Gone With the Wind

Gone with the Wind is a sweeping epic blending together history and romance in an unforgettable way. Based on Margaret Mitchell’s beloved novel, Gone with the Wind tells the story of a sassy and self-centered Southern belle who’s family is turned upside down by the Civil War. Scarlett O’Hara is the daughter of a southern plantation owner who has found fortune in cotton and slavery. Her days are filled with pretty dresses and trying to capture the heart of her first love Ashley, but he finds his love lies with someone else. Her picture perfect world of late afternoon barbeques and spring cotillions is destroyed when the South declares war on the North. While the South is plagued by war and devastation Scarlett and her family lose their fortune and experience being poor for the first time. Carpetbaggers and scalawags take full advantage of the degradation and turn many wealthy families into the poverty stricken. In her multiple attempts to save her own family and stay out of the poor house, Scarlett navigates through an unknown world full of danger and loss. She vows she will do anything so as not to be poor. Willing to marry whoever she must to secure her financial stability, she begins a torrid affair with a sly southern gentleman named Rhett Butler. He falls head over heals for the strong southern belle and marries her, but her heart still belongs to Ashley. As Rhett pines away for Scarlett she tortures him with her desire for her first love. It is not until Rhett leaves her that she realizes, too late, that she is in love with her husband as he walks out the door.

Gone with the Wind was made in 1939 and practically swept the Academy Awards. Vivien Leigh cannot be matched in playing the seductive and conniving Scarlett O’Hara. Her stoic beauty and ability to play the selfish rich girl who hides a loving heart from herself and others is outstanding. Clark Gable plays the handsome and strong-willed Rhett Butler who is the male equivalent of his beloved Scarlett. He matches Leigh’s presence and turns every scene between the two of them into cinematic gold. The detail put into the actor’s performances is also mirrored in the intricate costumes and larger than life sets. The dresses from this film have become iconic examples of a decadent Hollywood just exploring the new medium of film. Because this movie was made about the time of Reconstruction after the Civil War and made before the civil rights movement, African-Americans are presented as stereotypical uneducated slaves. Hattie McDaniel’s portrayal of Mammie was a breakthrough for the time period and is still a notable performance today. She heralded the very beginning of African Americans in films and is one of the standout performances of the whole movie.

Gone with the Wind will always remain an American classic for the groundbreaking movie making undertaken by the director Victor Flemming. His ingenuity in presenting an American story with enormous landscapes and perfect performances from the actors makes this film a favorite for so many die hard fans. It was made at a time in movie history when the leading man took the woman into his arms and consumed her with a controversial kiss on the lips. He would then lift her as if a dry leaf and carry her up the stairs to the bedroom. The rest, as they say, is history.