Review of Gone with the Wind (1939) by John M — 16 Feb 2014
I admire everything about this, but I did find myself getting frustrated with one character... can you guess which one? On the backdrop of the Civil War, a young girl (Vivien Leigh) finds herself troubled when the man she is in love with is already betrothed to another.
It took me a while to see the highest grossing film of all-time (when adjusted for inflation), but what can I say; if your movie is an intimidating four hours long, you will have to allow for me to muster up the proper desire to get past that deterrent and make the time commitment.
Before I get into my sole beef with the film, let me touch on everything that's great about Gone with the Wind. Clark Gable is amazing as Rhett Butler; he delivers a commanding performance and is just as dreamy as his romantic reputation makes him out to be, if not more.
Also giving a noteworthy performance is Hattie McDaniel as the house servant, and she really does give it her all. The whole movie is beautifully shot, and there's some gorgeous usage of silhouettes that will absolutely take your breath away.
The sets are spectacular, and when you get to the fire scene towards the end of the first half, it is awe-inspiring and mesmerizing. All that said, I did have big time issues with the character of Scarlett O'Hara.
I think Leigh did a fine job bringing this character to life, but the character herself is just a terrible human being. She's the type of person that isn't happy unless she isn't happy, and on top of that, she's manipulative, spoiled, insufferable and mostly infuriating.
She does get better for a stretch when she is forced into a situation that makes her grow up, but she almost instantaneously regresses back to her old, childish self once things are less dire. It doesn't help that this is her story, and we are never given any foundation to help sympathize with her as a character, and it also doesn't help that she only has one speed through all four hours: shrill.
That personal grievance aside, this is obviously a classic and a must see for anybody who calls themselves a film buff.
This review of Gone with the Wind (1939) was written by John M on 16 Feb 2014.
Gone with the Wind has generally received very positive reviews.
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