GWTW, an “Un-classic”? “Fiddle dee dee!”
http://entertainment.msn.com/movies/moviesfeature/dvd/not-classic-movies?GT1=7701&silentchk=1&
In response to this ridiculous article from MSN a couple days ago (which I commented on–see page 32 and guess who I am), I will now go off on a tangent. (this was posted on my Lj a couple days ago)
Eh, ehem…
Reasons why Gone with the Wind will NEVER be considered an “Un-classic”
I am assuming this author put that on his “list” (and lame list it is considering how many films have been made in the history of filmdom) simply to stir controversy/get attention/get comments on his article/look stupid, but based on his explanation of why my favorite film of all time should be demoted from it’s status at the top of the pedestal of classic films, is pretty invalid. Here’s what he had to say:
Go ahead, say it: The idea that this towering totem of Hollywood’s Golden Age may not deserve the praise it’s received over the decades is downright sacrilegious, and we should be strung up for saying so. To which we reply: When was the last time you actually watched this marathon paean to the Old South? We can appreciate what producer David O. Selznick accomplished — after hearing the film’s backstory, it’s a miracle the movie even managed to get made — but this template for every bloated spectacle made since is one creaky melodrama. Vivien Leigh’s touted performance now seems drastically mannered and camp (”I’ll never go hungry again!”), set pieces such as Scarlett O’Hara’s tour of the Civil War battlefield stick out like sore thumbs amidst the overwrought “intimate” moments, and Victor Fleming’s direction never rises above journeyman level. Even Clark Gable’s charismatic Rhett Butler feels less like an actual character and more like a star simply savoring the taste of the scenery between his teeth. You can chalk up the retrograde politics to the times — still, we dare you to sit through Butterfly McQueen’s and Hattie McDaniel’s scenes without wincing — but the sheen of this capo di tutti capi of movies has worn off once and for all. For all its pomp, “Gone With the Wind” no longer blows us away.
And here are the reasons why that author needs to go back to school.
#1. When was the last time I actually watched that marathon paean? About a month ago. To assume no one watches that movie anymore is just ridiculous. I’ve seen it twice in theatres and each time there have been quite a lot of people in attendance of all age ranges. It’s shown quite frequently on TCM where it is the favorite film of Mr. Ted Turner. It has done well in every re-release it’s ever had and if you count for inflation, that marathon of a film has made more money at the box office than ANY OTHER FILM EVER MADE! Sorry, Star Wars! Even you, Titanic, haven’t blown Scarlett O’Hara’s attitude problem out of the water.
#2. The author listed several films that “deserve” their classic status–among them, Citizen Kane, The Wizard of Oz and Casablanca–all films you’d find at the top of any critic’s list of best films ever. But he talks about GWTW being a “creaky melodrama”. As if Casablanca isn’t overly melodramatic? As if Oz isn’t any less hammy? Give me a break, I don’t even think you can make that distinction when melodrama and hammy acting was basically the style in the 1930s and 40s and frankly, i can think of a whole barrel full of films that are more hammy than GWTW. GWTW is a melodrama in every sense, yes. It’s a weepy/woman’s picture/tearjerker/etc. It is what it is. It didn’t have pretenses of being a politically correct Civil War story, it’s the story of a woman who goes to great lengths to survive and save what’s important to her and thus audiences connected with her during the Depression and they connect with her even still today.
#3. The sheen of this capo di tutti capi of movies has worn off once and for all. No, it hasn’t. Just because this film was made in the 1930s when the computer graphics that cover up for a lot of shitty stories today didn’t exist, doesn’t mean that GWTW is not still a technically stunning film. It set the bar in 1939 for all films that came after it. You may watch it on your little tv and not think much of the craftsmanship that went into transforming the Selznick backlot into a Georgian plantation, but see this film on the big screen and it’s a whole different story. The actual story itself still holds up remarkably well because of its universal themes and its strong, fleshed out characters, otherwise it wouldn’t have made any impact and it certainly wouldn’t continue to be reintroduced to younger generations.
