Introducing a cinematic masterpiece that’s over three hours long, in technicolor, and a classic no one should ever dare mess with! Victor Fleming and George Cukor’s Gone with the Wind is about a Southern Belle who does whatever it takes to save her plantation from the horrors of the Civil War all while dealing with her feelings between two men.
There is so much to say about this movie other than that it is the definition of a cinematic work of art. The acting, the set designs, the sunsets, the screenplay, the melodramatic film shots, etc. It was based off the Margarett Mitchell novel of the same name that sold 1.5 million copies at the time. Now, it has sold over 30 million copies. One of these days, I need to remind myself to brave through the 1,037 pages. While the movie did a great job depicting the horrors of the Civil War, I’m sure the book did a better job of going into explicit detail.
So Scarlett O’Hara (Vivian Leigh) is a Southern belle who is in love with Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) who is in love with his cousin Melanie (Olivia de Havilland). This love triangle becomes a love square when Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) enters the picture and is determined to make Scarlett his. All of this is going on while the Civil War threatens to destroy Scarlett’s plantation. Sheesh, no wonder this is a melodrama! I love how complex the characters are in this story. You can both hate Scarlett for being a spoiled brat attempting to steal a man from his sweet Melanie but still love her for her spunk and determination to keep her plantation together. Then there’s Rhett Butler who may seem like your suave, debonair hunk of the South but there’s a dark side to him to in that SPOILERS BELOW! ↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
He practically commits martial rape. How can a scene like that be justified as okay? And it didn’t seem like Scarlett minded. Do you think a scene like that would have made it in the final cut if remade today?
END SPOILER
My favorite character of all is Melanie in that she has a sweet disposition and cares more about the happiness of others than herself. Do any of you wonder if she knew that Scarlett was in love with Ashley?
This movie, as well as the book was not without controversy. It’s interesting how the Civil War is supposed to be about the end of slavery yet we see no issues raised of the slaves in the movie. They seem to be happy working in the house with no requests of freedom towards their owners. The character of Prissy seriously got on my nerves! Why couldn’t they make her a more precious character instead of being so damn irritating?! “I don’t know nuthin’ about birthin’ babies” after already telling others you did?! I’m pretty sure she’s not supposed to be a comic relief character but if she is, shame on the writers.
But at least the characters of the other slaves like Sam and Mammy (Hattie McDaniels) had purpose. Mammy was basically a mother figure to Scarlett and never afraid to tell it like it is. And Sam saved Scarlett’s life in that shanty town she was in. I liked Hattie McDaniel’s reasoning for playing Mammy in that she would rather play a slave and get paid like an actress than work for real as a slave. McDaniel was the first black woman to win an Oscar and she absolutely deserved it! It’s horrible when you think of how racist Atlanta was in that the Academy Award nominated actress wasn’t allowed to attend her own premiere. The nerve!
This movie more than many of the ones I have seen on this list is worthy of being in it. It’s a real masterpiece of an epic saga, war, romance, love squares, the fight for your life, and great performances you will always remember with the message of “tomorrow is another day.” The film won eight Oscars include Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Color Cinematography, Best Interior Decoration, Best Film Editing, and Best Supporting Actress. If you haven’t seen this movie already, you will realize by the end of this movie why 1939 was the best year for movies and witness a tour de force. And please, realize you’re in love with your husband while you’re still married to him, eh?
Here is the link to Academy Award winning epic and comment your reactions below.
Oh, For the Love of 1001 Films! 
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