Gone With the Wind [PG]

Miss Scarlett is a young and vivacious lady who has men falling at her feet, but she only has eyes for Ashley Wilkes. But unfortunately his heart belongs to someone else, and it infuriates Scarlett that she might not have what she desires. As the Civil War sweeps through the Southern cities, leaving a trail of destruction behind it, more and more dramas are set into motion around Miss Scarlett, many of which include young Captain Rhett Butler whom, much to her dismay, is her other half. 

Based on the best-selling book by Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind is probably the most iconic, tragic, and heartbreaking romantic drama to ever grace our screens. Snatching up an amazingly impressive 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture, it needs to be a whopping 224 minutes to fit in all the drama and tragedy that it harbours. Filled with spellbinding performances, wonderful costumes, beautiful tragedies, and plenty of hope, it’s a must-have in any film buff’s collection. 

Miss Scarlett is a young and vivacious lady who has men falling at her feet, but she only has eyes for Ashley Wilkes. But unfortunately, his heart belongs to someone else and it infuriates Scarlett to think that she might never have what she so greatly desires. But her manipulative and stubborn nature sees her embark on a fruitless venture to make him love her. As the Civil War sweeps through the Southern cities, leaving a trail of destruction behind it, more and more dramas are set into motion around Miss Scarlett, most of which include young Captain Rhett Butler, an arrogant man bringing in the end of chivalry and gentlemen. As Scarlett’s venture to make Ashley love her are met with no success, it enrages her to discover that, however ungallant and insufferable he may be, Rhett Butler is her other half. 

Frankly my dear, this film had everything right. The story was completely engaging, the music was uplifting and liberating, the costumes were absolutely and fantastically authentic and over-the-top, but I think what makes the film most memorable were the performances from the two romantic leads. 

Vivien Leigh stars as Scarlett and she was nothing short of genius. Her perfect articulation and dramatic screams and fits of anger and distress were mesmerising and it’s wonderful to find a character that you hate, but at the same time support. You want to smack her for what she’s doing, but at the same time you want her to succeed. I don’t think I’ve ever met a character with such a strong hypocrisy attached to them as I found with Scarlett. 

Clark Gable stars as Rhett Butler and he was a gem. There is something very attractive about men who aren’t gentlemen and don’t pretend to be gentlemen. Clark was cynical, aggressive, romantic, charming, witty, and a complete scoundrel. He had a real magnetism about him and the chemistry between Vivien and Clark was absolutely amazing. 

Starring Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O’Neil, Evelyn Keyes, Ann Rutherford, George Reeves, Fred Crane, Hattie McDaniel, Oscar Polk, Butterfly McQueen, Victor Jory, and Everett Brown, Gone With the Wind was a long-winded, but deeply moving film that was filled, absolutely filled with drama, disaster, tragedy, romance, a few dashes of comedy, and finally… hope. Because after all, tomorrow is another day. 

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