One of the great movies.

Rating: 10/10 (12 August 2005)

This is a great movie, the reason for that being the incredible performance by Vivian Leigh who succeeds in carrying this movie. Without Leigh's strong and dominating performance, the story would have come off as hokey and melodramatic. Essentially, the story revolves around one person: Scarlett O'Hara, a flighty, impetuous, high-spirited and manipulative young woman who is pursuing a fantasy, to marry a man who does not love her and never will, and who by his own admission is a failure. People come and go, situations change, war starts and ends, but she never changes. Yet she also has endearing qualities - she is brave, resourceful, loyal, and a leader. She also commands respect. She is not adverse to working hard and stays focused on completing tasks. She understands business and is cognizant of the major political issues of the day. Of all the characters in the movie, she is the most complex, even more so than Rhett Butler. The story is engaging because of those many qualities which put her at odds with the rest of the world, which in the movie tests her ability and willingness to survive. Hence, Scarlett is hardly the conventional hero usually associated with Hollywood cinema. She is caught up in circumstances beyond her control that block her desire to achieve happiness, but refuses to back down. Nothing keeps her down. She will have her way because she is Scarlet O'Hara, and if the rest of the world doesn't like it, to bad for them.
The chemistry between Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable, who plays Scarlett's protagonist, Rhett Butler, is almost tangible to the touch. Both bring a flair and intensity to their characters' tempestuous relationship. Scarlett and Rhett see through each others' pretentiousness, which attracts and repels them at the same time. Their respectability is a sham, and they both know it. Butler is not a gentleman and Scarlett is not a lady. However, both are highly intelligent, well educated, well informed, and capable of managing large business enterprises. This makes them not only lovers but competitors, which really spices up their relationship and heightens the intensity of their interactions.
Am I the only person who ever read the book, "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell? Because I read the book - the ENTIRE book - and movie should not be confused with the book. The book is a about a brave and resourceful woman living in a time of momentous social change and determined to survive. Unlike in the movie, in the book the character Scarlett is strong and there is nothing about her that is shrill or infantile, but the movie transforms the character into someone that is almost childish. Now I understand that a lot has to be condensed into one movie, but after reading the book the movie seems superficial. Nevertheless the movie is entertaining and worth watching and offers performances that have become part of movie legend.