Gone With the Wind

 I watched "Gone With the Wind" in class expecting it to be another long and boring history movie. However there is so much to digest in this movie. This movie really pays attention to detail, and there was always something interesting going on.

The house is held together by Mammy who is played by Hattie McDaniel. We see her trying to get Scarlett, who is played by Vivien Leigh to get back in the house as she is running off. Mammy has a very important role in the house which I didn't expect. She keeps the kids in line and makes sure the parents are always taken care of. It seems as though she knows them better than they know themselves. This movie seems to completely leave out the brutality of slavery. They seem to care for Mammy, which we know isn’t realistic for this time period in the South.

Mammy and Scarlett

Scarlett is very immature in the beginning of the movie, Mammy is always trying to keep her under control, but Scarlett listens to no one.

Scarlett, who is in love with Ashley Wikes, has no shame telling him she loves him even though he is going to marry his cousin Melanie Hamilton. She is judged by all the other girls at the engagement party. They are jealous of her beauty as all the men come flocking to her. Yet she only wants Ashley. She seems very different from the other girls in the beginning of the movie. However the one girl who is nice to her is Melanie, whom she dislikes as she is marrying Ashley.

Scarlett, Melanie and Ashley

When Scarlett confesses her love for Ashley and he shoots her down, she catches the attention of Rhett Butler, however she isn’t interested in him. Rhett seems to be the talk of the town, many people judge him for his past.

Rhett Butler and Scarlett

This movie takes place during the civil war. When the first shots were fired and all the men ran off to war they were excited. Excited to fight for what they believed in, for slavery. This is almost a juxtaposition as they seem to be very kind to Mammy, as they fight to keep her for her free labor.

As the war continues on we see Scarlett step up and mature a lot which I didn’t expect. She worked as a nurse during the war. She even helped Melanie deliver her and Ashley's baby, putting her jealousy aside and helping Melanie. She really grew up during this time. 

Rhett helps Melanie, her baby, and Scarlett escape back home. Halfway through their journey Rhett abandons them, and it is up to Scarlett to get them back home as Melanie just gave birth. 

When they get home Scarlett realizes the city was destroyed, all that was left were her slaves, her father who went insane, and her mother who just died. It was up to Scarlett to keep everyone alive. We really see her mature throughout the movie.

Ultimately this movie is very complex, and fails to show the brutality of slavery in the south at this time.