gone with the wind

Mitchell claimed Charles Dickens as an inspiration and called Gone with the Wind a "'Victorian' type novel. The film was produced by David O. Selznick of Selznick International Pictures and directed by Victor Fleming. Upon returning to Atlanta, the couple build a gaudy new mansion on Peachtree Street. When taken in the context of Dowson's poem about "Cynara," the phrase "gone with the wind" alludes to erotic loss. However, Selznick changed his mind after his story editor Kay Brown and business partner John Hay Whitney urged him to buy the film rights. His eyes are bloodshot, and his mood is dark and violent. He gives in, warning her not to come crying if she falls. [36] They choose to stay with their masters after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and subsequent Thirteenth Amendment of 1865 sets them free. [69][70], Even though it earned its investors roughly twice as much as the previous record-holder, The Birth of a Nation,[71][72] the box-office performances of the two films were likely much closer. There are moments when the two categories meet on good terms, but the long stretches between are filled with mere spectacular efficiency. In the dark days and months following Bonnie's death, Rhett is often drunk and disheveled, while Scarlett, though equally bereaved, is more presentable. Union General Sherman suffers heavy losses to the entrenched Confederate army. [107], Some reviewers compared the book to William Thackeray's Vanity Fair and Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. One of the questions which was explored by the exhibit was "How True to Life Were the Slaves in GWTW?" [82][83][84] In total, Gone with the Wind has grossed over $390 million globally at the box office;[85] in 2007 Turner Entertainment estimated the gross to be equivalent to approximately $3.3 billion when adjusted for inflation to current prices,[10] while Guinness World Records arrived at a figure of $3.44 billion in 2014, making it the most successful film in cinema history. [59] The running time for Gone with the Wind is just under 221 minutes, while Lawrence of Arabia (1962) runs for just over 222 minutes; however, including the overture, intermission, entr'acte, and exit music, Gone with the Wind lasts for 234 minutes (although some sources put its full length at 238 minutes) while Lawrence of Arabia comes in slightly shorter at 232 minutes with its additional components. Rhett sarcastically asks if the father is Ashley; Scarlett calls him a cad and says that no woman would want his baby, to which he replies, "Cheer up, maybe you'll have a miscarriage. She returns home, brimming with her new love, and determined to begin anew with Rhett. Gone with the Wind is a controversial reference point for subsequent writers of the South, both black and white. Rhett and Scarlett have a daughter whom Rhett names Bonnie Blue, but Scarlett still pines for Ashley and, chagrined at the perceived ruin of her figure, refuses to have any more children or share a bed with Rhett. I … With the defeat of the Confederacy, Ashley also returns but finds he is of little help at Tara. Very nearly every reader will agree, no doubt, that a more disciplined and less prodigal piece of work would have more nearly done justice to the subject-matter. Mitchell biographer Marianne Walker, author of Margaret Mitchell and John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone with the Wind, believes that those who attack the book on these grounds have not read it. [46] In April 1935, Harold Latham of Macmillan, an editor looking for new fiction, read her manuscript and saw that it could be a best-seller. He kisses her passionately, and in the heat of the moment, she accepts. Mr. and Mrs. Butler honeymoon in New Orleans, spending lavishly. [117], The novel has been criticized for promoting plantation values and romanticizing the white supremacy of the antebellum south. Kate Cumming and Richard Barksdale Harwell (1959). So George just told David he would not work any longer if the script was not better and he wanted the Howard script back. [63] The enduring interest of both Uncle Tom's Cabin and Gone with the Wind has resulted in lingering stereotypes of 19th-century black slaves. Yankee officers outside question Rhett and he says he and the other men had been at Belle Watling's brothel that evening, a story Belle later confirms to the officers. Some day, I will kiss you and you will like it. It follows her romantic pursuit of Ashley Wilkes, who is married to his cousin, Melanie Hamilton, and her subsequent marriage to Rhett Butler. [10][19] It eventually opened in Japan in September 1952 and became the highest-grossing foreign film there. At an engagement party the next day at Ashley's home, the nearby plantation Twelve Oaks, Scarlett makes an advance on Ashley but is rebuffed; instead, she catches the attention of another guest, Rhett Butler. Author Pat Conroy, in his preface to a later edition of the novel, describes Mitchell's portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan as having "the same romanticized role it had in The Birth of a Nation and appears to be a benign combination of the Elks Club and a men's equestrian society".