Which 1939 film starring Clark Gable was based on a Margaret Mitchell novel?

The 1939 film starring Clark Gable that was based on a Margaret Mitchell novel was Gone with the Wind. The epic drama adapted Mitchell’s bestselling 1936 novel about Scarlett O’Hara during and after the American Civil War.

Gable played Rhett Butler, while Vivien Leigh portrayed Scarlett O’Hara. The story follows Scarlett’s struggle to preserve her family’s Georgia plantation and rebuild her life as the Confederacy collapses and the Reconstruction era begins. Its famous setting and sweeping romance made it one of Hollywood’s defining prestige productions.

The film was produced by David O. Selznick and directed primarily by Victor Fleming, after substantial production changes involving other directors. It premiered in Atlanta in December 1939 and became a major commercial and awards success, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture.

The film remains historically important but is also debated for its romanticized depiction of the antebellum South and its treatment of slavery and race. That context is essential: its technical achievement and cultural influence do not erase the serious distortions and omissions in its portrayal of American history.