Gone With the Wind (1939) (Not Rated)
Directed by Victor Fleming
Starring: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland, Hattie McDaniel
Daddy Says:
This is my wife's all-time favorite movie, and the reason we're both watching it with her today. But fear not, I shall remain an unbiased reviewer (not counting my own biases, of course) and I will state my case for or against this movie without fear of reprisal from my spouse. Luckily for me, I love this movie too.
For the few of you who are unfamiliar with it, Gone With the Wind takes place in the South, right before the start of the Civil War. Scarlet O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) is the epitome of the Southern Belle with her pick of any man in the county. Unfortunately, the one she wants is Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) who is set to announce his engagement to his cousin (ewww) Melanie (Olivia de Havilland). At the barbecue at the Wilkes plantation, where Scarlett intends to find a way to get Ashley to marry her instead, she meets the "man who is no gentleman", the dashing Rhett Butler (Clark Gable). And while Rhett falls for Scarlett immediately, it takes her much longer (and two husbands later) to realize that Rhett is the man for her. And unless you've been living under a rock somewhere, you already know that by the time she realizes her feelings, it's too late. Frankly, my dear, he doesn't give a damn anymore.
There are so many great things about this movie, it's hard to list them all. It's an immense story told against a huge backdrop of a country tearing itself apart. Yet, director Victor Fleming manages to keep the story personal, so that we always have a reason to care about the people involved in it. The acting is first-rate. A lengthy casting process found the perfect actress to play Scarlett, and Clark Gable was born to play the roguish Rhett Butler.
The musical score is wonderful, the cinematography is wonderful; you'd think I'd be heading off to another five-star rating for this wouldn't you?
Almost, but not quite. I've seen this movie at least six times now and it's always seemed rushed in the last third of it. The first part has a very measured pace to it; events are allowed to unfold at their own pace. Whereas, after Scarlett and Rhett marry and have their little girl Bonnie Blue the movie seems to rocket through one event after another. Compare the pace of the scene where the men have gone off to clear out the shanty town where Scarlett was attacked. There is a deliberate pace and tension is allowed to build before it gets released. But in the last third of the movie, they have a baby, she grows up a bit, rides a horse, the grownups fight, Rhett says he's taking Bonnie to London. Next, they're in London, Bonnie has a nightmare, she wants to go home, then they're home. It all goes by so fast that we aren't allowed to understand what each event means in their lives. Their motivations and feelings get lost in the race to get to the end of the story. I know it's based on a really big book, and the film is already around three-and-a-half hours long, but the movie is so good that I really wouldn't have minded it being a little longer, just to avoid feeling rushed.
But don't let this one little quibble stop you from experiencing one of the cinema's all-time great films.
Rating for Gone With the Wind: ****3/4.
Daughter Says:
Gone With the Wind was one of the few classic movies that I was very uncertain of. I might be a fan of romantic/comedies, but if there isn't comedy connected to the story I'm not interested. I don't read romance novels for that exact same reason. I'm just not that type.
But Gone With the Wind is a horse of a different color. It's one of the few serious romance stories I will sit through. It might be three hours long, but every minute of this movie was amazing. The scenery is breath-taking. I feel in love with the coloring of the backgrounds. I couldn't believe how they got the sky so beautiful. I don't know if I can find a beautiful sky like that without some computer touching up on it. I was so surprised to like the coloring of this movie (considering how old Gone With the Wind is).
Another thing that surprised me was the acting. I was so unaware that there was such great actors in this movie. Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable did an amazing job bringing these characters to life. They put their heart and soul into these creations and made me root for all of the people to survive and Scarlet to get her life back. Plus Leigh and Gable looked so gorgeous together.
I highly recommend this movie to everyone. They should at least watch this movie once in their lifetime. I think they'll be surprised to find they like this film. You don't have to love romantic things to enjoy Gone With the Wind; so give it a try.
