Gone With The Wind (1939)

American Film Institute's Top 100 Films: No. 6

Academy Award for Best Picture, 1940

I don't know nothing 'bout birthin' babies! - Prissy

Great balls of fire this movie is loooooong. Although it's always been one I've enjoyed, it certainly is one which one has to commit to. I have seen the screen version of Margaret Mitchell's epic Civil War novel a few times when I was younger, but never has an adult. 

After all these years, it has come to my attention the novel is not much unlike the typical senior high school of today. Minus the slaves and burning of Atlanta, the movie pretty much plays like a much extended version of Dawson's Creek. However, that doesn't made it necessarily unlikeable. Quite the opposite, it is pleasant movie to watch, especially now that I have the attention span and mindset to understand everything that's going on. 

The personalities of the characters are quite diverse, which makes for a fun movie. Scarlett O'Hara might be the most selfish character every played by a woman in the early days of films. I never realized until watching this movie as an adult just how much of a hussy she is.  However terrible a person Scarlett may be, she does grow to be a likable character. The scenes of her bossing everyone else around are humorous, and although not a nice person, she is a strong female character. Likewise, although Clark Gable's Rhett Butler is just as selfish, he does have an immense amount of charm, and he again does prove to have nobel attributes later in the film. For the life of me, I can't fathom what the attraction is to Ashley Wilkes - tall, lanky, and seemingly humorless, why he is such a desirable catch in Scarlett's eyes is beyond me. 

The cast of African Americans, including Hattie McDaniel who won an Oscar for best supporting actress, provided comic relief much of the time but not in a way that was degrading or hokey. A recommended watch, but make sure you have no other plans for the night.....or the next....

4 stars out of 5