"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"

Review: Gone with the Wind

An Augustus Review of 8/10

This week I’ve decided to review an old time classic where love is truly abundant and war is threatening to prevail. Today I review Gone with the Wind, a 1930s classic set in the 1800s during the American Civil War. It stars Vivien Leigh as Scarlett, Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes, Clark Gable as Rhett Butler and Olivia de Havilland as Melanie Hamilton. This movie was made into two parts, but today, I will only give you a taste of Part 1.

Scarlett O’Hara is a young woman who lives with her parents and her sisters on the Tara cotton plantation in Georgia. On the Eve of the American Civil War, she learns that Ashley Wilkes, a man whom she secretly loves, is to be married to Melanie Hamilton. The engagement is to be announced the next day at a friendly barbeque at the Wilkes’ family plantation, Twelve Oaks.

At the barbeque, Scarlett notices that she is being admired by Rhett Butler, a man who is commonly disliked for his abrupt nature. She secretly finds Ashley and confesses her love to him. To her dismay, Ashley tells her that he and Melanie are in love and make a better pair. The party is interrupted by the news of war and the men quickly assemble to enlist in battle. In the commotion, Ashley’s younger, more timid brother asks Scarlett to marry him. Although she does not love him, she is too heartbroken to refuse and agrees; the two are married before he leaves for battle.

Marriage for Scarlett is short-lived when she is quickly widowed; her husband died of pneumonia and measles while serving for the army. Her mother sends her to Atlanta in hopes to cheer her up, but it is evident that Scarlett’s true intentions are to await Ashley’s return.

Scarlett attends a party where she is scolded by the other women for partying rather than mourning and Rhett makes a surprise appearance. The gentlemen are invited to make bids on women to dance with them in order to raise money for war support. Rhett makes a bet on Scarlett and they dance, during which Rhett is determined to win her over.

The war begins to get out of hand and many of the men from Scarlett’s town are dead. Ashley visits the town and Scarlett tries again for his love. Eight months later, Scarlett’s town in Atlanta is under siege and Melanie goes into premature labor. Rhett is able to find them a horse and sends them back to Tara. Scarlett finds her town completely destroyed and nothing but Tara is still standing. Scarlett vows that she will take care of family and herself at whatever means necessary.

Gone with the Wind won numerous awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and more. It has become a heartwarming story of a young woman and her difficulties to find love yet survive the travesties of war.

So, will Scarlett save herself? Will she ever find love? To find out what happens in part two, you gotta go and watch!

- Augustus