Great FILM WITH SOME FLAWS

Rating: Null/10 (13 January 2004)

IMHO this is an great and exciting film! But surely not because of the political ideology of these movie. It is the character of Scarlett O'Hara, which is so intriguing! She in in the center of the storm from the beginning of the story! Raised as a spoiled , aristocrat girl of the planter oligarchy, she seem'd doomed to extinction like most of her classmates in the civil war and after. Only some men, like the opportunistic , if responsible, Rhett Buttler were to be expected to survive these turmoil in a mens world of war and destruction. But she made it. Her methods were sometimes arguable, but she survived, saving not only her life, but identity and sovereignity of her family and her property, when the people of the old South , especially the male dominated oligarchy, only felt, that their time was up, like Ashley Wilkes recognised it. This movie is not about racism or even defending of the so-called southern "life-style". Once it was broken down, everybody knew, it will never come back It i about female emancipation, one of the first movies, ever to mention this topic. Of course, the last third of the the movie seems sometimes to counteract this impression. The Scarlett O'Hara, who could do everything, to defend her family and their farm, appears to have fallen back in the unconscious, spoiled , behaviour of her youth, selfish, unable to personnal affection. But the very last scene of the movie is a revue of her accomplishments and failures.She will not bow down even to the man, he now too late recognised as the man, he loves. She will never, even in luxury, forget her task as a self-determinating, strong women and farmer, some distant echo of all the strong farmer wifes, which build the USA. She will not forget her Responsibility for Family, Farm and the whole society, even if someimes to be misguided. As for racism,I have to make some comments after viewing your discussion board. Iwill not go as far as to say, this movie is defending slavery and racism. Ashley Wilkes, a slaveholder has to say the line" I wanted to free my slaves after the war. And as I mentioned before, once the CSA lost the war, there was no longer any discussion about slavery. Unexcusable, whatsoever , was indeed the stereotypical characterisation of most slaves in this movie as dumb, faithfull loyals to their masters and Owners. But you have to remember, that even this was partially true,because some, not the majority, of the slaves must have felt some affection to the slaveholders, even to be recruited as black volunteers for the confederate armies(Of course, they never engaged in battle, because they were summoned only on the eve of defeat.)In general, the slaves were happy,when seeing some blue soldiers, a point totally ignored in the movie. But saying this, everybody has to acknowledge the great acting performance of Hattie McDaniel as Scarletts black "Mama" As one commentator said, everything Scarlett was taught, was taught by Hattie Mc Daniel. But her influence goes even further. The black mama is "the" moral authority of the movie. One of the key scenes of the movie is the discovery by Rhett Buttler , that The MAMA is wearing the undertrousers, Rhett once had sent her as a gift. That is not a sign of vanity or shallowness of her or even corruption by gifts. It is a sign of approval to a man , his moralty and his way of life and is more important to him than the esteem of the old southern society. So we have an older women ex- slave, who is actually the highest moral authority of this movie!(Besides Ashley Wilkes wife, played by Olivia de Havilland, of course) This is the opposite of racism! So there is a great ambiguity in the movie, concerning the race issue. Today, this movie must accurately be called politically incorrect, but for the time of the production it was even somehow progressive. P:S: As is known for some years, Margaret Mitchell was a generous sponsor for black students in her lifetime and after. Who will criticise her, should in these respect try to follow her example. PPS: Sorry for my bad english!