Gone with the Wind Coming to Blu-ray
By Rachel Cericola
Frankly, my dear, this is pretty damn cool.
Seventy years after
Gone with the Wind stunned theater-goers everywhere, it's now coming to Blu-ray. Warner Home Video just announced that the
Gone with the Wind 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collectors Edition will hit shelves on November 17.
The winner of 10 Academy Awards (including Best Picture) will get more than a welcome wagon; the film will be restored and remastered. Aside from six times the resolution of standard DVD, the set will include Dolby TrueHD sound and eight hours of enhanced content -- two of which are totally new.
Each limited-edition set will come with a 40-page hardcover book, a reproduction of the 1939 original program, eight 5x7 art prints, and a CD soundtrack sampler.
"You're going to see, hear and experience so much more with this Blu-ray edition," said Jeff Baker, executive vice president and general manager of WHV's Theatrical Catalog. "Viewing
Gone with the Wind again on Blu-ray is like seeing it for the first time. You're brought into the saga of the war torn Tara so intensely, you feel as if all the characters literally come alive. At times, I felt as if I was on the set standing next to the camera watching Gable and Leigh as the whole scene unfolded."
The Blu-ray set will feature two discs in a numbered, velvet keepsake box. It will include
The Making of a Legend documentary, various newsreels, trailers, foreign language sample scenes and other international footage, a 1940 MGM historical short titled
The Old South, and a featurette on the restoration process. Of course, there will also be information about the cast, including in-depth features on Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, as well multiple shorts on "The Supporting Players." Three documentaries will also be included:
- 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year: TCM's special, narrated by Kenneth Branagh.
- Gone with the Wind: The Legend Lives On: A look at the film through interviews, footage and visits to historical sites, events and museums.
- Moviola: The Scarlett O'Hara Wars: A 1980 WBTV Special, never before seen on home video.
Gone with the Wind 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collectors Edition is expected to sell for $84.99 on Blu-ray. The standard-def set is set at $69.92, with a 2-disc standard-def special edition being released for $24.98. Warner will also offer the documentary The Making of a Legend as a standard stand-alone disc for $14.97.
Where to Buy:
