Gone with the Wind review

Number 156 on the top 1000 films of all time is the epic historical love drama 'Gone With the Wind.'

Gone with the Wind tells the epic love story between the strong-willed Scarlet O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) and her tempestuous relationship with the dashing Confederate Captain Rhett Butler (Clark Gable.) Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, the film also explores changing social attitudes of the 19th century.

According to many critics, Gone with the Wind is the best movie of all time.  It won ten Oscars and constantly ranks highly in best movie lists.  But the question is, does it live up to the hype? Does it still hold up today? Short answer, no.  I really didn't like the film for a number of reasons.  Firstly, the length.  The film is just under four hours long and is certainly a lot longer than it needs to be.  The pace is slow and it plods along.  It takes ages for anything to happen and when it does it's very anticlimactic. 

I also didn't like the text cards appearing on screen.  They were used for nothing more than providing exposition and were unnecessary.  I'd've much preferred to see this action unfold on screen.  It was a lazy way of conveying information.

But what I disliked the most was the portrayal of the central characters.  Let's begin with Scarlet O'Hara who did very little for the positive representation of women in film.  I know Gone with the Wind was released in 1939, which wasn't a particularly progressive era, but in today's society, this film does not hold up at all. 

Scarlet O'Hara begins the film as a petulant, whiny brat who complains and cries.  I understand this is part of her character arc, but it also plays into negative stereotypes of women.  As the film progresses, she assumes more agency and becomes more likeable, until her relationship with Butler becomes more serious.  She then loses all of her development and reverts back to her early self.  She obsesses over Butler and continues to cry and whinge. 

And while Butler is certainly dashing and charismatic, but he is downright abusive and this does not make him likeable.  He is a drinker and he constantly forces himself upon O'Hara, which did make for some uncomfortable watching.  And what was that scene where he threatens to kill her in a drunken rage? But the next morning, he brushes it off with a meaningless apology. 

One thing I did like though was how the film didn't shy away from the horrors of the Civil War.  It was the most brutal war in American history and Victor Fleming did well in portraying it in all its brutality.  O'Hara volunteers as a nurse where she witnesses a man having his leg amputated without anaesthetic.


I imagine that many film purists will attack me for this review.  Maybe they'll say that I didn't understand the film well enough or the film is too nuanced and complicated for me, but frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.