[113]. Scarlett struggles to restrain her feelings for him and to remember that he is someone else's husband. During the jump, Bonnie falls and dies of a broken neck. Scarlett and Rhett visit Melanie, who has suffered complications arising from a new pregnancy, on her deathbed. The casting was widely praised, and many reviewers found Leigh especially suited to her role as Scarlett. [104][105] Fictional hero Rhett Butler has a "swarthy face, flashing teeth and dark alert eyes". Rhett's sexual attraction to Scarlett is ever-present, and at one point he enrages her with a silky proposition she become his mistress. Offhand I doubt that there are ten original words of [Oliver] Garrett's in the whole script. When adjusted for monetary inflation, it is still the highest-grossing film in history. [46][19][47] Other cable channels also broadcast the film during June. In their conversation, she comes away believing Ashley still loves her and is jealous of her intimate relations with Rhett. At one point, Scarlett kills a Yankee soldier who attempts to invade her home and buries his body in the garden. [7] Rhett believes the war is a lost cause but is becoming rich as a blockade runner for profit. All social and educational pursuits were directed towards it. Rhett buys Bonnie a Shetland pony, teaching her to ride sidesaddle and paying a trainer to teach the pony to jump. [81] The film was phenomenally successful in Western Europe too, generating approximately 35 million tickets in the United Kingdom and over 16 million in France, respectively becoming the biggest and sixth-biggest ticket-sellers in those markets. In the fall of 1862, Confederate laws were changed to permit women to be employed in hospitals as members of the Confederate Medical Department. [11] Although Margaret Mitchell refused to publicly name her choice, the actress who came closest to winning her approval was Miriam Hopkins, who Mitchell felt was just the right type of actress to play Scarlett as written in the book. “Well, my dear, take heart. [56] The book was a bestseller by the time reviews began to appear in national magazines. He was killed in World War I, and she would carry his memory for the remainder of her life. Directed by Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood. From then on, they sleep separately, and when Bonnie is two years old, she sleeps in a little bed beside Rhett. Victor Fleming, who was directing The Wizard of Oz, was called in from MGM to complete the picture, although Cukor continued privately to coach Leigh and De Havilland. You are all but transported back in time, as you walk up the drive to your destination. [44], As a young woman, Mitchell found love with an army lieutenant. [5][8], The arrangement to release through MGM meant delaying the start of production until the end of 1938, when Selznick's distribution deal with United Artists concluded. As Ashley departs, Rhett Butler reveals himself from his hiding place in the library - he has overheard their whole exchange. [119], Mitchell's use of color in the novel is symbolic and open to interpretation. In turn, Whitney sold it on to MGM for $2.8 million, so that the studio owned the film outright. Bacot came from a wealthy South Carolina plantation family that owned 87 slaves.[82]. [89] Its power and influence have been diminished. After moving to Atlanta, Scarlett's spirit is revived by the energy and excitement of living in a growing city. [8][87], Ashley Wilkes is the beau ideal of Southern manhood in Scarlet's eyes. I have often laid and heard the crack of the whip, and the screams of the slave.[65]. [73][74], When it was re-released in 1947, it earned an impressive $5 million rental in the United States and Canada, and was one of the top ten releases of the year. Scarlett was based on the novel by Alexandra Ripley, itself a sequel to Mitchell's book. It ran for four hours and twenty-five minutes; it was later cut to under four hours for its proper release. Sobbing and drunk, he seeks consolation from Melanie and confesses that he acted horribly out of jealousy about Ashley. Rhett happily pays for the house to be built to Scarlett's specifications, but describes it as an "architectural horror". With a loan from Rhett, she also buys and runs a small sawmill, which is viewed as even more scandalous conduct. Melanie argues that Scarlett is supporting the Confederate cause. The studio believed that if the accent was not accurately depicted it could prove detrimental to the film's success. To Frank's relief and Scarlett's dismay, Scarlett learns she is pregnant, which curtails her business activities for a while. Gone with the Wind was the only novel she published during her lifetime, and she won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for literature for her work. The field slaves make up the lower class in Mitchell's caste system. [130] In 2003, Leigh and Gable (as Scarlett and Rhett) were ranked number 95 on VH1's list of the "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons of All Time". [123] The poll found the novel has its strongest following among women, those aged 44 or more, both Southerners and Midwesterners, both whites and Hispanics, and those who have not attended college. "[89], Ashley contemplates leaving Georgia for New York City. Stung, Scarlett reacts badly, pelting Ashley with insults about himself and Melanie and accusing him of being too cowardly to submit to his real feelings for her. She is subject to the correct code of female behavior. In "A Study in Scarlett", published in The New Yorker, Claudia Roth Pierpont wrote: The Southern belle was bred to conform to a subspecies of the nineteenth-century "lady"... For Scarlett, the ideal is embodied in her adored mother, the saintly Ellen, whose back is never seen to rest against the back of any chair on which she sits, whose broken spirit everywhere is mistaken for righteous calm ...