AFI Top 100: #6
I really didn't know how metal this movie was going to be until the main character literally shoots a man point-blank in the face (all I needed was her then promptly saying "and now you are the one who is gone... with the wind"). Victor Fleming's timeless film Gone with the Wind makes it obvious within minutes of its opening why it has become such an incredible classic. From the sweepingly grand production design to the unforgettable performances from the leads, this film is such an expansive epic that it is hard not to find something to love within its nearly four-hour timeframe. Although it is clearly dated due to the side of history that these main characters are on and the way a lot of people of color are treated and sidelined, this film contains one of the most memorable tales of lost romance ever put to screen and one that will open any viewer's eyes as to why it is so important to film history.
During the American Civil War, Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) must learn how to rebuild her home life after losing much of it due to the North. When she meets the brash and handsome Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), she must struggle between the newfound romance with him and her desire to build a better life for herself and her relationships. The writing in this film from Sidney Howard and adapted from the original story by Margaret Mitchell is just fantastic and provides a very detailed and expansive look at these characters and their lives during the Civil War. Every character that was introduced throughout Gone with the Wind was written so individualistically that it never proved to be a hard time following their stories. I often have a hard time figuring out who is who and who wants what in long epics like this but Howard does an amazing job of keeping their stories contained and consistently entertaining throughout the entire runtime. The direction from Fleming was incredible as well and it never really felt like a four-hour film because of how great he is at moving this story along at such a manageable pace. Along with this and The Wizard of Oz in the same year, Fleming was really not afraid to show how reliable he was as a director at the time. This writing, however beautiful and relatable it may be, is still obviously a bit problematic for many reasons, and even for Hollywood writers and directors at the time, I feel like this was a bit too much. The main characters in this film are on the side of the Confederacy during the Civil War, which leads way for them to treat people of color throughout this movie as not so human, unfortunately. The fact that Scarlett and Rhett were on the side of the South could have very easily been an interesting subplot to explore with them realizing how badly their side of the war was treating the slaves but I was a bit upset with how the writing fails to utilize that, which did nothing for the story. This is still a beautiful tale of love and loss with deeply rich characters but I also find it important to recognize the potential this film had to be a much timelier and not as offensive look at the characters' morals.
The performances from the entire cast were absolutely wonderful, including Leigh, Gable, and Hattie McDaniel as the supporting role of Scarlett's maid Mammy. McDaniel was actually the first black person in history to ever win an Oscar and her supporting role proves throughout the movie that it was so wildly deserved. She really carries the stress of the whole story on her character's back and shows it in her performance, which was just astounding. The chemistry between Leigh and Gable was also a strong point of the film, as they are able to get along and simultaneously bicker with ease and their relationship felt so natural. Every up and down that Scarlett and Rhett went through was able to be felt and their performances bring along just that right amount of energy towards each other to make their characters believable. The music and editing in Gone with the Wind were also great and really help to tell the visual story of this romantic tale. However, what stood out to me the most was the cinematography from Ernest Haller. His camerawork was just stunning and constantly made this film better with every shot that he composed. Every shot was just a pure painting and his use of shadows and lighting throughout the film is downright gorgeous. Although his use of backgrounds and sets to set up some of the most stunning sequences were a bit obvious, he uses them in some of the movie's widest and most emotional shots and I adored his variance in camera movements to tell the story. Haller's cinematography truly remains iconic and there were a lot of moments in this film that I recognized from so many other forms of media. All of these visual pieces come together to create one of the most recognizable and important films in cinematic history and the true mark of cultural importance is parody. I have seen so many parodies and references and countless nods to Gone with the Wind that it has really proven itself to be a landmark in epic filmmaking.
Gone with the Wind rocks for a lot of reasons and while I know a much more certified and reliable cinephile could list off those reasons in a more elegant way than me, just know that this movie is definitely worth at least a watch. Leigh and Gable have some of the most exciting chemistry I have ever seen from a classic film couple of this era and their ups and downs throughout this film constantly surprised me. I will always love a movie that can take its war-set premise and actually make it interesting for once and just like Scarlett says: "War, war, war! This war talk's spoiling all the fun at every party this spring. I get so bored I could scream!" Me too, Scarlett. Me too.
My Rating: ★★★★½
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