As many of you know I recently traveled to Idaho for a small book writing workshop. While there I stayed in a Candlewood Suite (highly recommended hotel!!). Nearly everything was complimentary including their movies.
Ashley at the time was having a Gone with the Posts Blog Party and it got me in the mood to watch the film. I had seen it once before and wanted to know if my first impressions would stay the same years down the road. Especially with so many of my beloved authors loving this movie. (Julie is going to hate me for this post).
I spent 6 hours and watched the ENTIRE film! Now, would someone please explain to me what all the fuss is about?? Scarlet is a spoiled brat that NEVER changes. Everyone hates her, she is greedy and never satisfied and in the end when she finally realizes the error of her ways, it is all so far gone all I want to see her do is lose Rhett!
And while Rhett is a stunning hero, I will admit he was asking for heartbreak, he KNEW what Scarlet was like when he married her and did it anyway.
As I finished the last part of the film and sat, listening to my mom in the other room laughing at Everyone Loves Raymond and I upset in the front room, I wracked my brain over what does everyone see in this movie?? I beg of you dear readers, explain the truth behind this conundrum and tell me why YOU like this film. There HAS to be reason why it is so well loved. And to know if I am not the only one that was thoroughly frustrated at the close of the credits.
Do forgive me, I hope no one chucks that thick book at my head. Remember, no me, no party next week! (well...actually, probably yes, because almost all the posts are scheduled) Hehe. Do tell the secret behind this, I am dying to know.
After all...tomorrow is another day!
My understanding is that the reason it was important is it was sort of a prototype for romance which I think was not thought of as legitimate until Mitchell wrote this huge tome. Maybe I'm wrong but this is my understanding (and this is more the book than the film, I think). Kind of like Janette Oke was for Christian fiction, or Tolkien for fantasy.
ReplyDeleteAs for the characters, I totally agree...Scarlett is a whiny brat and you just can't stand her for what she does to her friends (although, truth be told I haven't even seen this movie since high school and I wasn't a Christian then...so it would be interesting to watch it now).
I agree wholeheartedly. However, now you have to watch Scarlet it too is 6 hrs. not same characters, but it is the continuation. She picks her life back up and continues on.
ReplyDeleteMy dd and I just finished watching the whole 12 hrs. (not all in one setting though) last month.
I think Julia is on to something - GWTW is, I believe, viewed as legitmizing (maybe that's the right word??) romance as a viable novel type. This has never been my favorite film, and that has a lot to do w/ Scarlett's character too. However, I do enjoy the setting, many of the other characters, the costumes, and the whole general EPIC feel of the story. It's one of those movies that covers so much ground, and does a pretty good job immersing you in the world of the story - that even though I don't necessarily "love" all of the characters, I love experiencing that world, if that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks for all the great indepth comments. :)
ReplyDelete@Julia, that is a very interesting observation. It is a break from every cliched romance film. But STILL, did she have to be such a brat all the way until the end? Maybe that's just me...
@Apple Blossom, I hadn't heard of the sequel. Maybe that is something to look into down the road. :)
@Ruth, you make perfect sense. Scarlet is annoying, but so many of the other characters did make the movie bearable. And the setting was well portrayed. I thought for such an old movie, the cinematography was very well done.
Thanks for the input ladies!!
I know what you mean, Casey. One weekend when my mom and I were home alone, I decided to get GWTW and watch it - since I'd heard SO much about it. When I finished the movie...I just felt like I wasted 6 hours of my life...
ReplyDelete~ Katie
LOL Katie! Too funny. :) I wouldn't say that I wasted my time, I think it was good to know what everyone is talking about. :) But I still wouldn't go back and watch it again. THAT would be wasting my time. :)
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I'm right there with you! I'm not even sure I've watched the whole thing, but I've had it on in the background here or there. I'm just not crazy about it. I haven't read the book either, and since it's my genre I get a little flak on that from time to time. But it just isn't me for some reason.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I am not the only one CherryBlossom! :) I was starting to think I was the only one who didn't care for the movie. :)
ReplyDeleteYou are not the only one and I'm glad to see I'm not the only one either! GWTW is not my cup of tea at all.
ReplyDeleteWell it's been a couple of decades since I read the novel, but I LOVED Gone With the Wind!!
ReplyDeleteI do remember thinking the book was better than the movie though.
I think Scarlet may not have been nice, but she was strong and her strength saved lives during the war (kept people from starving) and that was admirable.
