Rlgarstjr

This altogether lovely, exquisite period piece represents Hollywood filming at its height, no doubt. But what almost destroys its timelessness is the terribly bad condition of the film, reportedly taken from a television showing some years ago, complete with some of the worst damage I have ever seen in an old Hollywood classic. The memory of David O. Selznick deserves better than this shoddy monument to his great vision of the Burnett book. It is simply unforgivable that various "discount" houses continue to offer this and so many other dreadful copies of great films to a gullible and unsuspecting public. The complete restoration of this film is LONG overdue. And the various slashing of scenery, dialogue, for whatever greedy reason, is appalling, just appalling. After having seen so very many films on VHS and now DVD over many years, I submit that this is the most heartbreaking kind of butchery of a great, noble effort of any of the great directors and producers in the long history of American filming. Please, won't someone - the AFI, TCM, restoration companies, ANYONE - step up and lovingly bring this lovingly created film back into the sunshine of clarity, wholeness and beauty???!!! I have little faith in our rapidly decaying culture as we enter the new century, especially when such travesties occur. Once again, there is absolutely NO valid, logical excuse for this. Sorry for popping off so much, but I have watched it all too many times before. To use an offensive word appropriate for my feelings - it's bullshit...