Gone with the Wind

3.5/4

Starring: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland, Leslie Howard, Hattie McDaniel

Rated G

Whenever someone talks about Hollywood, "Gone With the Wind" is bound to be mentioned almost immediately.  Apart from a few exceptions, no film is more famous or beloved (adjusted for inflation, it would be the biggest grossing film of all time, garnering nearly $4 billion dollars).  At just a hair under four hours, it defines the term "epic."  Still, it's legendary status is overstated, and by quite a bit.  The film is at least 20 minutes too long and the final act becomes a daytime soap opera.  All things considered, however, it's a wonderful film.

Storywise, it's really a romantic melodrama (as epics tend to be).  Scarlett O'Hara (Leigh) is a Southern Belle living on a plantation in Georgia shortly before the Civil War.  Despite being adored by every man in town, Scarlett is in love with the dashing Ashley Wilkes (Howard), one of their neighbors.  Unfortunately for her, he's going to marry his cousin, Melanie (de Havilland).  But there is one man who gets her attention, although not in a positive way.  That's Rhett Butler (Gable), a dashing rogue, who is hardly a virtuous southern gentleman like Ashley.

Oddly enough, this film is really a character study of the feisty Scarlett.  Character studies usually don't take long to tell, but this is an instance where this story could really only be told against an epic backdrop.  Scarlett is so firey and it will take a lot for her to change.  But war has that effect on people.  In the beginning of the film, Scarlett's life is centered around getting a husband (preferably Ashley).  Once the war takes over, she is forced to become independent; she takes charge of Tara, her family's plantation, marries for financial certainty, and isn't above using people to make her situation more stable.  Scarlett has her rough edges; she isn't always polite, is often selfish and can be manipulative.  But we still like her.

The acting is, for the most part, great and is often excellent.  Initially I thought Vivien Leigh was over-the-top, acting like every other talkative female star (Judy Garland specifically).  But she won me over.  Where Leigh really shines is in the quieter, more subtle scenes.  And she has a very expressive face.

Her co-star, Clark Gable, is wonderful.  He's just as politically incorrect (compared to the "honorable" Southern Gentleman).  Her prickly nature amuses him, and it doesn't take long for us to realize that this is the real match for Scarlett (much better than Ashley).  But will Scarlett realize it?

The supporting cast is mixed.  Olivia de Havilland gives the best performance in the film as the gentle and genuine Melanie.  Initially, we see her as a rival for Ashley's attention, and a woman who's going to turn out to be a villain.  The truth is far different.  Melanie is a kind and genuine woman.  She's devoted to those she loves (including Scarlett), positive and forgiving.  The danger of playing a character like this is to make her so noble that she becomes boring, but de Havilland succeeds in making her real.  Less successful is Leslie Howard, whose portrayal of Ashley is bland.  Granted, he's not supposed to be more interesting than Rhett Butler, but Howard is so boring that it's impossible to imagine why Scarlett is so hung up on him (and he's always looking sad, so there's that too).

Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to be nominated for (and win) an Oscar.  McDaniel gave birth to the "Mammy" archetype: the fast talking, slang using fat black maid (which has since become a racist caricature).  McDaniel is quite good; Mammy knows exactly what Scarlett is thinking/planning and isn't afraid to speak her mind.  Interesting bit of Hollywood trivia: there was thought to be some antagonism between Gable and McDaniel after he played a prank on her (he put actual brandy in the decanter when it was supposed to be iced tea), but they were actually good friends.  When McDaniel was barred from attending the premiere in Atlanta due to the fact that she was black, Gable was furious and threatened to boycott it.  He relented after McDaniel convinced him to go.

"Gone With the Wind" was the subject of some behind the scenes strife with its directors.  Originally, George Cukor was to direct the film, but because of his work and the slow pace at which he shot the film, producer David O. Selznick fired him and replaced him with Victor Fleming (Cukor was also unhappy with script changes, although he did come back to coach Leigh and de Havilland on weekends at their request).  Scenes shot by Cukor were either reshot or scrapped entirely.

The film is not flawless.  Far from it in fact.  The pacing is at times uncertain and the writing isn't as strong as it should be.  As I said before, the film is too long (although I've seen plenty of movies that seem longer when in fact they take up a third of the running time), particularly at the end, where the melodrama gets amped up to levels that almost make it to daytime TV levels.  And the ending doesn't really work, in my opinion.  It's kind of open-ended and doesn't tie up the story effectively.

This historical epic is really a product of its time, especially in the sense that it treats its black characters.  They're all stereotypes (the fat maid Mammy, the simple minded servant named Pork (Oscar Polk), the dim, high-pitched servant Prissy (Butterfly McQueen)).  Admittedly racism was shamefully more open back then, but it can still create a bit of discomfort when watching the film.

All things considered, it's a wonderful film (although when it comes to epic romances, I still prefer "Titanic").  It may be four hours long, but it's not a bad way spend it.