Movie #1: Gone with the Wind

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Gone with the Wind


Date Watched: 05/13/24

Format: Streaming on TV via Max

At just under 4 hours, Gone with the Wind is one of the longest of all the Best Picture winners.  Why not get it out of the way.

Directing (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐):

This one was easy.  The scope, the actors, the set pieces, the action, the extras... all of it.  Victor Fleming handled it all perfectly, especially for 1939.  Some things may be laughable today but today we have 80 more years of technical advancements at our disposal.  To be able to direct Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz in the same year would be a feat unheard of today.

Writing (⭐⭐⭐⭐):

I struggled with this one.  Sidney Howard's script was very good especially for all the characters and action that had to be covered.  Sometimes there was a little too much "saying" and not enough "doing".  Some actions could have gone without words being spoken.  I know, that is easier said than done (pun intended).  Some dialogue also seemed like it was written to be performed and that makes sense given Howard's Broadway background.  Again, all in all, very well done.  It just fell short of perfect.

Acting (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐):

We started out with a bang for movie #1.  Vivian Leigh's Scarlett O'Hara, will be one of the most despised characters across all Best Picture winners.  Just when you thought you were starting to feel some sympathy for her, by the next scene, she did everything to make sure that feeling was short lived.  Go to the opposite extreme and Olivia de Havilland's Melly Hamilton was everything Scarlett could not be.  Yes, you could argue that she would not be alive if it wasn't for Scarlett and I would agree with that but that we not because the weaknesses of her character.  Melly was the wife, mother, and friend that everyone wanted to be.  Finally, you have Rhett Butler.  I think he brought some balance and some humor to this long film.  Gable was the perfect fit and effortlessly managed the growth and maturity Butler throughout the film.

I don't want to leave out Hattie McDaniel.  Her performance may not stand out today but 1939, her performance broke down barriers. 

Wildcard (⭐⭐⭐):

Length.  Great directing, writing, and acting aside, the length of the film was the only (semi)negative I could take away from this film.  Epics, in general, don't bother me.  I love getting lost in great tales.  However, Gone with the Wind, just held on for too long.  Even then, I felt so much was crammed into the last 30 minutes just to wrap everything up.  That left me disappointed.  The Rhett and Scarlett marriage could have been its own film but instead to just made this story drag on for too long.

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda:

I think the Academy did get it right.  Gone with the Wind was an amazing achievement and film in 1939.  Movies like The Wizard of Oz and Stagecoach were great productions, but I think their genres were just not a fit for the time.  Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, in my opinion, was the best story of the year but could not compete with the sheer scope of Gone with the Wind.

Ranking:

Easy since this was the 1st movie watched :)

1) Gone with the Wind (Movie #1) 17⭐

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