Richard Crouse

Forbidden love … a hunk capable of sending out mixed messages … a heroine who’s smitten and spirited, if not a little histrionic at times …a society splintered … a saga, a sensation, an epic sweep.

But, nope, not a vampire in sight.

As the cha-ching, chachings continue to come in for the latest Twilight flick, a movie of another kind — one no less a crowd-pleaser in its time — is receiving an airing in Toronto tomorrow. Courtesy of Warner Home Entertainment, it’s Gone with the Wind — the ultimate motion picture for Civil War-hards.

A VIP screening, combined with an invite-only dinner it is, for a film that won eight — eight! — Oscars way back when, and continues to dominate the all-time lists. And for those giving a damn about Vivien Leigh — and Clark Gable’s unique brand of brawn — the movie is new again, indulgently remastered for its 70th anniversary.

But talk about an early start time!

Because Gone with the Wind is famously almost four –four! — hours long, the aforementioned event is scheduled to begin when the markets are very much open–at 4 p.m.! Set to roll in the Hazelton Hotel’s exclusive screening screen (the best place to watch movies in the city, natch), the whole thing starts at four, breaks at 6 p.m. for dinner, and continues again at 7 p.m.

The man minding the watch, by the way, is professional filmgoer Richard Crouse.

Does it all sound a bit like the Amazing Race answer to the movies? They do say that the story is, well, timeless.