Gone with the Wind

As a young, slightly cynical film lover, I approached the four hours of epic Southern drama that Gone with the Wind would bring with caution.  A big part of me was afraid that I would hate it, and that would make for a long and miserable afternoon.  But when that huge title scrolled across the screen with a swell of sweeping music, I smiled and relaxed into my couch.  Somehow, I just knew immediately that I was in good hands.

The story follows Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh), a spoiled and manipulative Southern belle.  As talks of secession and war are on the rise, so is Scarlett’s love for Ashley (Leslie Howard), who has just married her cousin, Melanie (Olivia de Havilland).  The fact that he is taken makes no difference to Scarlett, who pursues him even further, confessing her love, only to be turned down and overheard by a charming but rebellious man who opposes war and has a with a scandalous reputation with women, Rhett Butler (Clark Gable).  As the Civil War breaks out, with the men celebrating and rushing off to join the army, there’s a rush for quick marriages as well.  Out of haste and jealousy, Scarlett marries and stays home with Melanie, as they pine over the same man.  They endure a string of hardships and tragedies throughout the Civil War, the destruction of the South and its recovery, with Rhett aiding and becoming part of their lives along the way.

Long movies about the drama of a conniving woman do not usually go over well with me, but I loved every minute of Gone with the Wind.  I loved how I hated Scarlett, yet felt so concerned with everything going on with her.  I loved how Rhett was so cool, coy and helpful, but I dreaded his eventual life with Scarlett.  I loved how the south was portrayed in it’s height of elegance and arrogance, and then how I completely sympathized with them as the war ended.  I hardly expected to feel so pushed and then pulled over and over again throughout this film, but it was wonderful.

The visual aspects of this film play perfectly off all the drama, and even help to enhance it.  Over and over again I was taken-aback by the lovely colors and lighting used.  At the most appropriate times it looks like the richest sunsets are lighting the entire scene.  This really gives the film the feeling of a hot, southern summer, everything looks so warm and humid.  During the infamous burning of Atlanta scene, the amount of fire everywhere is so good and real, it’s frightening.  And the scene is topped off flawlessly with the greatest explosion you’ll ever find in 1930’s cinema.  Later in the film, when things become more somber, so does the color pallet with dark reds, grays and purples.

If you’re one of those people who have put off seeing Gone with the Wind simply because of it’s intimidating length and greatness, my best advice is to just dive in.  Any classic film buff will be blown away, artistic and visual-minded people will soak in the beauty of this film and anyone who enjoys a good story will be hooked within minutes.  The acting is superb, with multiple Oscar wins (Leigh and Hattie McDaniel) and nominations (Havilland and Gable).  I would call this Clark Gable at his best.  Best of all, it’s streaming on Netflix instant right now, so most people only need four hours free and it is completely worth the time.  And let’s not forget about one of the greatest lines in the history of cinema:

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”

Since You Went Away

Since You Went Away focuses on the Hilton family’s struggles after the man of the house has enlisted in the military for WWII.  The suburban family consists of the mother, Anne (Claudette Colbert), two teenage daughters, older Jane (Jennifer Jones), younger whinier Bridget (Shirley Temple) and a bulldog who seems to have his own bassoon theme music.  The ladies have a friendly black housemaid, Fedilia (Hattie McDaniel) and are regularly visited by their longtime friend Tony (Joseph Cotten), a naval officer.  The daughters want to do what they can to help in this time of war, so Bridget suggests renting out a room to an officer in need.  Jane, being seventeen full of girlish fantasies about older military men likes the idea, until old Colonel William G. Smollett (Monty Woolley) arrives as the new tenant.  He quickly becomes the cranky old man of the household.  When his grandson, Bill (Robert Walker), comes to visit to tell his grandfather that he’s in the army, we see a struggling relationship between grandfather and grandson.  Bill and Jane become friends and eventually fall in love, but as most WWII home front dramas do, they are pulled apart by war just as their love is at its fullest.  And to make sure the whole family is hurting, they are informed that Mr. Hilton is missing in action.

I’m sure back in 1944 this was a great film that touched the hearts of so many people living the struggles and tragedies these characters depict.  There’s a great sense of pride in the military men and the younger women back home are willing to do their part to help the war efforts.  Later in the film, Jane decides to put college off so she can help by being a nurse.  She’s willing to sacrifice some of her upper-middle class lifestyle to help those in need and it makes Anne question what she can do.  Surely she shouldn’t be like that snooty lady at church, Mrs. Hawkins (Agnes Moorehead), who acts like she is too good to help with any war aid or become a lady welder.

While this film is a great representation of the struggles and sacrifices families made, its sappy melodramatic style is very old and dated and may be very hard for today’s viewer to get into.  Honestly, it feels like an episode of Leave it to Beaver at times, only with teenage girls and they can make petty drama out of anything.  From Jane’s silly girl crush on Tony to Bridget’s fourteen going on nine demeanor, I could not take either of the daughters seriously.  And Bill becomes little more than the sweet, shy boy who uses words like gee and swell too much.

Many will recognize the iconic train departure scene, not because of this film, but because of it’s parody in Airplane!.  The parody does a great job playing off the dialogue and only replaces pillars with runway equipment.  It’s cheesy enough to be a perfect gag in one of the greatest spoofs ever.  If you can take the rest of the film seriously after that scene, you’re a stronger person than I am.

The film did win the Oscar for best music and I can see why.  There is a lot of music and it all goes with the scenes very well, it swells and wanes with the rising and falling dramatics perfectly.  It provides a great background for the trite small talk that we only need to half listen to.  Then it strikes up perfectly on cue with the dramatic slam of a door.  My absolute favorite moment was early in the film when Anne is to spend the first night with her husband gone.  She’s in her bed looking worried and suddenly with a swipe of the harp and a quick swell of music she hops across the room into her husbands twin bed and cries.

Off the top of my head, I can think of two films of the forties that focus on families dealing with WWII on the home front that are much better than Since You Went Away: The Human Comedy and Mrs. Miniver.  These films have both better quality acting and a more intriguing storyline.  Unless you really want to kick back for three hours with some melodramatics that teeter on the edge of extra-cheesy, skip this and go with one of the other two.

“Cry, darling.  Cry your heart out.”