GONE WITH THE WIND: BEHIND-THE-SCENES DRAMA

  GONE WITH THE WIND: BEHIND-THE-SCENES DRAMA

THE DIRECTOR WHO WAS GONE ALMOST AS QUICKLY AS FILMING BEGAN… 

Take a close look at this incredible behind-the-scenes photograph from Gone With the Wind.

That’s Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara and Thomas Mitchell as Gerald O’Hara, surrounded by the enormous cameras, lights, cables and crew required to make the film.

And walking alongside them is George Cukor — the original director of Gone With the Wind.

Cukor had spent roughly two years preparing for the massive production and played an important role in casting and developing the characters. But only weeks after principal photography officially began in January 1939, he was out.

So what happened?

Cukor and producer David O. Selznick had increasingly serious disagreements over how the film should be made. Over the years, many other stories have circulated about Cukor’s departure — including claims involving Clark Gable — but the exact reasons have long been debated. Contemporary records confirm the disagreements between Cukor and Selznick, while AFI notes that several different explanations have been offered for his removal.

Victor Fleming was brought in to replace him and ultimately received the film’s directing credit. Later, Fleming temporarily stepped away because of exhaustion, and Sam Wood also directed portions of the picture.

And here’s what makes this photograph even more interesting:

 The scene being worked on here was later reshot after Cukor left the production.

So we’re looking at a little piece of Gone With the Wind that represents a version of the film that might have been.

Do you think Gone With the Wind would have felt different if George Cukor had remained its director?

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