Gone With the Wind, simply put, is my favorite movie I have ever seen. From the first scene with Scarlett, absolutely brilliantly played by Vivien Leigh, on the porch of her magnificent plantation Tara, to the final moment in the film when she decides to go home, followed by her return to the plantation, I am filled by a feeling that I am scarcely able to describe.
First of all, the performances are almost all, without a doubt, perhaps the most wonderful of all time. It’s as though all the great talent of Hollywood in the 1930’s was ensembled together and put in this incredible film. Vivien Leigh, (an Englishwoman mind you) portrays to perfection the role of the narcissistic, spoiled, and self-centered Scarlett O’Hara. Clark Gable was perfectly cast as the gentlemanly, yet quasi-ignoble Rhett Butler, as Amazon says one of the most “manly” performances ever. Olivia de Havilland shines as the naive, and sometimes overly-trusting “good-doer”, who sees beyond (sometimes when she shouldn’t) Scarlett’s self-concerned personality. Leslie Howard as the timid and weak Ashley, just another excellent performance. And Hattie McDaniel, who playes Scarlett’s “Mamie”, also an incredible actress, also the first African-American to win an Academy Award.
The movie is an incredible achievement in every other area too: from a brilliantly written script (written by many screenwriters) filled with memorable lines that are constantly quoted, such as “I’ll think about that tomorrow”, “Fiddle-dee-dee” and others; to a beautiful film with some of the best cinematography I’ve seen to date. The story itself is compelling, and it is relevant to every aspect of modern day life, even though takes place in a time period “which you will only read about in books”.
By the way, if you’re a guy reading this and you’re concerned that this is too much of a “chick flick”, as I’ve known many fellow men to say, just think about the movie’s universal themes, the determination, the sense of pride, the horrible effects of racism, the feelings of love for home, etc. If Gone With the Wind is a “chick flick”, then The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep are “guy movies”.
In sum, I can honestly say that my life has been changed by repeated viewings of this great piece of cinematic art.
Cast
- Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara
- Clark Gable as Rhett Butler
- Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes
- Olivia de Havilland as Melanie Hamilton
- Hattie McDaniel as Mammy
- Oscar Polk as Pork
- Butterfly McQueen as Prissy
- George Reeves as Stuart Tarleton (miscredited as Brent Tarleton)
- Fred Crane as Brent Tarleton (miscredited as Stuart Tarleton)
- Thomas Mitchell as Gerald O’Hara
- Barbara O’Neil as Ellen O’Hara
- Ward Bond as Tom – Yankee Captain