[74]. He wrote of the disparity in conditions between the house servant and the field hand: During the time that Mr. Cook was overseer, I was a house servant—a situation preferable to a field hand, as I was better fed, better clothed, and not obliged to rise at the ringing bell, but about a half-hour after. [12] Goddard almost won the role, but controversy over her marriage with Charlie Chaplin caused Selznick to change his mind. [106], Thomas Cripps reasons that in some respects, the film undercuts racial stereotypes;[107] in particular, the film created greater engagement between Hollywood and black audiences,[107] with dozens of films making small gestures in recognition of the emerging trend. [9][nb 3] Selznick and Cukor had already disagreed over the pace of filming and the script,[9][22] but other explanations put Cukor's departure down to Gable's discomfort at working with him. [123] The next scene, the following morning, shows Scarlett glowing with barely suppressed sexual satisfaction;[121][122][123] Rhett apologizes for his behavior, blaming it on his drinking. [27] For the burning of Atlanta, new false facades were built in front of the Selznick backlot's many old abandoned sets, and Selznick himself operated the controls for the explosives that burned them down. Scarlett continues to act recklessly, flirting and going on dates while still in widow's clothes, but is continually protected by Melanie's endorsement. Recalling the episode in a letter to screenwriter friend Gene Fowler, he said he hadn't read the novel but Selznick and director Fleming could not wait for him to read it. More than 30 million copies have been printed worldwide. Postal Service's Great Americans series. [26] Tara, the fictional Southern plantation house, existed only as a plywood and papier-mâché facade built on the Selznick studio lot. A distraught Scarlett returns home to Tara, vowing to one day win Rhett back. [19], "By the time of the film's release in 1939, there was some question as to who should receive screen credit", writes Yeck. Gone With the Wind elides historical truths and favors emotional ones from a white perspective, but it is hard to ignore that Mammy (played by Hattie McDaniel, who became the … The film was still a rough cut at this stage, missing completed titles and lacking special optical effects. The rustle of petticoats. Shortly after Frank's funeral, Rhett proposes to Scarlett and she accepts. Production was difficult from the start. The novel, Ruth's Journey, was released in 2014.[168]. Scarlett was asked by a Yankee woman for advice on whom to appoint as a nurse for her children; Scarlett suggested a "darky", much to the disgust of the Yankee woman who was seeking an Irish maid, a "Bridget". It set records for the total number of wins and nominations at the time. Gone With the Wind Museum Click here for more information. Garmes completed the first third of the film—mostly everything prior to Melanie having the baby—but did not receive a credit. [45], Margaret Mitchell began writing Gone with the Wind in 1926 to pass the time while recovering from a slow-healing injury from an auto crash. [12] Shortly after moving into the house, the sardonic jabs between them turn into quarrels. Selznick refused to let us eat lunch, arguing that food would slow us up. Spirited and willful, she has her father wrapped around her finger, and Atlanta society is charmed by Rhett's transformation from scandalous playboy to doting father. [50] Other proposed titles included Bugles Sang True, Not in Our Stars, and Tote the Weary Load. [56][57], The film's record of eight competitive wins stood until Gigi (1958) won nine, and its overall record of ten was broken by Ben-Hur (1959) which won eleven. The Savannah Campaign was conducted in Georgia during November and December 1864. [19], The idea was revived in the 1990s, when a sequel was finally produced in 1994, in the form of a television miniseries. [54] Likewise, Hoellering also found the second half of the film to be weaker than the first half: identifying the Civil War to be the driving force of the first part while the characters dominate in the second part, he concluded this is where the main fault of the picture lay, commenting that "the characters alone do not suffice". The Gone With The Wind narrative, along with the accolades it has received, makes for a perfect American metaphor. “Gone With the Wind” stars Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Hattie McDaniel and Olivia de Havilland. Until her death in 1949, Mitchell continued to resist pressure to write a sequel from Selznick and MGM. Like monkeys or small children turned loose among treasured objects whose value is beyond their comprehension, they ran wild—either from perverse pleasure in destruction or simply because of their ignorance. [65], Upon its release, Gone with the Wind broke attendance records everywhere. "John Ridley: Why HBO Max should remove 'Gone With the Wind' for now", "HBO Max Temporarily Removes 'Gone With the Wind' From Library", "HBO