Posted on 11/30/2004 6:25:38 AM PST by protest1
'Gone With the Wind' Popular in Britain
Mon Nov 29, 2:00 PM ET
By The Associated Press
LONDON - "Gone With the Wind," the American Civil War saga starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, is the most-watched movie in British history, according to the British Film Institute.
AP Photo
Some 35 million people have seen "Gone With the Wind" since its release in Britain in 1940, according to a tally of movie ticket sales, the institute said Sunday.
"The Sound of Music" is in the No. 2 spot with an estimated 30 million tickets sold since its release in 1965, followed by "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," released in 1938 and seen by 28 million people, and George Lucas' "Star Wars," released in Britain in 1978, with 20.7 million tickets sold.
One-third of the films in the top 100 are British, led by the 1948 romantic comedy "Spring in Park Lane," which is in fifth place with 20.5 million tickets sold.
The institute compared ticket sales for films since the introduction of talking pictures in 1927 for "The Ultimate Film" TV show. For movies released before the 1970s, when official records weren't always available, researchers used anecdotal evidence and figures from trade publications.
"It might come as a surprise that this is the first time that we have had a list based on the films that people have most wanted to see, and some of the results might come as yet more of a surprise, especially some of those which date from a time when the cinema was even more important to lived experience in the country than it is today," said Ray Templeton, head of the BFI National Library, in a statement.
Rounding out the top 10 films: "The Best Years of Our Lives," released in 1947, 20.4 million; "The Jungle Book," 1968, 19.8 million; "Titanic," 1998, 18.9 million; "The Wicked Lady," 1946, 18.4 million; and "The Seventh Veil," 1945, 17.9 million.
GWTW is popular EVERYWHERE! One Christams evening in Austria I watched it - even dubbed into German it's still a great flick!
Wow! A southern flick from a red state.
Well, then.
Tomorrow's another day, isn't it?
Scarlet is something else. Why she was so hung up on that lily-livered Ashley I never understood.
What a great ending though.."Frankly my dear, I dont give a D..."
I prefer to think Rhett never again fell for Scarlets tricks, even though she said she would try to get him back. He would have played with her heart and mind like she did his to teach her a lesson. Thats my happy ending that never came.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.