Most of us probably have heard many references to famous quotes from Gone With the Wind, but I wonder how many of us have actually watched the entire movie, and if so, watched it in its entire 4-hour glory? Suffice to say -- the movie is quite long and epic, particularly for that time. While I have always been aware of the powerful characters involved, the basic plotline, and the multiple love triangles, I didn't truly appreciate how thematic the movie is until I sat down and watched the entire thing. In one sitting, no less! (Although, admittedly, there was much gossiping + eating + playing with hair between my friend and me throughout the film.)
Sometimes I like to watch older movies for the fashion, but the costumes from the antebellum South do not interest me much with their excessive poofiness and flowery femininity, and thus, I wasn't watching this movie for Scarlett's outfits. I was really focused on the themes about love, life, human nature, politics, marriage, growth and maturity, and a slew of other vital concepts that were weaved throughout the movie, which surprisingly are still very relevant and poignant to today's world.
What I took away from the movie:
(1) Proud women are likely to end up unhappy and miserable.
(2) Indulge in fantasies, but fall in love with what's tangible.
And my favorite quotes:
(1) "What a gentleman says and what a gentleman thinks are two different things."
(2) "You'll never mean anything but misery to any man." (I've heard this one before, but it sounds so much worse on a screen and as part of a script.)
i watched gone with the wind when i was 10 years old and couldn't remember or understand pretty much anything back then. right now, i'm working on the HUGE book and really falling in love with the writing. strangely enough, i had read "rhett butler's people" first and actually liked (yet ironically is a HUGE disservice to mitchell's original, as most rewrites are) not because of the writing style but because of the love between r+s. it's told from the POV of butler, who's kind of the hero of all heroes and friend of all.
ReplyDeleteHmm, maybe I will add GWTW book edition onto my list of must reads, but right now I'm tackling a hefty Tolstoy so this might have to wait until like 2012. :)
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