Why Gone with the Wind is the messy, melodramatic and magnificent summer binge you need, frankly my dear

Fiddle dee-dee. Your next summer watch is Gone with the Wind.

You might need it. Tomorrow is another day of summer, so why not spend it with three hours of the wonderful Vivien Leigh at her fiery best, paired with the ever-stoic Clark Gable as Rhett Butler?

Yes, we mean it: Return to the world of the 1930s Hollywood, about a film that plunges into the ethos of civil war, and also deals with the battlefield of love.

If you’re familiar with the story of Gone with the Wind, I raise my bonnet to you, but if not, here’s the lowdown: It’s the story of Scarlett O’Hara, fiery, selfish, and endlessly compelling. as she chases a man who doesn’t love her, and cold-shoulders the one who would move mountains for her. It’s probably why she is one of the most fascinating characters of the time, as annoyed as you might be with her recklessness, selfishness and sharp tongue. Nevertheless, it takes strife, brutality and a tragedy for her to realise Rhett Butler’s love, except….it might be too late.

Keep aside your Grey’s Anatomy, Severance and all other Emmy-nominated shows, for now. The real, original, soap opera is in Gone with the Wind, an adrenaline rush of a film, just like the book. Join in like Scarlett’s faithful Mammy for the ride, watching sternly from the sidelines, if you must.  

Forget Grey’s Anatomy and Severance for a night. The original soap opera is right here, in high drama, sweeping gowns, and eye-rolls that could level empires. Gone with the Wind is soaked in in old-school Hollywood storytelling—melodramatic, yes, but also utterly enticing.

Your summer binge, or, if that feels too modern, a quiet summer watch.