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.”

Ship of Fools

It’s true, the world is quite the bowl of mixed nuts.  Some of the most interesting interactions you will ever see are of complete strangers from all walks of life crammed into one place.  As the title suggests, this ship, sailing the Atlantic in 1933, is full of all kinds of fools and their time together can be just as enlightening as it can be disheartening.

Stanley Kramer directs a whole slew of characters and big name stars in this film voyage. Some of the passengers include a proud German spouting Nazi ideals (José Ferrer), a young artistic couple with a rocky relationship (George Segal and Elizabeth Ashley), a lonely old rich woman (Vivien Leigh), a crass American man (Lee Marvin), a kind Jewish salesman (Heinz Rühmann) and a little person who observes life onboard and narrates to us (Michael Dunn).  Along the way, the ship picks up hundreds of poor Mexicans immigrating to Europe.  Since the accommodations are all accounted for, they have to sleep on the lower deck, but are just happy to be aboard.  There’s also the ship’s doctor (Oskar Werner) who becomes close to a woman being transported to a prison (Simone Signoret).

When dealing with so many different people in a film, it’s especially important to make sure every character has a distinct voice, motive and style.  Characters too similar to each other can easily confuse the viewer, but thankfully that is not a problem at all here.

It is easy to see that all these characters represent their present world of 1933.  Ferrer’s character is often rambling on about his pure German race, and most people just shrug and turn away.  Rühmann’s Jewish man doesn’t believe anything will really come of the German’s blind hatred of his people.  Sadly, it is only Dunn’s character who is separated enough from the rest of society to see that it will happen.  And Segal’s passionate artist becomes more and more disheartened as upsetting events unfold around the ship.

Some of the most memorable scenes are when the Flamenco dancers are entertaining.  The dancers costumes are beautiful and around the room passengers are enjoying the festive atmosphere wearing party hats.  Ferrer appropriately wears a devil horns cap.  All around the dancing are the little personal stories unfolding more.  Segal refuses to dance, Marvin is drunkenly trying to lure one of the young dancers to sleep with him and a teenage girl is upset that no one has asked her to dance.  It’s all entertaining drama to watch at a distance.

There is a story and a character for everyone in Ship of Fools.  It might not make a bad party film, if hosted well  Perhaps try the murder-mystery style of assigning characters to your guests.    It is not often that a good film can mold so many memorable characters and compelling stories into one solid film.  Between the intelligently constructive narrative and the beautiful black and white cinematography, I completely recommend Ship of Fools.

“I have my own minority group.”

A Streetcar Named Desire

“Stella!”

I grew up with this cry holding a slightly comedic element.  My dad would jokingly yell, “Stella!” from across the house to get my mom’s attention, usually to get him another beer or some other mundane task.  I don’t think my dad has ever seen A Streetcar Named Desire or realizes the drunken, bullying, recklessness most people connect with a husband yelling ‘Stella!’  Even if he has, it’s easier to skip the therapy sessions and play ignorant.

In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche (Vivien Leigh) has just arrived in New Orleans looking for her sister, Stella (Kim Hunter).  Blanche is a nervous sounding Southern Belle; she talks a mile a minute and seems frail and vulnerable to everything around her.  Stella compassionately lets her sister stay in her tiny apartment in the French Quarter.  But Stella’s destructive husband, Stanley (Marlon Brando), doesn’t like Blanch from the start and wonders why she’s there.  She seems to have nice things, why can’t she sell them and find her own place?  As Blanche is trying to move on and forget her past, Stanley finds out her dark secrets and will use them to have her out of his home.

The acting in this film is phenomenal and expertly molds the story.  In fact, all four lead actors were nominated at the Academy Awards and only Marlon Brando lost in his category to Humphrey Bogart.  Vivien Leigh is simply astounding as Blanche; the way she portrays a need to be protected and escape reality gains sympathy until the very end.

Kim Hunter as Stella shows us exactly what a woman who just puts up with her lot in life is.  She’s strong, strong enough to take care of her sister and herself, but not strong enough to leave.  Stella is the classic example of asking, “Why is that nice girl with such a prick?”

And that king of pricks is Stanley, played by Brando.  Stanley is an animal, a grunting caveman compared to the fine Southern gentlemen Blanche thought she and Stella were expected to marry.  He’s unrefined, disrespectful, yells and constantly gets drunk and can explode into a violent rage.  Brando builds the rage up wonderfully and at times I was afraid he was just going to toss Blanche and her lamp out the window.  I was nearly biting my nails.

In this sticky humid world that is the French Quarter, good men are hard to find.  Domestic violence is common here, nearly every night the men get drunk, yell, hit and wives keep coming back for more.  So when Blanche finally meets Harold (Karl Malden), who seems to be the only gentleman around, she can hardly help herself.  Harold is nearly the opposite of Stanley, yet he hangs out with his band of rough-housers.  But how long will Harold stick around once he hears about Blanche’s past?

I’ve picked A Streetcar Named Desire because it is the most intriguing film with the most daring subject matter of 1951.  The secrets Blanch harbors are shocking and the violence that explodes from Stanley can still shake you to your inner core after nearly sixty years.  Plus, the filming is absolutely beautiful in all it’s black and white glory.  It isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and if domestic abuse really disturbs you, I would not recommend this.  Everyone else, this is a must see.

Everyone now, hands in the air:  “Stella!”