Gone with the Wind (1939)
Director: Victor Fleming
Starring: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Thomas Mitchell
Synopsis:
A fiery Southern belle dallies with a rascally blockade runner amid the Civil War and must find her own way in its aftermath.
Impressions:
The 800-pound gorilla of the cinema in terms of both critical and popular acclaim, you have to wonder why it took me so many years to get around to watching it. Before going in, be aware that this is a four-hour movie which requires a significant investment of time and energy. I can say without reservation that it's entirely worth it. It deserves all the praise it gets. Brilliantly shot, superbly acted and set to one of the greatest scores in all film (hat tip to Max Steiner). Touching back on the acting, yes, it gets a touch overwrought at times, but that's in part the convention of the era. Vivien Leigh delivers a lot of punch as the spitfire Scarlett O'Hara, who may not be all that admirable on a moral or ethical level, but she is one driven woman who won't be stopped for anything. Clark Gable is an absolute delight as the snarky Rhett Butler, but also shows some good range when the character requires it. Hattie McDaniel is also great as Mammy and there's some great chemistry with Gable that reflects their real-life friendship. Modern viewers are bound to decry the romanticism about the Old South and the downplaying of the horrors of the peculiar institution, but there's a fair bit of deconstruction at work even here. People call this a romance, but it tears down romantic notions more than it props them up (unless you're just doing a shallow viewing). There's a lot of meat to chew on, particularly when viewing this as a character study. I absolutely recommend that everyone see it and pretty much all cinephiles should add this to their collection.
Treasure It