An Old Classic That Holds Up Well To The Test Of Time

Rating: 8/10 (4 July 2001)

I have watched a lot of movies over the years, and yet - as hard as it is to believe - I had never watched "Gone With The Wind" from beginning to end until now. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it still deserves to be considered a classic, even 62 years after its release.
It's true that this movie is far from perfect. It is overly sympathetic to the south, and foolishly romanticizes "Old Dixie." Masters and slaves were just one big happy family if you choose to believe this account. (In fairness the screenplay does point out, through the eyes of Rhett Butler, the foolishness of the South even getting into this war, let alone believing that it could actually win the thing.) The Civil War itself seemed to pass at lightning speed, which perhaps contributes to some questionable historical references. For example, reference is made seemingly early in the War to General Lee "pushing the Yankees out of Virginia." The problem is that I can't find any reference to Lee commanding troops in battle that early in the War. OK. That's pretty picky perhaps. There is certainly, however, the racist stereotyping of the happy slaves who just wish those damn Yankees would go away and let them go back to their nice, comfortable lives in the fields and slave huts, although that has to be looked at in the context of 1939; there is a very strange lack of southern accents among these Confederates; and, at about 3 and a half hours the movie is inexcusably long. The second half especially drags a little bit and lacks the sustained excitement of the first 90 minutes or so.
Having said all that, the negatives definitely do not outweigh the positives. Where to begin? How about the acting! There really isn't a weak performance anywhere, and there are a number of standouts. Is it even possible to imagine anyone but Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh as Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara? These two were superb in these roles. The chemistry between them literally drips from the screen as their complex love-hate relationship is explored. Gable demonstrated great versatility as he moved seamlessly from greedy blockade runner to doting father to abusive husband. Leigh captured the essence of Scarlett perfectly, and was very convincing in her statements of her love for Tara, the family plantation. Hattie McDaniel was great as Mammy - the house slave, and Olivia de Havilland put on a strong performance as Melanie Wilkes, the woman who married Scarlett's true love.
I was especially impressed by the special effects in this movie - especially the scenes as Rhett and Scarlett rush through Atlanta's streets as the city burns down around them. There was also good use of low-key humour scattered throughout, which helped to break some of the dramatic tension in what was for the most part a pretty dark movie.
So, yes, even after 62 years, this holds up well. Every movie fan should watch it at least once. I rate it as an 8/10.