Review of Gone with the Wind (1939) by Peter A — 05 Nov 2013

I think a big part of the success of this film is the controversy it creates for each viewer. That controversy forces us to question whether this is a work which reminisces the way of life in the Old South while mourning its passing, or whether this sarcastically skewers those who so fondly reminisce that era while shying away progress. The controversy starts right away with an opening card that compares the aristocratic gentry of the antebellum South with medieval knights. It's an interesting comparison because on one hand it evokes imagery of magical fairy tale lands of chivalrous knights, but on the other, history reminds us knights were members of nobility, often land-owners with serfs. The film provides ample evidence to argue both cases , including whether Scarlett herself is a metaphor for the South before, during and after the Civil War.

I don't typically enjoy melodramatic romances, but there was something about Gone With the Wind which kept my attention for most of its nearly 4-hour runtime. The acting is just awesome. Clark Gable is the very definition of cool as Rhett Butler, even when he's at his most cruel and sadistic. Very few of today's leading men can compare. Vivien Leigh was also excellent. Her unforgettable performance showcases the two opposing halves of Scarlett O'Hara's personality, so that like Rhett, we can't help but love and hate that woman at the same time. When the times are good and prosperous, Scarlett as a girl and later as a woman is a vile, insufferable princess. She's demanding, manipulative and selfish. It was hard to tear myself away from the movie as I kept expecting her inevitable comeuppance (spoiler alert: it eventually does). But somewhere in the middle, when Scarlett loses everything, we see her good qualities - a fierce, stubborn woman, a hard worker and a born leader with a shrewd mind for business. Leigh shifted through those halves so easily and naturally, I didn't realize until later how it had drawn me in to the movie.

Production-wise, Gone With the Wind, like Wizard of Oz, exists on a scale few other movies have or will equal, almost a lost art. It's not just a film, but an experience as well. Those massive sets are awesome, so staggering, it's understandable how movies aren't quite produced that way any more. Like I said earlier, it's easy to be swept away by this film, even if you approach it like I did: a skeptic of classic romantic melodrama. I won't say it's the greatest ever made, but I couldn't help but realize how difficult it was to turn away or be distracted while the film was playing.