The book has often been listed right up top in most ‘100 must read books’ lists and got Margaret Mitchell(the author, a sometime reporter in the 1920s) a Pulitzer, a most loved movie, plenty of accolades and millions of copies worth of sales(second only to Bible).
As in the book, the movie is the story of a feisty young southern belle(as in Atlanta and Georgia) named Scarlett O’Hara(it was supposed to be Pansy!). Set against the Old South, the Civil War and Reconstruction its the epic journey of this remarkable young woman who draws strength from her fathers’ plantation Tara and loves the drippy Ahley Wilkes(a fellow rich planter).
In an unusual turn the author gave her protagonist a spine and so the book becomes extraordinary in how Scarlett fights tooth and nail to be happy and grab love AND money with both hands! On the way she meets her third husband Rhett Butler, her equal in strength, selfishness and greed. By the time she realizes that Rhett is her true love, the wind blowing through the deep south of the reconstruction has swept much of her life away along with the old south traditions of chivalry and slavery.
The movie was released in 1939 after two years in the making and stories abound of women and men walked miles to catch its first show dressed in giant crinolines and tail coats respectively. Having read the book 25 times as a teenager(mostly hiding in the loo) I found the movie an utter disaster and a complete let down. Well you can find a million reviews of why the movie is a MUST watch but try as I might, I fail to see the point. So here is my take on why you MUST NOT watch the movie.
The direction: Apparently the expectation for the movie was so high that it took three directors and a couple of heart attacks to bring it to the theatres. The effort shows. Maybe it’s just 1930s Hollywood but the movie looks sadly butchered. Eventually Victor Fleming was entirely credited for direction and won an Oscar too. I just call it the hit-movie fever, Shakespeare in Love is a case in point.
The actors: Sure Vivian Leigh is thin, very white and beautiful, but where Scarlett is feisty, Vivien is petulant. She pouts, preens and twists enough to exasperate you. Green eyes and all, I’d still prefer Bette Davis, even with her scotch taped face!
As for Rhett Butler, Clark Gable looks the part magnificently, as long as he keeps his mouth shut! And it doesn’t help to know that Vivien Leigh refused to kiss him onscreen because of his…ahem breath! Rhett of the smelly breath….eeww! Never could read the book again without that in mind.
Leslie Howard was supposed to fit the bill of the blondely beautiful Ashley Wilkes to a T but looks hardly worth even puppy love much less the passionate lust of Scarlett! The chemistry just doesn’t show through and so the whole movie makes sense only because we KNOW of the grand passion.
The melodrama: The outright melodrama jars. The ballet like choreographed movements are way too much. It’s hard not to cringe every time Scarlett whips her hair or makes toad eyes at the camera to catch Ashleys’ attention. And oh why did they have to make a hash of the legendary jail scenes where Scarlett proposes to become Rhetts’ mistress for money! If you can, watch the Broadway show instead.
The Slavery: Mammy, Prissy, Big Sam are central characters that become the sounding board of morality and tradition and are ably played by good actors. But the obvious standing of black actors in Hollywood of the time is also very evident. Brings the France and Australia episodes in perspective.
Read the book: Do pictures really speak louder than words? GWTW is a study in why not to watch a movie based on a book(ignoring the horrendous Tom Hanks starrer Da Vinci Code). The book is a tome and might be daunting for a few but once you begin, it’s unputdownable. Watch Guide, Silence of the Lambs and Se7en if you must.
So apologies to the fans of this timeless sweeping drama but I’d rather read the book, again or watch Elizabeth Taylor scorch the screen in Cat on the Hot Tin Roof!