Gone with the Wind - 1939
Directed by Victor Fleming
1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.
Unfortunately American is marred with a history involving racism and inequality. Looking around today it’s easy to forget how common it was for minorities to be treated as “less than”. The civil rights movement of the 1960’s may seem like it was ages ago but is really just a blink of the eye in the grander scheme of things. Cinema was no different and the characters portrayed in film are a reflection of the time. Black actors were relegated to minor roles, and any issues they may have had were secondary to white leading men and ladies. Instead of receiving dramatic roles black men and women were provided comedies or musicals. The late great Bill “Bojangles” Robinson was a talented man often seen with Shirley temple yet never given his proper respect or a deserved leading role. Most offensive of all was the use of make up on white actors to play black men/women. It can often be a touchy subject matter, but to ignore the matter altogether is simply unjust.
That is not to say that talented black artists took a backseat to their white counterparts. Instead they took their art into their own hands. Parallel cinema grew outside of the Hollywood system with roughly 500 “race” films targeting the black audience main stream Hollywood overlooked. Not all American’s were the picture of intolerance, “race” movies were funded my white backers as well as black filmmakers. Considered the most inexhaustible filmmaker of the time, Oscar Micheaux, founder of Micheaux Film Corporation, directed over 40 films targeting African-American movie goers. Temptation and The Exile are two of his films that serve as examples of man whose talent is a highpoint at a time of unfair treatment. Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American Oscar nominee, and then the first winner for her role as Mammie; a proud moment that embodies true humility and understanding. Watching the speech nearly brings a tear to the eye. This brings us to the film that earned her a place in history.
Hattie McDaniels acceptance speech
1939’s Gone with The Wind is a large sweeping epic that ranks among the best films of all time. Is it the best? Debatable maybe, but always among the top ranking films for good reason. Sitting 4th on AFI’s (American Film Institute) Best Films of All time, it was selected to be preserved by the National Film Registry. Being selected for preservation is a statement on how important this film is in the annals’ of history. It dominated the Academy Awards that year with 8 academy awards including best director, picture, actress, supporting actress, screenplay, cinematography, editing, and art direction. In a completely unexpected upset took the Best actor win over Clark Gable, a decision that lives on in infamy.
Critical acclaim is a wonderful thing. As movie buffs we tend to not care about revenue, but instead care about quality of films. Let us be honest, filmmaking is a business, the studios intentions are to get a return on their investments. Gone with the wind was no slouch in the profit department either. It was the highest grossing film of all time until losing that title in 1966, but when inflation is considered it is still technically the film with the highest box office earnings. The production cost was 3.9 million, as for the revenue it earned over 198 million domestically and over 400 million in the foreign box office. Those are amazing numbers by today’s standards let alone 1939. It was a mammoth success financially and critically.
2) Find a related article and summarize the content
Article = 20 Facts about Gone with the Wind that Will Make You Give a Damn
By Kathy Benjamin
It may be obvious by now of how fond I am of the stories behind the film. It’s always interesting to see what it takes to bring a film from its original conception to the final product we see on screen. Kathy Benjamin’s article provides interesting facts (some already delivered in class) that provide additional fodder to the lore of the film. It’s one of those situations where there was so many factors to get right, yet all the pieces fell into place to become a massive triumph.
The first fact is interesting, ironic, and tragic all in one. Margaret Mitchell author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that the movie was based on was close to not publishing the book. Her husband claims that she only wrote the novel when he refused to buy her any more reading material after recovering in bed from a car accident. At the suggestion of a friend, she sent the work to Macmillan publishing. Then sent a telegram asking it be returned, her request was denied and the book published. The book sold nearly 2 million copies in its first year, and the movie rights were sold only a month after publication. In retrospect it was a car accident that led to her greatest work, and a car accident that led to her demise.
Original titles considered for the novel now seem awful. “Bugles Sang True”, “Ba Ba Black Sheep”, and “Tote the Weary Load” are some titles that just don’t seem to fit.
Another thought that was thankfully discarded, Scarlett was originally going to be named Pansy.
Gary Cooper was also considered a top prospect to play Rett Butler. In what can only be a moment of regret Cooper was quoted as saying ““Gone with the Wind is going to be the biggest flop in Hollywood history,” and, “I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling on his face and not Gary Cooper.” The actress who would play Scarlett was even more of an issue. A 1.6 million dollar nationwide casting call was conducted, narrowed down to 400 actresses, and 19 were given screen tests. Paullete Goddard was in the final running with Vivian Leigh, yet lost the role due to controversy over living with Charlie Chaplin out of wedlock. Yet Leigh herself was having a known affair with Laurence Olivier. What?
