Gone with the Wind, it must be understood, is a cultural relic of its time. That isn't to say criticism shouldn't be levied against it with regards to its racist depictions and its unabashed romanticization of the Confederate States of America and the Lost Cause myth, but it does come from a cultural background where those things were more widely accepted as the American Civil War became more long in the memory in the collective psyche of Americans of the time.
Despite that, I do believe that Gone with the Wind is hindered by its stance on the Confederacy and race as it's something that can't be gotten past as American society continues its painfully slow progress forward.
As an aesthetic work, looking at it in a vacuum, it's still a well-made film. I think some of the negative criticisms this film receives outside of its political backwardness are a bit misunderstanding of what I think this film is trying to present. Scarlet is kind of unlikable in some ways, but I think that was the intention of the film. There isn't a traditional protagonist-antagonist story happening here, but instead, we are experiencing a piece of the main character's life and how she experienced the events happening around her. We follow the decisions she makes and follow her, long character arc to its eventual conclusion at the end of the film. I don't want to give too much about this film away, but structurally it kind of reminded me of the film Barry Lyndon.
Not all of the characters get this treatment, but the main characters in this film are so well-developed that they seem to mimic the complicated nature of people. The two main characters feel extremely believable and for their era even more so. As far as character goes, this is a very rare instance of a film managing to show just how frustrating and complicated people can really be. This aspect of the film was something I found the most immersive.
The romance in this film is also a strong aspect for me. It's, again, framed in a type of realism that is difficult to explain. While, of course, real life isn't so dramatic, the mutual sense of insecurity, resentment, and distrust feel incredibly real in their depiction and I have to commend it. These two characters are so mutually insufferable that nobody else deserves them but each other. They are so toxic to each other, yet they are perfect for each other because of it. It's difficult to explain but I found this to be a strong aspect of the film as well.
There's been a lot said about this film already, but I believe that Gone with the Wind is still a really well-made film. As an aesthetic piece of storytelling, I believe it holds up- but is held back from being even better by the ball and chain it's married to - that being its commitment to Confederate apologetics.
Despite that, I do believe that Gone with the Wind is hindered by its stance on the Confederacy and race as it's something that can't be gotten past as American society continues its painfully slow progress forward.
As an aesthetic work, looking at it in a vacuum, it's still a well-made film. I think some of the negative criticisms this film receives outside of its political backwardness are a bit misunderstanding of what I think this film is trying to present. Scarlet is kind of unlikable in some ways, but I think that was the intention of the film. There isn't a traditional protagonist-antagonist story happening here, but instead, we are experiencing a piece of the main character's life and how she experienced the events happening around her. We follow the decisions she makes and follow her, long character arc to its eventual conclusion at the end of the film. I don't want to give too much about this film away, but structurally it kind of reminded me of the film Barry Lyndon.
Not all of the characters get this treatment, but the main characters in this film are so well-developed that they seem to mimic the complicated nature of people. The two main characters feel extremely believable and for their era even more so. As far as character goes, this is a very rare instance of a film managing to show just how frustrating and complicated people can really be. This aspect of the film was something I found the most immersive.
The romance in this film is also a strong aspect for me. It's, again, framed in a type of realism that is difficult to explain. While, of course, real life isn't so dramatic, the mutual sense of insecurity, resentment, and distrust feel incredibly real in their depiction and I have to commend it. These two characters are so mutually insufferable that nobody else deserves them but each other. They are so toxic to each other, yet they are perfect for each other because of it. It's difficult to explain but I found this to be a strong aspect of the film as well.
There's been a lot said about this film already, but I believe that Gone with the Wind is still a really well-made film. As an aesthetic piece of storytelling, I believe it holds up- but is held back from being even better by the ball and chain it's married to - that being its commitment to Confederate apologetics.