Director: Victor Fleming
Year: 1939
Country: US
Language: English
To say Victor Fleming's 1939 masterpiece Gone with the Wind is a film merely about the civil war, a war fought to free the slaves and defeat the confederacy, would be much to simple. It is a landmark film about sexuality, lust, love and destiny. It is a film that raised quite a few eyebrows back when it first was screened, it took chances, dropped a "damn" bomb and has become the highest grossing film of all time adjusting inflation. For a film that has passed its 70th Anniversary, many will agree that it's still "damn" good.
One of the highlights of this film is the joy of seeing Scarlette O'Hara (Vivan Leigh) strut her stuff. Leigh is a bold actress, the harsh realities of the Great Depression are likely what shaped her to be this way. She approaches her character with a free-spirit, someone who has not been broken by the system but someone who flourishes in it. Leigh is perfect to fill the role of a lusty woman who desires control over her sexual conquests.She also sought for control over her economic fate. She is a strong woman who seems extremely defiant in a male ruled world. Unfotunately, she was too defiant for the 30's, we are STILL fascinated by what a strong character O'Hara is, and therefore a lot of people really wanted her to be taken down a peg. In comes Clark Gable as the handsome Rhett Butler. A strong man himself who's dialogue, if written today, would be absolutely filthy. A southern gentleman? Maybe by today's standards. He is the Romeo to her Juliet and brings forth the inner sexual struggles of Ms. O'Hara.
It's not a surprise that Leigh and Gable decided to take part in such a controversial and ground-breaking film. Gable was well known for his drinking and womanizing, Leigh was a drug abusing man-eater. Both were surrounded in controversy, both had great egos, but both had great sexual chemistry. Their body language could speak volumes, their eyes would often be better than dialouge. Every move these actors make in front of the camera is incredibly important.
Yes, Gone with the Wind seems to skip the very important matters of the Civil War such as slavery, though the most sensible woman in the film is a black slave known as Mammy (who won an Oscar for her amazing performance) and it isn't entirely politically correct but to make GWTW politically correct would be dishonest to the time period of the 30's. GWTW was made during a time entirely different from 2012, when watching this film we must attempt to understand that particular time period, therefore we understand how much guts it took to make this film. "Damn" might mean nothing today, little kids are able to say "damn" it's not even considered a swear anymore, but back then to say it in a film was a HUGE deal.
By linking melodrama with epic production values the producer David Selznic realized he could make something incredible. The burning of Atlanta leaves you in admirable awe. The visual style is a complete joy to see, especially when so many "epics" nowadays seem so lackluster and fake. The cinematography is pure genius. CGI has nothing on this film.
In conclusion, you NEED to see Gone With the Wind. Visually it is one of the most beautiful films you will ever see. There is strong dialouge, wonderful characters and plenty of history behind this film. A triumph that still knocks modern epics out of the park. A grand film that doesn't need phoney CGI and doesn't apologize for being controversial for all the right reasons. It is magic, it is History! Praise it! 5/5
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