Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Gone with the Wind
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: None
- Commentary: I am probably more of a fan of this movie than my mother. She loves the eye spectacle, and every time we watch it, which is at least once a year, she mentions several times that she would have loved to have lived during the period of the regal, stately Southern U.S.
Roger Ebert reviewed Gone with the Wind (link to his review in the title of this post) in order to christen it as one of his Great Movies. Very interesting review. He does not sidestep the discomfort we have about it, now, nor does he dismiss the technical brilliance that brought this movie to the screen. Read it, if you get a chance.
Glenn Erickson DVD Savant weighs in on the movie, twice, cogently. Here's his first review. Here's his second. If you're at all interested in this movie and have gotten past your embarrassment on behalf of the United States and whiteness, in general, for producing either the novel or the movie, you should read these reviews, and, maybe, consider watching the movie.
For me, I love reminding myself that the best, most successful romance in the history of romance stories contains a heroine who is wily and unredepemptive and whose one sterling quality is her ability to survive, despite who she hurts in the process. The hero, a scoundrel himself, is more sympathetic than the heroine.
When we watch this movie, it is always a "planned" watching; in other words, we plan appropriate food, make sure the phone ringer is off, and settle in for several hours. It is, for us, an Event Movie.
Update 11/17/2021: This post was originally published February 6, 2005. It was one of the accidental deletions that occurred, which is covered in this post.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Vivien Leigh Scarlett O'Hara Clark Gable Rhett Butler Olivia de Havilland Melanie Hamilton Leslie Howard Ashley Wilkes Hattie McDaniel Mammy Butterfly McQueen Prissy Carroll Nye Frank Kennedy Harry Davenport Dr. Meade
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1939
Directed by Victor Fleming.
Labels: dramaC, period6, romance4, shared-favorite, spectacle2
