Gone with the Wind – Stuck on the couch

There are several cinematic classics from the Golden Age that are still discussed in pop culture. Whether it be films like “The Wizard of Oz," “Vertigo” or “Citizen Kane,” these movies are celebrating over 75 years and remain in the zeitgeist. 

One of the highest-grossing movies is from that time in “Gone with the Wind.” It has been featured in multiple re-releases and, when adjusted for inflation, is the highest-grossing movie globally. 

It keeps a level of popularity in the current world that is only a step below from when it was first released. The movie is nearly four hours long, and while it drags in some parts of the movie, it does keep the audience hooked, wanting to see its conclusion. 

After winning eight Oscars from 13 nominations, the movie not only caught the hearts of its audiences but also the critics. While there are some racial aspects in the movie that have not aged well, at the time, it was seen as a breakthrough for Black actors and actresses. 

Hattie McDaniel is the best example of this, as she was the first Black actor to win an Oscar, winning best supporting actress for her role as Mammy. 

The plot of the movie follows the life of a young Southern belle, Scarlett O’Hara, and her family as they navigate life before, during and after the American Civil War. The O’Hara family lives somewhere in Georgia on their plantation named Tara.  

The audience is first greeted by the main character, Scarlett, who is excited for the party a neighbor is hosting because she hopes the man she loves, Ashley Wilkes, will ask for her hand in marriage. Ashley is not in love with Scarlett and is choosing to marry his cousin Melanie. 

Without Ashley pursuing her, Scarlett woos all the other gentlemen at the party, becoming the envy of the other ladies at the party as she is stealing away the attention they were receiving from their suitors.  This attention does not make Scarlett happy as it is not from the one she loves. 

After she confronts Ashley about her feelings, Scarlett meets Rhett Butler. Rhett is enamored by Scarlett’s selfishness and passion, as she is like him; however, Scarlett does not seem to care about him in the slightest. 

When Scarlett goes back home to Tara, her father, Mr. O’Hara, talks to her about the importance of life. Life is ever-changing, and she does not need to chase after men, but to focus on their land and home, because owning land is forever. 

After their conversation, the audience receives a beautiful camera shot where it shows their two silhouettes hugging on top of a hill while the sun is setting on Tara. This shot is gorgeous and is used two more times but with very different meanings each time. 

The second time is the final scene before intermission. Scarlett is crying and upset about the state of their home as it has been robbed and ransacked by Union soldiers. 

She stops crying and vows she will never be hungry or cold again. The camera once again peels back to the silhouette shot, and it makes the perfect ending to act one of the movie. 

The third and final time is at the end of the movie, after Scarlett has lived her life in Atlanta. She has lost everything in her life of constant change but realizes that her father was right; she still has Tara. 

This camera shot to me is amazing because this film was made almost 100 years ago, and the cinematography holds up well. There are several times other than the silhouette scenes where the shots they were able to capture are impressive. 

The acting in the movie is phenomenal as well. These actors became these characters, making it no wonder that they were able to win almost every major Oscar. 

Out of every character in cinematic history, however, Scarlett must be the most unlikable main character. There is no true character arc where she becomes a better person at the end. 

She starts as a self-centered, egotistical person and ends the movie almost the same, but just 20 years older. Scarlett marries a young man who is crazy about her before the war breaks out because she cannot marry Ashley. 

When her husband dies, she shows no remorse or sorrow in his death, but in the fact, she must wear black as she is a widow. When she marries her second husband later in the movie, she only marries him for his money so she can save Tara from falling behind on its taxes to the carpetbaggers. 

The man she marries was in love with Scarlett’s sister, but she lies to him about her sister’s feelings so that she can marry him for his money. He was murdered later after defending Scarlett’s honor when she was attacked on the way home, and for a second time, Scarlett shows no true sadness in the loss of her partner. 

There are only a few times when she gets upset, and the audience can feel sympathy for her. Some points where it feels like we should feel sorry for her, it really feels like she is finally receiving her comeuppance for the life she has lived.  

When the movie ends, she has turned the audience back on her side because she realizes how bad a person she has been to everyone in her life. While acknowledgement is the first step, the viewer does not get to see if she improves. 

While this movie is nearly four hours long, it kept my attention for every minute of it. There is wonderful romance, the drama of the war and the action of it.  

The cinematography is beautiful, and each set is gorgeous in its own way. This movie really sets the bar for old Hollywood, and it is a bar that movies today should still reach for. 

If you have four hours to kill one day, put on this movie and be transported into a different time.