Gone With the Wind
A couple of weeks ago, Sarah decided she was going to play A Thousand Questions with me and before long we were both laughing because with each question she asked, I was able to twist it around to have the same answer.
“What’s your favorite movie?”
“What’s your favorite book?”
“What’s your favorite cd?”
She’s been asking me to watch it but we never have enough time (it’s approximately four hours long). But her bringing it up all the time has got me watching it now. I love this movie… it has everything: drama, suspense, history, politics, romance, and even comedy.
You gotta love Scarlet, really. She’s so immature, naive, and wrapped up in herself that she’s funny. You know, she’s actually supposed to be 16 at the beginning of the book/movie (28 at the end). And she could have anything she wants but she only wants what she can’t have. And that, is mostly the movie, most of her problems stem from her obsessing over what she can’t have, and then because of that, she makes bad and hurtful decisions. But, she always manages to come through in a crisis - she delivers Melanie’s baby, gets all of them out of Atlanta when Sherman was burning through, she saves Tara several times in more ways than one, etc.
“Ohhh, I never can decide which of you two is the handsomest. I was awake all last night trying to figure it out!”
But she’s not all to blame, Ashley does lead her on. He knows how she is but yet he can’t just put his foot down and say “no,” he has to always leave it open to a slim chance. He keeps her attention on him, yet maintains that he must be “honorable.”
“Most of the miseries in the world were caused by war. When the wars were over, nobody knew what they were about.”
Melanie is so sweet. She refuses to believe that there could be any bad in people, especially Scarlet. She is self-sacrificing and loving, wanting only the best for others, and she even donates her wedding ring for “the cause.” Did you know, if I wasn’t named “Valerie,” I’d be “Melanie” - yes, from Gone with the Wind. Or, at least that’s what Mom has always told me.
And Rhett… well, he is just one-of-a-kind. He makes no bones about Scarlet and her ways. He knows her better than she knows herself and he tells her so. He tries to be understanding, but can only take so much. He’s smart and philisophical and doesn’t care what others think of him. He stands out in a crowd. He only wants to get away but Scarlet won’t go with him, so he prefers to stay and baby her, protecting her and Melanie when it’s really important.
“Take a good look, my dear. It’s a historic moment, you can tell your grandchildren how you watched the Old South disappear one night. They were going to lick the Yankees in a month, poor gallant fools.”
Mammy - she also knows Scarlet better than she knows herself, she’s got a hard shell with an ultra-soft interior. And she’s just hilarious, absolutely cracks me up.
“Which dress ma lamb gonna wear? Oh, no, you ain’t! You cain’t show your bossoms b’fore 3 o’clock!”
Charles and Frank. Poor guys, they were just along for the ride. Neither of them knew what hit them.
Prissy - what can I say? You just want to slap her, don’t you? She’s such a liar!
“Lawdie, Miss Scarlet! We gots ta have a doctor, I don’t know nutthin ’bout birthin’ babies!!”
And Big Sam! He’s just so lovable! :)
“Hoss make tracks!!”
And the cinematography! Awesome, especially when you consider this was all done in 1939. It’s great!
One thing I wish they’d done with the movie was include more of the book. For instance, in the book there is more about Charles and Scarlet had a son by him and then a daughter from her marriage to Frank; Suellen did marry and her husband was a great help for Tara; etc. Would just have been nice to have had all of that included in the original movie. But I guess in 1939 the thought of a trillogy like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars was unheard of. (?) They just had to cut something I guess.
But I love this movie. :)
Maybe I’ll have to con Steve into buying it on DVD for me for Christmas. Right now I only have it on two VHS tapes my mom copied for me from hers some years ago.
I love this movie. :)
