A Great Movie is you can get past its racism

Rating: 7/10 (3 March 2005)

I have seen "Gone With the Wind" three or four times and I appreciate the strength of the story, direction, acting and costumes. Nevertheless, I have problems with Mararget Mitchell's racism and lack of knowledge about African Americans. Mammy who is the main black character seems to exist only to serve white people. Where is her family? Where are her children? These questions remain unanswered. Another flaw is that none of the black characters really seem to be fully dimensional human beings. What are their wants and desires? Historically, many blacks ran away from their slave masters. Others left as soon as the Civil War ended. Few stayed with their former owners. Moreover, the novel and the movie distort Reconstruction. Many of the blacks who served in the legislatures, the House of Representatives, and U.S. Senate were well educated. The country made tremendous progress in racial progress from 1865-1877. Then, it ended with the Hayes Compromise. Gone With the Wind is a fine movie,technically, but inaccurate and racist.