Gone with the Wind: A Second Look at a Classic

    When we watched Gone with the Wind

in class, I initially expected it to be a slow, outdated piece, but it actually shifted my perspective. The film offered far more complexity and depth than I had anticipated, and helped me understand what the filmmakers were attempting to accomplish.

 
    Gone with the Wind follows Scarlett O'Hara, a privileged Southern belle living during the Civil War and Reconstruction era. The narrative traces her transformation from a self-centered young woman to someone forced to survive when her world collapses. Throughout the film, Scarlett navigates her complicated relationships with Ashley Wilkes and Rhett Butler while attempting to save her family's plantation. By the end of the film, she finds herself alone but determined to rebuild her life.    

    What impressed me most was Scarlett's characterization. She’s selfish, ambitious, and unapologetic about pursuing what she desires, exceeding many expectations placed on women during that era. While she is far from a perfect protagonist, her flaws make her genuinely interesting. I found myself invested in her journey although her choices are often destructive.

    The film has significant problems in how it portrays the Civil War and slavery. The movie presents the antebellum South through a romanticized lens that barely acknowledges slavery and portrays the plantation economy as “perfect”. The depictions of Black characters, particularly Mammy and other enslaved people, present them as content and loyal to their owners, a glossing over of American history that simply cannot be overlooked.

    This problematic perspective is precisely why reconsidering Gone with the Wind matters. The film cannot be accepted at face value the way earlier generations might have. Instead, it should acknowledge what is genuinely accomplished cinematically and artistically while simultaneously confronting the film's flawed racial politics and romanticization of the Confederacy.

    The relationship between Scarlett and Rhett Butler remains compelling. Their dynamic feels authentic in ways.

    Gone with the Wind deserves to be watched and studied, but it requires critical engagement. The film is technical and artistic, yet it simultaneously reflects troubling attitudes about American history. This contradiction cannot be ignored simply because the film is old. We must appreciate its artistry while rejecting its problematic worldviews.