[REVIEW] Gone with the Wind

[rfmcdonald]

I caught Gone With the Wind last week with J. I have to say that it's a remarkable filmic exploration of the decline and (selective) transformation of the Southern white aristocracy in the 1860s, before and after the Civil War, touching upon sociological phenomenon as various as the collapse of plantation agriculture and its associated domestic economies, the unique threats posed by urbanization and periurban settlements in a region that idealized rural folkways, the tensions of race and class in a dynamic environment, and unstable gender relations. Further, at a metatextual level, Gone with the Wind raises interesting questions about the assimilation of the immigrant experience into the American national mythos: Were the O'Haras Roman Catholics? If so, how plausible is it that they'd be able to occupy a prominent position in antebellum Georgia? I really think I'll have to read Margaret Mitchell's original text. In the meantime, I recommend Vicki L. Eaklor's 2002 article "Striking Chords and Touching Nerves: Myth and Gender in Gone With the Wind" to people interested in these themes.

How did I like the story? It was quite fine. Gone With the Wind is a captivating retelling of the classic story of the person who wins the world at great odds at the cost of her soul. "As God is my witness, as God is my witness they're not going to lick me. I'm going to live through this and when it's all over, I'll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again." Scarlett's insecurities, Rhett's superficial seeming of competency, and the Scarlett--Ashley-Melanie love triangle all weave together nicely. By modern standards, Gone With the Wind might well be melodrama, but it'scertainly good melodrama.