Introduction
Gone with the Wind is a 1930’s movie directed by Victor Fleming about the American South in the period of the Civil War. The movie deals with the upheaval in the South during that time and the plot is developed using the central character of Scarlet O’ Hara. This character is played by Vivien Leigh and she does a great job at it. She flits from suitor to suitor and her series of marriages leave the conservative among her family and friends shocked. The vivaciousness of the character is brought into focus as she always believes that “Tomorrow is another day” and as long as she has the land to herself, nothing can come in the way of her journey in life. All her life she is in love with Ashley Wilkes but this is one love that is unrequited as he does not reciprocate her advances. Instead, she goes through life marrying a series of men culminating in the other protagonist, Captain Rhett Butler.
Main body
The film’s historical value lies in the way it portrays the rumblings in the cotton plantations of the south immediately before the civil war and in the aftermath of it when the southern landed gentry find themselves uprooted and the old order gives way to the new. This transition is marked by violence and much bloodletting as the south holds on its own against the Yankees and their “carpet bagging ways”. There is an undertone of subtle disapproval of the ways of the northerners. In these politically correct times, it is not something that a modern filmmaker would attempt to do. The movie revolves around the life in the plantations of the south with its share of colored people doing the manual labor and the mammies looking after the children.
I find the movie one of the best that I have watched so far. The reconstruction of the environment that existed in the South before the civil war, the scenes showing Atlanta on fire and the scenes involving Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable would remain etched forever in my mind. These are immortal scenes and the way in which the emotions are portrayed is spellbinding. Vivien Leigh does a great job of bringing the character of Scarlet O’ Hara to life. Her performance of a fickle minded yet determined girl from the plantation is worth noting. The transformation from a simple girl to taking charge of her farm, Tara after she returns is shown very well. And Clark Gable was always one of my all time favorites. So, the double delight of Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable makes the movie eminently suited and deserving of the many Oscars that it bagged.
In conclusion, I would recommend the movie to anyone who wants to get a fictitious account of the south during the turbulent times of the Civil War. The movie stands out not only because of the main characters but also because of the many subtexts that run through the movie. As Ashley Wilkes exclaims, it is the Gotterdammerung or the “dusk of the gods” that they were witnessing. And the classic, “To hell with you madam” dialogue of Clark Gable has caught the imagination of movie fans everywhere.