Golden age of Hollywood (even with the whitewashing)

Rating: 10/10 (27 November 2013)

I can't add much more to the reviews that handbooks on filmmaking haven't already. It epitomizes the golden age of Hollywood. It's grand. It's a technical marvel. It has the most iconic romance since Romeo and Juliet. Clark Gable, and Vivien Leigh has more quotable lines than anybody else. Is there a better line than Rhett Butler's "No, I don't think I will kiss you, although you need kissing, badly. That's what's wrong with you. You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how."? It is bigger than a simple movie.
However, the more modern critiques have centered on the treatment of the slavery issue, and the general whitewashing of that 'civilization'. It's a fair criticism, but it misses the times and the subject matter. The movie isn't about slavery. It's a fable of its times. I won't be subtracting any points. I don't want to add retroactive morality to my review.
Most of the black characters are noble subservients in the movie. It's understandable to object to the portrayal. However, Sam is one of the more heroic persona. Other than Priss and the carpetbagger, they weren't stupid or mean spirited. I think the best description is whitewashing. They covered up the brutality, and gave it a nice gleaming coat. For its times, I don't think we can expect more. Slavery in The Patriot (2000) was marginally more realistic than this. To me, that seems much more egregious.