Reviewed By Jason LockardIn 1939 Hollywood turned out some of the most iconic film in cinema history. Films like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Wizard of Oz, Gunga Din, Ninotchka, Destry Rides Again, Stagecoach, Dark Victory, Of Mice and Men and Wuthering Heights just to name a few.
As it is 80 years since these films were in theaters I think it is a good time to relive one of these classics. The film we will revisit is Gone with the Wind.
In this day in age it is a controversial film. Now in this review we are not going to discuss the slavery, marital rape ect. I think we all can agree the controversial things are detestable, but like it or not it is apart of history. And as is said, "If we don't learn from history we are doomed to repeat it." We are just going to look at it as historical film.
The film follows a Georgia southern belle Scarlett O'Hara who suffers from a broken heart when the man she loves marries her cousin. She than settles to marry a man named Charles. But she is soon widowed when Charles dies from a bout of pneumonia and measles while serving in the Confederate Army.
Seeing all the death violence and pain going on with the Confederate solders in the Civil War, Scarlett can't take it and travels back home to her families plantation Tara, to rebuild and to "never go hungry again." While struggling to survive she finds herself in a love triangle with Ashley Wilkes and Rhett Butler.
Watching this film 80 years after it was made I was expecting it to be dull, uninteresting or just plain boring, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The story is adapted to the screen masterfully. The cinematography is stunning and the color pallet is tremendous.
The film has perfect casting. Vivien Leigh is a very strong female lead as Scarlett. The supporting cast of Leslie Howard as Ashley, Clark Gable as Rhett and the amazingly character actor Hattie McDaniel as Mammy and many more great actors to numerous to mention. Hattie McDaniel caught a lot of grief for the role she played, but she once remarked, ''I'd rather make $700 a week for playing a maid than $7 a day for being a maid.'' And I don't know if anyone can argue with that.
The cast is truly a who's who of cinema history. I have to say the film is a true human spirit, never give up story. No wonder in a year with so many iconic film it set a record for Academy Award wins and nominations, winning in eight of the competitive categories it was nominated in, from a total of thirteen nominations. It won for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Editing, and received two further honorary awards for its use of equipment and color (it also became the first color film to win Best Picture).
American Film Institute honored this film many times. First with the #4 spot on AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies, #2 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions, #6 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) and many more.
While there is some controversial things in this film, and they can be a bit offensive! I still find it a unique piece of film history and no film fans library would be complete without it! Gone with the Wind can be purchased in HD at www.Amazon.com or your local blu-ray provider.
Moral Rating: Adult Language
Audience: Parental Guidance
Genre: Drama
Length: 4 Hours
Movie Released: 1939
Movie Rating: A
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