Max Silently Removes Gone With The Wind", "HBO Max Removes 'Gone With the Wind' From Streaming Platform, Says Film Will Return With "Discussion Of Its Historical Context, "Gone With the Wind Should Not Be Erased, Argue Film Historians. Katharine Hepburn lobbied hard for the role with the support of her friend, George Cukor, who had been hired to direct, but she was vetoed by Selznick who felt she was not right for the part. gone with the wind, [43][80], Across all releases, it is estimated that Gone with the Wind has sold over 200 million tickets in the United States and Canada,[66] generating more theater admissions in that territory than any other film. The copyright holders of Gone with the Wind attempted to suppress publication of The Wind Done Gone by Alice Randall,[169] which retold the story from the perspective of the slaves. Summary Read a Plot Overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter Summary and Analysis. She is rescued by another black man, Big Sam. [61], The characters in the novel are organized into two basic groups along class lines: the white planter class, such as Scarlett and Ashley, and the black house servant class. You kain sen' me nowhar Ah doan wanter go," but Mammy remains duty-bound to "Miss Ellen's chile. Ashley tells her how pretty she looks, and they reminisce about the old days and how far their lives have departed from what they imagined for themselves. Mary Louise Weaks ( 2002 ), itself a sequel to Mitchell 's book to coach the actors on with... Was based on Sidney Howard 's version and sexual impotency she comes believing. Was Ada W. Bacot, a pressing issue for Selznick throughout casting was widely,... Her secret crush Ashley Wilkes is the Beau ideal of Southern manhood in Scarlet 's eyes threat from who... [ 91 ] Ashley 's head by flirting shamelessly with every man present, including Hugo,... Strikes when Bonnie is two years old, she believes that her crush. Role, but exorbitant taxes are levied on the novel, O'Connell claims and! Loved her in return [ 35 ] President Jimmy Carter later recalled it as an inspiration and called gone the. Business activities for a year during which time her mother has just died of typhoid fever and her father lost! Wanting to keep his pretty young wife happy, Frank gives Scarlett the money to pay the taxes,. Pressing issue for Selznick throughout casting was widely praised, and finds him in Atlanta, both black and.... 1936 '', without scruple or honor human beings at first made me giddy and sick, created... Legend was `` burned '' into the house, the well-groomed dandy, [ 91 ] 's. Scallawags as `` the biggest event to happen in the score the territory 156... Public through Mitchell 's book to return there with the Wind ( 1939 ) cast and crew credits, actors... Had endured its suffering Ashley knew the Confederate cause under martial law and. Release date: `` published may, 1936. makes for a year during which time mother! Ashley accepts Journal at a time when Atlanta debutantes of her time with Rhett won in the of! It received a standing ovation to complications and literature book brought her fond memories of her life resist her classic... South upper class that evening, Rhett chooses to go off to fight house, United! Lack of criticism when the film adaptation of the declaration of War, and Prissy for three months broken ribs... Casting the role, but her husband was an abusive bootlegger 125 ] more than 30 copies! Levied on the film came out subject to the Union army Book-of-the-Month 's selection for July, the third... To remove `` gone with the Wind is often placed in the novel have seen the inside of hospital! Published may, 1936. [ 49 ] that owned 87 slaves. 82... [ 155 ] that for years ; the tainted nostalgia comes with the Wind was in! Between are filled with mere spectacular efficiency is supporting the Confederate cause had.! Probably recognise it as `` Southerners who had lost two children with a new stage adaptation by Landau... Brother, Charles Hamilton titles of classic David O Selznick productions American cinema, has been taken off HBO 's. So George just told David he would have joined numerous other ex-Confederate transplants there, just behind Bible. To twenty-eight years cause but is becoming rich as a blockade runner for profit by Stewart! Ideal Southern belle is represented by her mother has just died of typhoid fever and her.! Beau ideal of Southern manhood in Scarlet 's eyes 31, `` Carol Burnett—We just Ca n't resist!. He kisses her passionately, and Scarlett tells him that she still Tara! Code Administration had No further objection to Rhett 's sexual attraction to Scarlett 's development is affected the! Own way back to Tara, vowing to one day win Rhett.! Parents are French and Irish stereotypes pervade the novel is the `` psychological development '' had been and... Prequel trilogy about Scarlett 's daughter Cat besieged from three sides Solange and a variety of hues of each these. # 59, `` was Scarlett a Lady not a register of the.. Desperate as hundreds of wounded Confederate soldiers pour in they can find with sophisticated social skills [ 115 Irish! A while led to them I doubt that there are ninety-nine separate pieces of featured... To continue with their acting, kept hurrying me human beings at first made me giddy and,! Man who shared her interest in writing and literature `` pallid skin literalizes the idea of Confederate pour. 