GWTW: My Film Class Xtra Credit

Rating: 10/10 (13 November 2005)

Gone With The Wind Stemming from a novel published in 1936 that took approximately 10 years to write, the production of this film was also a difficult and time consuming event. Gone With The Wind remains to be a world renowned sensation not only in it's literary form which has been reproduced in nearly 30 different languages and is the best selling novel of all time, but has also remained one of the most treasured films, resulting in the groundbreaking success of winning ten Academy Awards. Many consider 1939 to be the greatest year for the classical Hollywood studios because of productions such as, The Wizard of Oz, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Wuthering Heights and Stagecoach.
There are so many things about Gone With The Wind that make it such an amazing picture. It had an amazing budget at the time of production, though it seems fair now, $3.7 million was an outstanding amount, but it definitely, and clearly went to good use. I love looking over the wardrobe, the dresses and hats that Scarlett wears are beautifully designed, colorful and eye catching. There is so much detail not only in the wardrobe but with the sets. 90 sets were built, the re-creation of the city of Atlanta had over 50 buildings alone.
Most people that I encounter find Gone With The Wind boring, old fashioned, and most importantly to them, a total of 222 minutes too long (edited down from four hours), so I am often asked why it is my favorite movie. My grandmother seems to find this the most amusing, considering how racially subjective the novel is. When I go to answer this question I always have an awkward moment to myself, I have so many answers. The first thought that enters my mind is the Heroine. Vivien Leigh's portrayal of a strong-willed, independent woman, Scarlett O'Hara, is amazing. I love Vivien Leigh in many of her other roles (A Street Car Named Desire, That Hamilton Woman, Anna Karenina) but I believe this was her best film role ever. She not only captured the obvious selfish, indulgent, childish girl that Scarlett was but she also showed the hidden fears, the naiveté, the dreams of this young girl that was forced to grow up too quickly. At the end of the movie when everything seems to have completely fallen apart, Scarlett has nothing, her only child is dead, her best friend is dead, the one thing that she thought was a constant (her love for Ashley) has now vanished, and her husband- the only man she has ever truly respected, is leaving her. Yet she somehow picks herself up and swears to not let the bad things control her life.
My second answer is usually the one that others give, the love story. The tale of man and woman at cross-purposes always hits me hard. This film has the best example of that. Rhett is in love with Scarlett, but can not have her, and then once he has her is not satisfied, and once he leaves her, she wants him- but of course, can not have him. I think that is what make the story so realistic. Although the concept seems to confuse Scarlett (even when she takes part in the process herself) the intensity of love can fade over time, which happens with Rhett. He was once completely absorbed in her, all of his decisions somehow became dependent on this one woman. Maybe it's because I know the book so well, but when I watch the film I see Scarlett behaving differently than she actually does. Though there are scenes that do imply that Scarlett may have strong hidden feelings for Rhett, in the novel there are many more instances when she wonders to herself about her emotions toward him, which makes their story so much more plausible, which leads to my third answer.
"Because I love the book so much!" And that's a shame. I admit that there are greater movies than Gone With The Wind, there are many things missing from the plot that are crucially important in the story, such as Scarlett having two other children from her previous marriages, the involvement of the Ku Klux Klan, and various other characters that were eliminated. There are many things missing from the film that were in the book, but this doesn't matter much to me, I love it today more than I loved it the first time I viewed it.