Gone With the Wind

Gone With the Wind, arguably the greatest movie of all time. If inflation is taken into account, it would have made nore money than any other movie, including Titanic. An epic breathtaking in scope, it shows how movies can be made with reasonable special effects, and a wonderful plot, and great acting, and overcome any budget considerations. Of course, it did have a very large budget, at the time. And, the movie did have the bonus of including actors and actresses which are now legendary. But, my point is, yes, Hollywood, it can be done. Great movies can be made. It happened before, it can happen again.

The ironies are many. A black actress, protraying a role in the Slave South , nominated for an Oscar, in a time when discrimination against African Americans was a lot worse than it is today. I think the greatest irony, though, is how the beauty of the White Aristocracy of the South is presented. It is beautiful, but it had to be destroyed, because of the refusal of its members to treat human beings correctly. It makes a person think that all human endeavors are, in the end, transient.

Another wonderful element in the movie was the personal growth of the main character, Scarlett O'Hara. She has her flaws, that is certain. But she learns from her mistakes. She goes from a simpering woman-child to a self-sufficient grown woman. She sees tremendous changes and tragedies as her society and family crumble around her.

If there was one movie that I think everyone should see, it would be this. I think that it is a wonderful example of the human condition, and a stirring rebuke of its associated pride.

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