Rating for Gone With the Wind: ****1/2.
Directed by Victor Fleming
Starring: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland, Hattie McDaniel
Daddy Says:
This is my wife's all-time favorite movie, and the reason we're both watching it with her today. But fear not, I shall remain an unbiased reviewer (not counting my own biases, of course) and I will state my case for or against this movie without fear of reprisal from my spouse. Luckily for me, I love this movie too.
For the few of you who are unfamiliar with it, Gone With the Wind takes place in the South, right before the start of the Civil War. Scarlet O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) is the epitome of the Southern Belle with her pick of any man in the county. Unfortunately, the one she wants is Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) who is set to announce his engagement to his cousin (ewww) Melanie (Olivia de Havilland). At the barbecue at the Wilkes plantation, where Scarlett intends to find a way to get Ashley to marry her instead, she meets the "man who is no gentleman", the dashing Rhett Butler (Clark Gable). And while Rhett falls for Scarlett immediately, it takes her much longer (and two husbands later) to realize that Rhett is the man for her. And unless you've been living under a rock somewhere, you already know that by the time she realizes her feelings, it's too late. Frankly, my dear, he doesn't give a damn anymore.
There are so many great things about this movie, it's hard to list them all. It's an immense story told against a huge backdrop of a country tearing itself apart. Yet, director Victor Fleming manages to keep the story personal, so that we always have a reason to care about the people involved in it. The acting is first-rate. A lengthy casting process found the perfect actress to play Scarlett, and Clark Gable was born to play the roguish Rhett Butler.
The musical score is wonderful, the cinematography is wonderful; you'd think I'd be heading off to another five-star rating for this wouldn't you?
Almost, but not quite. I've seen this movie at least six times now and it's always seemed rushed in the last third of it. The first part has a very measured pace to it; events are allowed to unfold at their own pace. Whereas, after Scarlett and Rhett marry and have their little girl Bonnie Blue the movie seems to rocket through one event after another. Compare the pace of the scene where the men have gone off to clear out the shanty town where Scarlett was attacked. There is a deliberate pace and tension is allowed to build before it gets released. But in the last third of the movie, they have a baby, she grows up a bit, rides a horse, the grownups fight, Rhett says he's taking Bonnie to London. Next, they're in London, Bonnie has a nightmare, she wants to go home, then they're home. It all goes by so fast that we aren't allowed to understand what each event means in their lives. Their motivations and feelings get lost in the race to get to the end of the story. I know it's based on a really big book, and the film is already around three-and-a-half hours long, but the movie is so good that I really wouldn't have minded it being a little longer, just to avoid feeling rushed.
But don't let this one little quibble stop you from experiencing one of the cinema's all-time great films.
Rating for Gone With the Wind: ****3/4.
Daughter Says:
Gone With the Wind was one of the few classic movies that I was very uncertain of. I might be a fan of romantic/comedies, but if there isn't comedy connected to the story I'm not interested. I don't read romance novels for that exact same reason. I'm just not that type.
But Gone With the Wind is a horse of a different color. It's one of the few serious romance stories I will sit through. It might be three hours long, but every minute of this movie was amazing. The scenery is breath-taking. I feel in love with the coloring of the backgrounds. I couldn't believe how they got the sky so beautiful. I don't know if I can find a beautiful sky like that without some computer touching up on it. I was so surprised to like the coloring of this movie (considering how old Gone With the Wind is).
Another thing that surprised me was the acting. I was so unaware that there was such great actors in this movie. Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable did an amazing job bringing these characters to life. They put their heart and soul into these creations and made me root for all of the people to survive and Scarlet to get her life back. Plus Leigh and Gable looked so gorgeous together.
I highly recommend this movie to everyone. They should at least watch this movie once in their lifetime. I think they'll be surprised to find they like this film. You don't have to love romantic things to enjoy Gone With the Wind; so give it a try.
Rating for Gone With the Wind: ****1/2.
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