Directed by:
David HintonCinematography:
Glenn RolandPlots(1)
Traces the filming of the imperishable classic Gone with the Wind, from its inception to its triumphant Atlanta premiere in December of 1939. Filmmaker David Hinton interviews as many survivors of the experience as he's able to round up, but the main attraction of this film is its precious "test" clips. We watch a montage of screen tests of the many actresses considered for the role of Scarlett O'Hara, ranging from such front-runners as Paulette Goddard to such not-a-chancers as Lana Turner. The Goddard footage is particularly enjoyable as we watch her eagerly reciting the lines of all the characters as she auditions for Scarlett. The documentary also turns up several tantalizing bits of trivia, notably the fact that the film was shown to a preview audience with an entirely different musical score (portions of which are played on the soundtrack). There is, of course, very little suspense involved in Making of a Legend, but even those who've heard all the Gone With the Wind factoids from other sources will watch in fascination as the saga unfolds. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Christopher Plummer
Canada
Best movies:
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
My Brother Tom (1986) (TV movie)
12 Monkeys (1995)
William A. Wellman
USA
Best movies:
Wings (1927)
Lafayette Escadrille (1958)
George Cukor
USA
Tallulah Bankhead
USA
Best movies:
Lifeboat (1944)
Devil and the Deep (1932)
Fanatic (1965)
Susan Hayward
USA
Best movies:
Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
Rawhide (1951)
The Lusty Men (1952)
Frances Dee
USA
Best movies:
Come and Get It (1936)
Little Women (1933)
Of Human Bondage (1934)
Lana Turner
USA
Best movies:
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)
Paulette Goddard
USA
Best movies:
The Great Dictator (1940)
Modern Times (1936)
Chaplin (1992) - a.f.
Anita Louise
USA
Best movies:
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
4 Devils (1928)
Anthony Adverse (1936)
Clark Gable
USA
Best movies:
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Teacher's Pet (1958)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Norma Shearer
Canada
Best movies:
He Who Gets Slapped (1924)
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927)
Marie Antoinette (1938)
Madeleine Carroll
UK
Best movies:
The 39 Steps (1935)
The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)
North West Mounted Police (1940)
Ronald Colman
UK
Best movies:
The Talk of the Town (1942)
Lost Horizon (1937)
Random Harvest (1942)
Dorothy Jordan
USA
Best movies:
The Searchers (1956)
The Sun Shines Bright (1953)
The Wings of Eagles (1957)
Andrea Leeds
USA
Best movies:
Stage Door (1937)
Come and Get It (1936)
The Bohemian Girl (1936)
Anne Shirley
USA
Best movies:
City Girl (1930)
4 Devils (1928)
Stella Dallas (1937)
Marsha Hunt
USA
Best movies:
The Name of the Game (1968) (series)
Johnny Got His Gun (1971)
The Valley of Decision (1945)
Bette Davis
USA
Best movies:
All About Eve (1950)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
The Little Foxes (1941)
Henry Fonda
USA
Best movies:
12 Angry Men (1957)
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Fail-Safe (1964)