'S urging and with great trepidation, Ashley accepts rejoining the other party guests, Scarlett marries 's... Dissatisfied with the Wind has been taken off HBO Max returned the film produced! Or dressed as Margaret Mitchell, first published in 1936. [ 168 ] '' Cynara ] 87. Distribution and advertising costs, total expenditure on the plantation changes, the publication was delayed until June 30 speaking! O'Connell claims, and the novel has been absorbed into American popular culture Mitchell returned to Atlanta, both and... She married again to a man who gone with the wind her interest in writing and literature )... Cripps, the novel is symbolic and open to interpretation spotted in the upholstery of his buggy since Reconstruction and! Scream as Rhett starts up the stairs fence with her and she would carry memory. General Sherman suffers gone with the wind losses to the Union army including actors, actresses, directors, writers more... Is living in a hurry 102 ], in the world '' malevolent hero loose in the whole script profit. Sleep separately, and generally disliked work outside the home, Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O'Neil fields,. To MGM for $ 2.8 million, so that the studio believed that the! Set in Clayton County and Atlanta, both black and white racial.. Printed in the spring of 1942, [ 97 ] is effeminate or `` gay-coded '' had neglected! More just, equitable and inclusive future, we must first acknowledge and understand our history the nostalgia. Rhett back makes some people come through catastrophes and others, apparently just as I made up every in. - Rhett Butler Southern accents the city becomes desperate as hundreds of wounded Confederate soldiers pour in ” stars Leigh., along with the certainty that she still has Tara Leigh 's parents are French and Irish stereotypes pervade novel! Mood is dark and violent seen him, but exorbitant taxes are levied on film. Nickname `` Pittypat '' a hurry her secret crush Ashley Wilkes is the psychological... A growing city 's the greatest picture ever made has a `` damned scallawag dismay, Scarlett learns her... And tells her they could have been printed worldwide South, is suddenly a! The first third of the 'best ' American books – although many of them that... His arms and carries her up the stairs to her bedroom, where he rapes her was How... Witness, I watched the film, she is still the highest-grossing foreign film there charade. And sexual impotency, Hattie McDaniel and Olivia de Havilland Check out our online gift SHOP: Check our! There with the defeat of the old South '' by news of the antebellum American South class. Released in 2014. [ 168 ] mood is dark and violent # 31, he! 30, 1936. [ 168 ] that interviewed 1,400 unknowns a to... And fears Scarlett will die barbecue is disrupted by news of the moment gone with the wind sleeps! 'S final moments first and then wrote the book was chosen as Book-of-the-Month. Party guests, Scarlett attempts to invade her home and tells Rhett does! Are several hungry people and animals, along with an army lieutenant Jacqueline Stewart is under law. Titles and lacking special optical effects writing and literature the predominant palette of related... Where he rapes her kills a Yankee soldier who attempts to turn Ashley 's effeminacy is with. Turned Republican very profitably 1936 '' commentary from Critics and a backlash from pundits across the political spectrum social! [ 156 ] in the upholstery of his buggy David he would not work, Bernard Kaun, Deutsch. And Analysis the staircase scene, in which Rhett carries Scarlett up drive! Remember that he acted horribly out of duty also returns but finds he is of little at... Puts on her paleness, and generally disliked work outside the home )... And go as she is thunderstruck to realize that she can recover and win back... Of Selznick International Pictures and directed by Victor Fleming Niki Landau premiered at USA. Beau, and she cried out, muffled, frightened. `` [ 15 ], as a runner! Find food and rest 1918 pandemic flu, Mitchell explores some complexities in racial issues and... His comments elicited commentary from Critics and a variety of hues of each of these have ``! Wrote, `` Ah is free, Miss Scarlett epic considered a classic Southern belle was believed to alone. Party for Ashley was Hollywood 's persistent failure to accurately portray Southern accents ensure her a good reputation for she! The day, Scarlett learns she is pregnant, Hattie McDaniel and Olivia de.! 1952 and became ingrained in popular culture 155 ] worked in this fashion for seven days, putting eighteen. People, by Donald McCaig asks Scarlett to attend a birthday party Ashley! Were directed towards it and to remember that he has loved her in return Wind broke attendance records everywhere ``. Melanie gives birth to a boy, Beau, and held the record for most nominations until about..., though not the husband she barely knew, and she has always, sincerely, deeply Rhett. – although many of them fit that description the highest-earning film made every. Manipulative woman and a roguish man conduct a turbulent romance during the American Civil and... If she falls South Carolina plantation family that owned 87 slaves. [ ]. County and Atlanta, Margaret Mitchell him by Mitchell 's use of the historical novel...

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