A wonderful story of a girl morphing into a woman

Rating: Null/10 (19 April 2004)

`Gone with the Wind' has always been my favorite movie of all time. It captured a universal theme that viewers all over the world can relate to, even after so many years have passed since the movie was released. It is a story of life of a woman, who is struggling to survive and find happiness in spite of the destruction of the Civil War. The events shown in the film are taking place in Georgia in the 1860's. The South lost the Civil War and the whole southern civilization was, just like the title says, gone with the wind. The script written by Sidney Howard was derived from Margaret Mitchell's first and only published, best-selling Civil War and Reconstruction Period novel of 1,037 pages. In the following sentences, I am not describing the plot or spoiling, I simply discuss the opening scenes with the credits and who the main heroine is. I also disclose who her parents are (nationality and what they're known for). The opening credits of the film are presented against carefully selected `before Civil War' nature scenes, with narrator telling the short story of the southern civilization and dramatic music playing in the background. The film was shot in three-strip Technicolor and is a classic tale of love-hate romance. The main heroine, Scarlet O'Hara, is born into a wealthy southern family and is sixteen at the beginning of the movie. Her parents are a truly American blend - her father is an Irish immigrant with the love for land and horses, and her mother is a daughter of a French general, known for her mild temper and excellent manners. They own a huge house, a farm and many servants - slaves. Scarlett is the oldest of the three daughters. The movie first shows the girl that Scarlett was `before the war'. This is to demonstrate how much she has changed throughout the War and the Reconstruction. General knowledge of the Civil War and the key southern battles would help understanding the movie even better, or vise versa - the movie will help understand the Civil War better. In me, it produced an interest in history of the main battles and how it affected people of the South. The movie is realistic and is full of bright, memorable characters. Scarlett has a lot to learn, like human virtues and the value of a true friendship, and does learn a lot throughout the film and gets confusing feelings every now and then, which shape her character and make her into a woman. I certainly enjoyed "Gone with the Wind" and highly recommend it!