement of dramatic mood in the production of Gone with the Wind
Technical Achievement Award – R.D. Musgrave – For pioneering in the use of coordinated equipment in the production Gone with the Wind
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Vivien Leigh (WON)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Hattie McDaniel (WON) [Became the first African American to be nominated for and win an Oscar]
Best Art Direction – Lyle R. Wheeler (WON)
Best Cinematography, Color – Ernest Haller, Ray Rennahan (WON)
Best Director – Victor Fleming (WON)
Best Film Editing – Hal C. Kern, James E. Newcom (WON)
Best Picture – Selznick International Pictures (WON)
Best Writing, Screenplay – Sidney Howard (WON)
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Clark Gable
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Olivia de Havilland
Best Effects, Special Effects – Jack Cosgrove (photographic), Fred Albin (sound), Arthur Johns (sound)
Best Music, Original Score – Max Steiner
Best Sound, Recording – Thomas T. Moulton (Samuel Goldwyn SSD)

(#1) Rhett Butler: Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.
(#31) Scarlett: After all… tomorrow is another day!
(#59) Scarlett: As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again.

* — Source: http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm

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