Still a Masterpiece Despite Unfortunate Shortcomings

Rating: 10/10 (30 May 2007)

One of the ways that Gone with the Wind succeeds and transcends its genre as a romantic period picture is its unwillingness to stick with convention. The relationship between Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara is never stereotypical or predictable. At first, the love triangle between Scarlett, Melanie and Ashley Wilkes seems cliché, like a soap opera decades before "The Young and the Restless", until Clark Gable as Butler literally steps into the picture and messes up the melodrama. One of the best scenes occurs when Scarlett professes her love to Ashley in private at a large social gathering and unbeknown-st to the characters, Rhett Butler is hiding behind a couch watching the drama unfold. When he finally reveals himself to her, the scene moves into new and unchartered territory, and we learn that neither Scarlett nor Butler are stereotypical characters. As the film progresses, Scarlett continually rejects Butler, which was probably quite unusual for audiences of the time who were probably more akin to melodramatic instantaneous romance.
In the background is the sweeping story of the Civil War. In essence, the story is about the coming-of-age of Scarlett O'Hara, which was unusual at the time. Coming-of-age stories have (and still do) typically center around male and not female characters. She is at first the manipulative sex goddess who uses her looks and charisma to get the men in her life to serve her on hand and foot, even those dating other women. When Butler comes into her life, he is the first male not to be so hypnotized by her; he is willing to stand up to her and call her bluff. How the relationship between Butler and Scarlett unfolds is one of the great cinematic stories and not to be missed.
Unfortunately, the movie suffers from rather serious shortcomings in its portrayal of African-Americans, particularly the character of Prissie. What makes this aspect of the film so infuriating is that these scenes do nothing to further the plot and have very little to with the central story, particularly the relationship between Scarlett and Rhett. African-Americans are characterized as either being witless, like Prissie, or loyal to the South which is completely unrealistic. Only the character of Mammy appears like her own character and at least is more rounded than her African-American counterparts in the film. The scenes with Prissie, which seem ad infinitum in the first half, are probably the worst of the film. Ironically, Hattie McDaniel who played Mammy was the first African-American to win an academy award. At least the second half is not as bad as the first half in this regard. The portrayal of Prissie and some of the other African-Americans tell us more about America's view of African-Americans in the 1930's than showing us a realistic picture of African-Americans during the time of the Civil War. For that story, there is probably no better production than Roots.
Does this mean that Gone with the Wind belongs on the latter list of movies that are certainly of quality but suffer from outdated viewpoints? That's a question that every viewer will have to make for him or herself. For me, it is still a timeless classic despite its shortcomings. The story of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara is one of the best love stories ever told on the large screen. Is it a masterpiece? Well, in many ways yes, but its shortcomings are sometimes hard to overlook. I have to use the fast-forward button more than I would like when watching this film.