“Frankly dear, i don’t give a damn” is the most famous quote from this movie that tells the story of the life of Scarlett O’Hara. When preparing this review i asked myself the question “Do i give a damn about this movie?”
There are a couple of dvds in my collection that I’ve had for years. I bought them because i really was curious about them, but after buying them i never watched them. Reason for this is mostly the length of those movie, for example Das Boot, Seven Samurai and this one, Gone with the wind. These are movies that you really have to clear some time for if you want to watch them, so you will not just throw them in the DVD player. So i decided it’s time to finally watch these movies.
So i cleared the 222 minutes necessary for this film. It’s a length that today you almost exclusively see in Bollywood movies (and Lord of the Rings extended editions). Another similarity with the Bollywood movies is the subject, as it is a romantic drama. The backdrop for this movie is the American civil war, in which women had to be independent. The movie is epic in its size and it’s story. There are scenes with hundreds of extras (the whole movie used 2400), a big number of locations and very nice costumes.
I’ll have to admit that this wasn’t my kind of movie. Clark Gable called it a women’s movie and i totally agree with him. The story could be compared to the various soap series. Scarlett O’Hara only thinks about herself, which really makes you hope the worst for her as she treats everyone around her badly. “But a lot of movies have anti heroes that you really want to win?” you might ask. The difference is that those characters have certain qualities which makes you sympathetic to them. This is not the case for Scarlett.
Maybe that’s the whole point and the reason why that quote is so well-known, because it summarises the exact feeling i had. I’m not surprised the movie shows up in the various best of lists. For it’s time it was a big movie in every respect.
“Do i give a damn about this movie?”
I don’t regret watching it, but i really don’t have to see it again.
Score: 8
Hello. I can’t help myself leaving a comment. I think that ‘Gone with the Wind’ not just a great classical story but also remains one. To be precise, it’s my favorite film, although I can’t call myself a romantic films goer. First of all, I don’t think that love is the main subject. To my mind, it’s just a secondary plot line. The essential message is love to life and longing to survive. The character doesn’t make you sympathetic, that’s right, but if you read the book,than you know that real Scarlett O’Hara from the pages is far more… well, bad-tempered. Besides, I believe those features of wilfullness, tenacity and stubborness may be rough, but they make one strong.
Wow, I never wrote such a large comment.
I like your blog and will be visiting it occasionaly.
I agree that this will remain a classical story and it’s definitely a great classic movie. Nice to hear what Scarlett is like in the book, I have not read it. I can hardly believe she’s even more bad-tempered!
As stated, it’s not really my type of movie, but it is one every movielover should see as it also shows great filmmaking.