Classic Flaws Riddle Gone With The Wind

Gone with the Wind is usually recognized as one of the great American classics of our time. If it weren’t for the second half of Gone with the Wind I would’ve been sorely disappointed. The first half includes a handful of great scenes but is filled with frustrating character developments. Toward the end of the second half the movie really starts to pick up steam but ends graciously on its face.

To say I didn’t like the movie as a whole would be a lie. Even on today’s standards it features some great cinematography. The silhouetted backdrops and character outlines are great additions to the film. It’s also arguably one of the better films to use the Technicolor process that used to dominate in the 1930’s and 40’s before Kodak came up with a better process in the 50’s. But even with all of these technical achievements I’m still unsure if I would ever be willing to call it a classic. In the end it doesn’t matter what it’s called anyway.

First off, the film is too long. After seeing Scarlett attempt to steal Ashley away for the third or fourth time I understand she is in love with him. I find it unnecessary to continue pushing that in my face when it isn’t a hard concept to grasp in the first place. While the first half was charming for the first hour the last half hour gets incredibly hard to watch. There is virtually nothing going on to drive the story onward. Another aspect I just couldn’t stand was the constant whining the men put up with. I don’t honestly think any rational person could stand Scarlett even for a moment.

These arguments are nothing next to the portrayal of the south. I do like the fact that the characters are honestly biased toward the north but the problem is when the war ends. People, including the slaves, continue living like nothing has happened at all. This makes no sense to me. Why include the war if you don’t plan on revealing its consequences? I realize the people involved probably never wanted to make a movie about slavery but ignoring it completely does more harm than good.

Like I said, it’s a great movie even on today’s standards. I just expected more from a film that is sometimes referred to as the best of all time. Maybe I’ll try watching it again someday to see if it has grown on me. Going into it without having your expectations set too high would probably be your best bet, though.