Since the beginning of film, the industry has flourished with thousands of movies that have entertained and mesmerized viewers. This crowded landscape of cinema has made it highly competitive and extremely difficult to make a lasting mark on popular culture. But for some movies, their immediate appeal and quality put them on the path of enduring historic relevance. Movies like Gone with the Wind.

Based on the 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind is a love story that unfolds during the Civil War and Reconstruction. Directed by Victor Fleming, who had already made an indelible mark in 1939 by helming The Wizard of Oz, it starred an ensemble cast led by Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, and Olivia de Havilland. The movie premiered in mid-December 1939 in Atlanta then saw nationwide release on January 17, 1940.

The sweeping historical romantic drama tells the story of Scarlett O’Hara, the determined daughter of a Georgia plantation owner, as she pursues a romance with Ashley Wilkes, who is already married, and her eventual marriage to Rhett Butler. The love triangles, family drama, and real historical events unfold over nearly four hours of film, including an intermission.

Producer David O. Selznick bought the film rights a month after the book was published. The preproduction process went on for two years as he worked to secure Gable as Rhett Butler and the search for Scarlett, a part for which 1,400 women auditioned. Selznick wanted Gable from the start, but he was under contract at MGM, which didn’t allow him to work with other studios. Determined to secure the star, Selznick struck a deal with MGM chief Louis B. Mayer to get him in the movie.

The nationwide casting call for Scarlett drummed up significant publicity for the burgeoning project. Many popular actresses were considered for the role, including Miriam Hopkins, Tallulah Bankhead, Joan Crawford, and Norma Shearer. Over two dozen actresses screen-tested for the role, which was whittled down to four actresses: Jean Arthur, Joan Bennett, Paulette Goddard, and Vivien Leigh. Goddard and Leigh were the only ones tested in Technicolor, with Leigh winning the part.

The in-depth casting process was one part of the challenging production efforts. The script went through many revisions by over a dozen writers to fit it into realistic running time. Helmed by multiple directors, shooting took 140 days with principal photography beginning in January 1939 and ending in early July of that year.

George Cukor had been involved in preproduction for nearly two years, but disagreements between him and Selznick over the pace of filming and the script ended his involvement in the movie. Fleming was brought in to complete the picture, though director Sam Wood was also involved for a period when Fleming briefly left due to exhaustion. By the end of filming, Cukor had shot 18 days, Wood 24 days, and Fleming 93 days.

Cinematographer Lee Garmes handled initial production, but it was considered too dark, and he was replaced by Ernest Haller who worked with Technicolor cinematographer Ray Rennahan. Garmes completed the first third of the film, essentially up to when Melanie gave birth.

Much of the filming was done at Selznick International, photographed in California. Tara, the fictional Southern plantation house, was a plywood and papier mâché façade on the lot. For the burning of Atlanta portion, false facades were built in front old sets at Selznick backlot. The film cost an estimated $3.85 million, making it the second most expensive film of the time, following 1925’s Ben-Hur.

Max Steiner was hired to compose the score and he spent 12 weeks working on it, marking the longest period he’d spent writing one, and ended up being the longest score he’d ever written. Orchestrators Hugo Friedhofer, Maurice de Packh, Bernard Kaun, Adolph Deutsch, and Reginald Bassett were hired to lead the music, which had significant folk and patriotic influence. The score is noted for its two love themes – a sweet one for Ashley and Melanie, and a passionate one representing Scarlett’s love for Ashley.

Gone with the Wind was released to critical and audience praise, building a huge fanbase that continues today. It became the highest grossing movie of the time and held that record for over 25 years and when adjusted for inflation, it is still the highest grossing film in history. In 1989 the U.S. Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.

It was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, winning 8 Oscars, including Best Picture (first color film to do so), Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress for Hattie McDaniel, making her the first African-American to be nominated and win an Oscar. It also won two honorary Academy Awards.

The movie has been rereleased multiple times since its initial release, starting in the spring of 1942, then in 1947 and 1954 – the latter of which showed it in widescreen for the first time. It was rereleased in 1961 to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the start of the Civil War. The 1967 rerelease saw the film in 70mm and was issued with an updated movie poster. It was back in theaters again in 1971, 1974, 1989 (with audio and video restoration), and in 1998. The movie got a 4K digital restoration in 2013 and a year later, special screenings were held for the 75th anniversary.

Gone with the Wind’s enduring legacy proves that it is a movie about which we’ll always give a damn.