Movie lovers will enjoy a unique and truly special exhibition opening on April 1, which will be held at the Jerusalem Cinematheque to celebrate its 50th anniversary and which will feature original costume design sketches, storyboards, and scene drawings from Gone with the Wind, one of the all-time classic movies.
Naturally, there will also be a screening of Gone with the Wind to accompany the opening.
These priceless works of art were donated to the Jerusalem Cinematheque by anonymous art collectors with a connection to the film. They were first exhibited at the sixth Jerusalem Film Festival in 1989.
Now, after undergoing a complex conservation and restoration process headed by Michael Magen, they will be shown again.
The 1939 film is an adaptation of the bestselling novel of love during the Civil War, starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable and directed by Victor Fleming (although parts directed by George Cukor, the film’s original director who was fired, reportedly remain in the finished film).
It was produced by the legendary Jewish-American producer, David O. Selznick, who was famous for his attention to detail and for demanding authenticity. In fact, he was so exacting that his memos and letters about the movie were later published as a book that is over 600 pages.
The exhibition
About 5,500 costume sketches were originally drawn for the movie, and 5,000 items of clothing were sewn. The team also drew over 3,000 set designs, covering all the key scenes in the film, and 200 sets were designed based on them.
Sketches of some of the most memorable scenes and costumes from the film are featured in the exhibition, including the burning of Atlanta, the magnificent Tara Mansion, the hall at the 12 Oaks Mansion, and the hospital in the old church where wounded soldiers are brought.
Among those who worked on the sketches were costume designer Walter Plunkett and production designer William Cameron Menzies, who won a special Oscar in 1940 for outstanding achievement in the use of color to enhance the dramatic atmosphere in the film.
The exhibit will run through May, and other commemorations of the Jerusalem Cinematheque’s golden jubilee are planned.