Gone With the Wind

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

Gone With the Wind, one of the best American films of all time is absolutely astounding even after seeing it a few times before the in-class screening. I remember watching this film at a point in my life where I wasn’t able to understand the impact or value of the film itself, so to me, it as just another really good movie back then. Being able to witness this piece of art again has really allowed me to appreciate all that had been done to make it a part of film history. Like discussed in class, Gone With the Wind was ahead of its time, and seemed very modern compared to what was going on in the world. I felt as though the class had just gotten done conversing about how Hollywood was changing women’s appearance and showcasing them in smarter, sexier, and more self-dependent roles. All of a sudden, it feels like the turn of a century. The main character Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh), is prancing across the screen as a very vindictive, manipulative, yet beautiful southern belle type. Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) is just as aggressive and smooth as he wants to be, and then low and behold, there was Mammy. Mammy portrayed one of the most vivacious and heart warming personalities with a mouth so slick you could barely keep up at times. The film may not have been what it was without Mammy, despite how marginalized black actors/actresses were.

2) Find a related article and summarize the content.  

"How Gone With the Wind Took the Nation by Storm By Catering to Its Southern Sensibilities" written by Carrie Hagen was a moderately in-depth article about the film, and the events that not only lead up to the film, but followed it as well. In the article, Hagen points out how uneasy the people of Georgia were regarding Vivien Leigh playing Scarlett O’Hara. The interest in who this actress really was, and how well she could portray the role, became so serious that the people began mailing Leigh samples of june bugs after hearing that she did not know what they were. The article also goes into some detail about the heat that Margaret Mitchell (author of the novel) received regarding claims of racism at the time. All in all, Hagen takes a more positive turn when she begins to discuss the day of the premiere where mostly everyone who came out made sure to dress in the time period’s clothing of hoop skirts for women and confederate uniforms for men. Interestingly, Hagen mentions that Gone With the Wind made it to the sixth spot on the American Film Institute’s list of 100 greatest American Films. This notion is contradictory to the notes received in class, which held the film at the fourth spot. I will have to continue to do research to come across the real answer.

***Link to article used***

Hagen, Carrie. "How Gone With the Wind Took the Nation by Storm By Catering

to Its Southern Sensibilities." Smithsonian.com. N.p., 15 Dec. 2014. Web. 02 Nov. 2015. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-gone-wind-took-nation-storm-feeding-its-southern-sensibilities-180953617/?no-ist>.

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.  

The main idea that I would like to pull and discuss from the article is the one of Vivien Leigh playing Scarlett O’Hara. With every ounce of my being, I am certain that even though Leigh was an English actress, I wouldn’t have guessed it when watching the film.  Scarlett O’Hara is without a doubt a very complex and deeply vertical character, and in the words of the president of the United Daughters of Confederacy, “She is Margaret Mitchell’s Scarlett to the life” (Hagen par. 13). I always partially mark a true actor/actress by how they make me feel about their performance by the end of the film. Leigh had every emotion in my body running loose. I hated her the same amount of times that I lovd and sympathized with her. Like many of the other films that we have watched I laughed, cried, and more. I couldn’t picture Scarlett O’Hara being portrayed by anyone else, and honestly I don’t think anyone else would have done a more marvelous job than she did.

 

4) Write a critical analysis of the film.

Gone With the Wind stole my heart the first time I saw it, and to be honest I am not sure it ever gave it back. This film is one of the greatest American films ever made. It deserved all of the recognition that it received and probably deserves so much more. Making over one million dollars in the box office at that time was amazing. I will recommend this film for anyone that is looking for something to inspire them or simply change their lives. Even though Margaret Mitchell wrote the novel, she did not really want to have too much to do with who was cast or anything of the sort. That idea, unfortunately, may have well been one of the best she could have made because who knows if the world would’ve gotten the beloved Vivien Leigh? As aforementioned, the article contradicted my notes that stated this film was ranked fourth on the list of 100 greatest American films. If my notes are incorrect there should be a recount. This film is one of the best made in 1939 and gave any other film a run for its money. If anyone I come across happens to disagree, I’d have to tell him or her, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.”

1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) ( x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) ( x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) ( x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) ( x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.