"You're not worth three hundred dollars, you'll never mean anything but misery to any man."

Rating: 9/10 (12 January 2008)

For a well rounded cinema education, everyone needs to see "Gone With The Wind", one of the most celebrated films of all time. It actually took me quite a while to get around to it, but now I can lay claim to that experience. Having just seen it, I can appreciate it's epic sweep and excellent cinematography at a time when color just wasn't being done, much less being done right. The sunsets in particular, like the magnificent shot of Scarlett and her father at the start of the picture, are among scenes that are memorable in their own right. And then of course, there's that celebrated musical theme that became the standard for all those Million Dollar Movies I used to watch back in the 1950's.
The thing I had to question though was the way the picture was introduced, heralding the era and locale of a time gone by that was noted for it's grand elegance and genteel nobility. It seemed to be an overly romantic sentiment to attach to a period in the nation's history for which the North and South went to war. I don't doubt that there were gentlemanly landowners like the O'Hara's and the Wilkeses, but I'm confident they were outnumbered by those of much crueler intent as regards their slaves. There was a little balance in telling that story, but by and large, the presentation of life in the South before and even during the War seemed a bit sanitized.
As for the principals, each did a remarkable job in their given role. Vivien Leigh exhibited the mark of a talented actress by taking me through a range of emotions regarding her character. In the early part of the story, I really disliked her character, maybe even hated Scarlett. But as the story progressed, one comes to sympathize with her and maybe even feel sorry for her by the time the first half of the movie is over. Then her character arouses the same set of emotions all over again following the mid point interlude.
With Clark Gable's Rhett Butler, I found myself enjoying a rascally scoundrel, and there were two scenes that reminded me immediately of my favorite movie, "Casablanca". Early in the story, Rhett opines on his personal philosophy - "I believe in Rhett Butler, he's the only cause I know, the rest doesn't mean that much to me". Strangely familiar with what Bogart's Rick Blaine would put forth to describe his motivation as a citizen of the world. Later, in a scene that would close out the first half of the picture, Rhett offers that 'whole silly world going to pieces' line to Scarlett, conjuring up the finale in "Casablanca" with Bogart comparing his troubles with Ingrid Bergman not amounting to a hill of beans in this crazy world. I wonder how much of an influence GWTW might have actually had on the later picture.
You know, when I saw "Hollywoodland", I had the impression that George Reeves' character was actually written out of the movie because of the way his acting fell short of expectation. So it was with some surprise to see him as one of the Tarleton Brothers romancing Scarlett, although a little hard to recognize if you weren't looking for him. I actually didn't think he was too bad, but then again, the role didn't call for a lot.
Back to Gable's Rhett Butler, I couldn't help thinking how Jock Mahoney might have handled the role if he was bit older at the time of the picture. I have this image of Mahoney in his TV role as Yancy Derringer, and you couldn't ask for a better portrayal of a rogue and street wise con man. That would have been an interesting challenge for Mahoney, but I won't kid myself, he's closer to Reeves than Gable in acting ability.
Hattie McDaniel was a treat though. I'm glad she picked up a Best Supporting Actress for the role of Mammy. There were a couple of times when she cinched the award just with her looks. I don't know about Prissy though (Butterfly McQueen). Maybe it was just me, but I couldn't understand most of what she was saying.
I usually don't get so long winded in my reviews (no pun there), but a classic deserves a little more I suppose. This one ought to be on your must see list, even if not on your list of all time best films. At almost four hours in length, it's worth watching at least one time to add perspective to an appreciation of great cinema.