In fact, all I saw on screen was a bunch of overheated, overdressed aristocrat-like (at least in the beginning) people trying hard to beat the windless heat of the South by doing a whole lot of nothing, farming out their every chore to slaves.
There really is no making light of the movie either, which may be, in part, the reason I've put off seeing Gone With the Wind until this past weekend, at the ripe old age of 41. I was curious to see how the movie compared to the book I'd finally read last summer.
I do realize, by the way, that author Margaret Mitchell's main character, Scarlett O'Hara, uttered the book's title as she wondered if her home, Tara, had been burned down by the Yankees. What I don't understand is just why I liked the movie better than the book. That almost never happens for me.
It must be that the book was difficult reading. I found myself beginning to understand the Confederate side of things and that made me uncomfortable. I didn't want to feel that way. (I guess that's great writing.) And, I have never before read a book containing characters I couldn't stand. At all.
The movie, on the other hand, offers two likable characters in Melanie Hamilton and Mammy, in my not-so-expert opinion. They are portrayed differently (wiser, almost) and offer some relief to the whole tragedy of the Civil War. I enjoyed the fine acting and condensed time frame (yes, condensed, when compared to the book).
Overall, I'm glad to have read and seen this important story. No wonder it's a classic. It gives a much needed view of the losing side, and is quite a departure from the happily ended movies of today. I'm going to appreciate my Scarlett O'Hara shrub all the more.
What do you think of Gone With the Wind? Do you usually like a book more than the movie, or the other way around?
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