One Paragraph Movie Review: Gone With The Wind

One hundred and ninety-third film: Gone With the Wind. FINE. I’VE SEEN IT NOW. This is a good movie and a bad movie. Famously containing hugely damaging black stereotypes and a complete sanitisation of slavery and the finer points of the American civil war, it also peppers itself with a light spot of sexism as a not-fun bonus. While some of the latter can be begrudgingly acknowledged as ‘of the time’ — both the 1800s it was set in and the 1930s it was made in — watching people who absolutely do not want to be kissed or had sex with being kissed and had sex with (implied) in a way that we’re clearly supposed to think is thrilling doesn’t sit right ever. So yeah, I wasn’t surprised about any of that stuff, or the completely stunning sets, costumes, and cinematography. I was surprised that this wasn’t the bodice-ripping romance I expected from the posters. That there would be quite so many loveless marriages. That there would be quite so much murder, theft, and self-interested plotting. That a fancy Southern lady owning a successful lumber business would be quite so pivotal to the plot or, indeed, that successful lumber businesses could be unbelievably lucrative. For a racist, sexist, impolitely long film, that’s a fair few surprises. I have no idea at all if I liked it. Three really good reasons to stay off a horse out of five.