Watching Gone With the Wind

I loved Gone With the Wind, so I really wanted to see the 1939 movie, which is a very famous movie. I had  mixed feelings about it. I mean, it was entertaining to a certain extent, but it didn't really stay very true to the book. For example, Scarlett is supposed to have a son with Charles Hamilton and a daughter with Frank Kennedy, and they cut both of those children out! It was annoying. But I do think that they got Clark Gable as Rhett Butler exactly right. He fits the character very well. And I enjoyed Scarlett.

The movie was kind of cheesy though. Cheesy music, and a somewhat infuriating portrayal of the South (much like the book) of a "perfect" society "gone with the wind." Hmm, I wonder if you asked the field hands what they thought, if they would have called it that. But the movie was made in 1939, as you've got to remember. Another thing was that even though the movie is nearly 4 hours long, it still feels rushed! I remember in the book when Scarlett first arrives in Atlanta, she is impressed by its immensity and surprised by the variety of people there. Completely skipped over. And many other important scenes. However, I do think the venue of film is better for doing justice to the scale of the sheer horror of the Civil War. That was quite effective.

 I had a few other niggling complaints, but overall, it was an entertaining movie, and though it didn't remain faithful to the book, I still basically enjoyed it, though not as much as A Tale of Two Cities (the movie). Review to come later on that. So, if you enjoyed the book, you should give the movie a try. You may not like it, or then again, you may like it better. 

3.5 stars.