But the book did a better job going into detail about the sacrifices she made and the strength she showed.
I loved the vivid detail about the book, I loved the character building. The author gave us two hugely flawed characters and somehow made us love them (well me and Julie anyway, lol).
The only thing GWTW was missing was a happily ever after. I so wanted them to stay together in the end.
This makes me laugh....I couldn't watch it all. I remember my mother trying to get me to when I was younger, but I ended falling asleep then waking up and thinking Scarlett is still whiny?
ReplyDeleteI've always heard people rant and rave about how great it is. And I just nod my head and smile...glad I'm not alone in my thinking this movie is over rated. =)
@Angie, hahaha, good to know! ;)
ReplyDelete@Joy, I have found that the movies are hardly ever as good as the book. Very rarely. I don't think I could do the book, but it is good to know that it isn't quite as depressing as the movie. :)
@MaDonna, ROFLOLOLOL! That is toooo funny! You just made my night! I can't stop smiling and chuckling. :) Smiling and nodding sounds like the thing to do. :) Everyone has different taste and I am very respectful of that. But good to know, I'm not alone. :D
Hey Casey, first time visitor here through Renee Ann. The only thing I recall as being memorable from teh film GWTW is when the maid said, "I don't know nuthin' 'bout birthin' no babies!" I actually watched this for a book report in high school. I know, I know. (I did get an A).
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I thought of while I was reading your post, and I doubt is was supposed to be a theme of the movie, is that when you were talking about Scarlett being such a brat all the time, and Rhett still loving her... Made me think of how childish I act at times, spoiled and petulant, and how God only sees His precious child.
Like I said, doubt is was the theme of the book, but your post made me think of it. : )
I think you need to consider the context of when the book was written and what it ultimately is about.
ReplyDeleteThe book is even possibly better than the movie - you get more answers there.
However, the movie came out during WWII. The book is about a war where many young women had their lives drastically changed by the Civil War. Many people lost everything - not just money, but homes, lifestyles and loved ones - during a time period when there were not many options for women to be self-sufficient. Remember, that in WWII - women entered the job market for the first time in history - able to sustain themselves while their men were away at war.
So, here's this teenager, who was, yes, spoiled. But, she was a work in progress. If the war had not started when it did, her infatuation for Ashley would have probably worked its way out of her (like a rat works its way out of a snake) - but, ultimately, Ashley becomes the symbol for what she lost - and by george, she just didn't really want to let go.
Because of her fighting strength to persevere - she protected people weaker than her. She must have had a sense of obligation to not abandon Melanie. She could have just left her ther to die and had her man, but she did have a sense of right and wrong. Then she became responsible for her family - the breadwinner. A woman with limited means to win that bread, I might ask.
This last year, my culture changed. We moved from one state to another, leaving behind a lifestyle I totally love. During struggles, it has been amazing how I want to go back. Scarlett wanted to go back - to a time where she was on the brink of womanhood, where her parents adored her - and where an amazing future was ahead of her.
Then everything changed. The rules changed. Her expectations of life changed. She had lost everthing. Then, at the end of the book, the card of houses she had built in survival mode fell apart. However, at the end, she was able to finally step out of the past, let it go - the culture, the dreams of a girl on the brink short-circuted leaving her undeveloped - and she stepped away from that, her heart finally growing and blooming, ready to become the kind of woman she was destined to be but destiny got in the way.
Yeah - I would rather be Melany. However, Melany would be dead with Scarlet. Melany's family would be poor with Scarlet. Try making good decisions about your life when your world is being attacked, burned down, your family dying, your friends killed in battle - all this when you're a teen - and supposed to sit back and let the man take care of your pretty little self.
Look at it in the context of the time period it was written! I think women who remember WWI and WWI identified with this because they saw her plight in their lives - and, like her, they chose to be fighters!
@Kerri, thanks for stopping by my blog! I loved what you said about Christ. It is the exact same parrell, but you're right, I don't think the writers were going for that when they wrote the script. :)
ReplyDelete@Bluecotton, thank you for taking so much time to share your thoughts! Yes, the era that it was written in makes all the difference in the world and you are right, her determination to save her family and protect those around her was a huge driving force. I just wish it could have been done without all the whining and complaining. :) But you are absolutely correct when you said if it hadn't been for her grit her family most likely would have died.
Thanks again for stopping by! I have appreciated everyone's thoughts!