The public (often critics of novel adaptations, even today) was upset with an English actress playing a woman of the south. Green clothing was given to Leigh to give her blue eyes a green appearance, and filters were used in close-ups.
Gable was unhappy with the scene where Rett cries, even threatening to quit, Olivia de Halland convinced him otherwise. In fact Gable was still under contract with MGM, a rare contract negotiation was reached, paying Gable handsomely while providing MGM with half the films profits.
Any onscreen chemistry between Gable and Leigh was a façade; Leigh was quoted as saying “Kissing Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind was not that exciting. His dentures smelled something awful.”
In a 3 ½ hour film the films four main characters only have one scene together where Scarlett learns of her second husband’s death. The film also wasn’t fined for using the word “damn”. Some slightly uninteresting alternatives were considered but never used.
The most revering fact for me involved the controversy over the films premiere. “In the Jim Crow south, the black supporting actors could not sit with the white stars for the premiere. Clark Gable was so incensed at this slight to Hattie McDaniel in particular that he threatened to boycott the whole thing. McDaniel diffused the situation by sending her regrets to the director that she would be unable to make it due to prior commitments, (Kathy Benjamin)” It shows true strength of character on Gable and Mcdaniel’s part.
3) Apply the article to the film screened in class
Would any other actress other than Vivien Leigh have been able to portray Scarlett so masterfully? Would Gary Cooper have been able to embody Rett? A film, novel, song can be delivered in so many ways. It’s hard to say that one way or another is the definitive way of crafting your art. Yet, once the final product is delivered it’s hard to imagine a classic work any other way.
On screen Rett and Leigh play off each other wonderfully. It’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that they had disdain for one another. Rather than take away from the film, that fact allows me to praise their work as actors. Once those cameras began rolling these characters from Atlanta came to life, regardless of the actors real world views. In many cases you can feel a lack of chemistry and it resonates throughout the film, but Rett and Scarlett played off of each so well.
Today more than ever the public has access to nearly every facet of a film before it is even released. They will always cry foul over decisions that stray away from what they see as accurate to the original work. As with Gone with the wind the public was appalled at the Leigh- an English woman- playing Scarlett. To look at it now any other actress just doesn’t fit the bill. Filmmakers can’t allow the public to influence their decisions. You can’t stray from your vision to please everyone, because that simply isn’t possible. You do the best job you can and hope it is embraced by the people.
4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.
I can see why Gone with the Wind is always spoken in the same breath as Citizen Kane and other great films. It may not become my favorite film of all time, ok it isn’t my favorite film, but it’s easy to recognize what places it among cinemas elite.
I personally thought Vivien Leigh was great. I came to loathe Scarlett. She did show signs of redeeming qualities, yet never to the extent that the character was good overall. She was shallow, selfish, toyed with the emotions of others for her own benefit, and rarely opened up. Rett showered her with love and any material thing she could ask for, yet never won a place in her heart until it was too late. Ironically, that is what makes her portrayal so good. Not every role is going to be the classic loveable hero. When an actor can play a role well enough to garner a strong reaction in their audience, whether good or bad, then they have done their job.
Clark Gable was a man longing for women he could never have. When he finally got through to her, their love seemed beyond repair, at least to Rett anyway. It was a different side of Gable, a classic film actor I’ve come to appreciate as of late. It told a wonderful story set the south with beautiful backdrops, lavish costumes, and wonderful camera work. The shot with Scarlett and her father beside the tree overlooking the plantation comes to mind. We get a beautiful silhouette which isn’t easy to capture.
The movie also has some of the most well-regarded and memorable quotes of all time, with the classic “"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" ranking as number one. It simply destroyed the box office has sold more tickets than any film in history.
Most important to me is that Hattie McDaniel’s role earned her the first nomination and win for an African American ever. A milestone that should be given the respect it deserves.
Plagiarism Statement: Attach this statement to the end of each journal assignment. CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM
1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) ( x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
3) ( x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) ( x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) ( x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
Name: Benjamin Novoa Date: 3/30/2013
1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) ( x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
3) ( x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) ( x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) ( x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
Name: Benjamin Novoa Date: 3/30/2013
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