Gone with the Wind

Rating: 9/10 (6 September 2005)

35 million people saw this film, all four hours of it (I know this because it was number 1 on The Ultimate Film), and it is a great romance, with the American Civil War in between, ignore the black slavery aspects, from Oscar winning director Victor Fleming (The Wizard of Oz, out the same year). Basically, trying to be brief, the story, set in 1861 on a large cotton plantation called Tara, revolves around the life of the O'Hara family. Mainly, Scarlett O'Hara (Oscar winning Vivien Leigh), she has been in love with Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) for a long time, and he at one point possibly mentioned marriage, but he is now set to marry her cousin Melanie Hamilton (Oscar nominated Olivia De Havilland). In a vengeful mood, Scarlett agrees to marry the enthusiastic Frank Kennedy (Carroll Nye), who dies soon from measles when he enters the war, and Scarlett has now become a business woman. At that point the man who eyed her at a barbecue party, Rhett Butler (Oscar nominated Clark Gable, who had already won two), proposes marriage, but she is too self involved to agree. Then, not long later the war really hits home (literally), and everyone has to get out of town before the Yankees kill them. After the war has settled for a while, Scarlett has saved Melanie and her baby, she returns to her old house where the servants, including trustworthy, but easily annoyed Mammy (Oscar winning Hattie McDaniel, the first black woman ever to win one), and when the mother dies becomes head of the house. For a while, the story continues as the remaining family patching up the house partly destroyed. Rhett also returns from the Civil War to make a final commitment with Scarlett, and they also have a little girl. Years pass, and Scarlett and Rhett are starting to drift from each other and hate each other. More trauma follows when she reveals another baby, but falls down the stairs, and also their daughter Bonnie Blue Butler (Cammie King) is killed after falling off her horse. The concluding parts of the film see Melanie near death and asking Scarlett to promises to look after Ashley, and Rhett thinking that Scarlett still loves him. In the end, Scarlett has truly forgotten her love for Ashley and fallen for Rhett, but it is too late, because with the confusion, a lost baby and a dead daughter (was there a divorce though?), Rhett decides to go back home to Charleston, Scarlett is very upset, but does remember Ashely and Rhett both mentioning hope at her home land of Tara, I can't understand how, but she sees hope in getting her true love back. Phew! Also starring Thomas Mitchell as Gerald O'Hara, Barbara O'Neil as Ellen O'Hara, Laura Hope Crews as Aunt "Pittypat" Hamilton, Harry Davenport as Dr. Meade, Evelyn Keyes as Suellen O'Hara, Ann Rutherford as Careen O'Hara, Butterfly McQueen as Prissy, Alicia Rhett as India Wilkes and Everett Brown as Big Sam. Leigh is truly remarkable as Scarlett who can fake crying to get her own way, be heroic during the war and pain of others, and show true emotions about all situations in her journey, and Gable is just as good as Rhett. A long film, but if you can stay awake (which I did the second time), well worth it. It won the Oscars for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing; Best Writing, Screenplay, Technical Achievement Award and Best Picture, and it was nominated for Best Special Effects, Best Music for Max Steiner, Best Sound and an Honorary Award for William Cameron Menzies (for use of colour). Vivien Leigh was number 79, Clarke Gable number 63 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, Gable was also number 7 on 100 Years, 100 Stars - Men, Leigh was also number 12 on The 50 Greatest British Actresses, she was number 6 on Britain's Finest Actresses, she was number 16 on 100 Years, 100 Stars - Women, and she was number 66 on The 100 Greatest Sex Symbols, the film was number 2 on 100 Years of Film Scores, it was number 59 ("As God as my witness, I'll never be hungry again."), number 31 ("After all, tomorrow is another day.") and number 1 ("Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.") on 100 Years, 100 Quotes, it was number 75 on The 100 Greatest War Films, it was number 14 on The 100 Greatest Tearjerkers, it was number 2 on 100 Years, 100 Passions, it was number 43 on 100 Years, 100 Cheers, it was number 4 on 100 Years, 100 Movies, and it was number 32 on The 100 Greatest Films. Very good!