Gone with the Wind (1939)

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Gone with the Wind (1939)

Directed by Victor Fleming


In what’s considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time, Scarlett O’Hara is a spoiled daughter of a Georgia plantation owner who conducts a chaotic romance with a profiteer during the American Civil War. 


Letterboxd Rating: ✰✰✰/5


Letterboxd Statistics (subject to change): Weighted average of 3.86 stars based on 254,529 ratings. 


Starring: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland, and Leslie Howard



I have always loved classic old-time films, especially since I started getting into movie-watching more avidly. Gone with the Wind is one I consistently heard about, having it in my watchlist for months on end, avoiding it because of how long it is. I finally sat down and watched it over winter break, and I was disappointed. In all honesty, it was a waste of time. Here is my review:

One of the most culturally influential films of classic Hollywood, Victor Fleming was able to create a visually ambitious and grand scale film. Gone with the Wind is widely renowned for its performances and artistry, but also for its problematic historical portrayal of the American South and slavery. In my opinion, any person today reviewing this film should acknowledge its achievements but also the harmful and oppressive foundation it is built on. I will highlight some of the film’s strongest qualities before providing a summary of my final thoughts. The cinematography in Gone with the Wind was extraordinary for its era, a groundbreaking move for the movie industry as one of the first in a full-spectrum three-strip Technicolor production. Fleming utilizes vivid reds, greens, and golds to create an intense visual experience. The burning of Atlanta in the film is one of cinema’s most iconic sequences, with so many factors such as smoke and dramatic lighting to contribute to the impactful scene. The use of wide shots is what stood out to me the most, emphasizing the vast landscape of the O’Hara plantation and depiction of (Southern) wealth. The score in Gone with the Wind is really what solidifies it as a melodrama, as the orchestral themes dramatize and romanticize the film. It helps to make the film feel grandeur in nature. I think one of the biggest underlying themes in the film is illusion. Vivien Leigh’s character Scarlett O’Hara clings to fantasies about love, social class, and the past, and is stuck idealizing the character Ashley Wilkes, the husband of her sister. It also treats slaveholding harshly, minimizing and downplaying the brutality of slavery and racism during such a monumental time in American history. After reading a variety of different Letterboxd reviews, I can draw a conclusion that modern viewers read this film primarily through its cultural and social attitudes. I also do not seem to be the only one who experienced discomfort or anger due to the film’s racial politics and framing of oppression. 

An emotion to describe how this film made me feel would be annoyed. I was not surprised at the movie’s racism as I figured due to when it was made, nonetheless I was still uncomfortable with its depiction of slavery. Also, anyone who has ever seen it should agree with me on this, but the ending was absolutely ridiculous. Three hours and fifty-six minutes of what is supposed to be one of the greatest on-screen romances, and sorry for the spoiler ahead, but you are telling me they don’t even end up together?! That is ridiculous! What a waste of time! I rated it three stars out of five strictly because of the cinematography. I thought it was captivating and ahead of its time, but unfortunately it just wasn’t enough to make up for the rest of it. I am able to recognize it as a technical masterpiece, but also understand as a viewer that due to its distortions of race and history, this is a film that demands critical viewing. If you can sit for three hours and fifty-six minutes, maybe this is the movie for you, but for me, I do not give Gone with the Wind my personal recommendation. 


          How Gone with the Wind Took the Nation by Storm


          The Behind-the-Scenes Drama of Gone with the Wind

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