#4. GWTW has had a HUGE impact on pop-culture. I would even go so far as to argue that it’s impacted pop-culture more than any other film. Not only was it the first film to vastly break box office records, it won more Oscars than any other film until that time, it earned the first Oscar for an African American woman, the first Oscar for a British woman, launched Vivien Leigh into a permanent place at the top of the film/pop culture food chain, where, even if people can’t tell you her real name, they most likely can tell you the name of the character she made famous. When your two main characters land a spot on People/VH1’s list of top pop-culture icons of all time, you know you did something right 70 years ago. It’s been re-released in theatres countless times, the book sequel was the fastest selling sequel ever published, and, according to antiques/collectors’ magazines, memorabilia for that film is THE most sought after junk in filmdom–even moreso than Oz, and Oz is SUPER popular for collectors. When people are still making/buying merchandise after 70 years, you know it’s still popular–kind of like how Audrey Hepburn and James Dean and Marilyn are still popular in pop-culture.
GWTW was a case of the right film being made at the right time in history. You won’t find anyone today who can fill the shoes of clark gable and vivien leigh–so ingrained in the public mind is that film and those characters. It was popular then and it’s popular today. And despite what some people say, people still love it and always will. And that, my friends, is why GWTW will never fall into the vacuum of oblivion.
suck on that, msn, and then hire yourself a new film commentator because this guy sucks.
THE END *ROLL CREDITS”
I posted about this on my own livejournal a couple days ago but I thought it might be interesting for Vivien Leigh fans to comment on. I’m really interested in hearing other people’s opinions.
It’s sooooooooooooooooooo stupid !!! What a nonsense. Not because GWTW is such an icone & that it shouldn’t deserve anything but praise and devoted affection. But just because I don’t see the point - in 2007 - to look down in a snobbish way at a technical wonder realized in 1939, nearly 70 years ago. Margaret Mitchell’s novel, the movie itself always have found their fair critics. It’s normal and sound. Yes it’s a melodrama. Yes it’s in color, full of hoop skirts, gentle slaves, black mustache and white teeth, of foolish curls and fiddle dee dees… But it was meant to be that way. And millions stood on line to get a chance to read the book or see the film. The flavour of one era. And of course, like all big successes it’s a bit mysterious, unfair to some, ill proportioned. Does all this stuff deserve this big turmoil? Isn’t it overshadowing some major stuff… Certainly. GWTW is good like chocolate. And popular like it ? I suppose you could look down on chocolate too, finding it a little bit rich and stuffy as compared to… to what ? Filet d’espadon sur son caviar d’aubergine au jus de truffe ? Sure. What a discovery. What a great “connaisseur” this critic is. What a gourmet ! I would advise him to avoid some italian museums, filled with over rated primitives works of art. The tastes of the public have changed since then. For sure. TV, technical progress, video then dvd, web, have turned us into a society less innocent in front of the media, more cultured. When I look at the blogs, and see some 15 years old or less, criticizing some movies that were once impossible to find, I’m just amazed. But the question is, what are they going to do with this knowledge ? Think they are a part of what has been done before them and being grateful for it, or just pretend - like our little critic - they are the king of the moutain ? And boast endlessly over it ? Well, I would’nt care a bit if this so called critic asserted his own opinion. What I REALLY find unpleasant is his way of using a collective umbrella : “we reply” “we can appreciate”…” “no longer blow us”… Do this creature looks at itself as a crowd ? Is it some kind of royal mannerism ? Poor soul. Does he consider his banning of GWTW as such a great act of courage - “go ahead say it”- that he calls for help in number ? Dear, dear… Your little bomb was but a fart ! Be a good boy, now, go back and tell mamma. She knows better. Don’t pretend you don’t like chocolate. And let her enjoy her GWTW. Thanks.
I know! Well he failed to mention (or understand apparently) why GWTW is considered a classic in the first place. Because people still know, remember and love to watch it despite the years that have passed and despite how much it has aged or been dated. Citizen Kane is often called the “greatest” American film ever made. Well, yay for technical achievements by cinematographer Gregg Toland, but he’s done better films in my opinion, AND, on the whole, i don’t think Citien Kane has held up anything like GWTW. Like some people said of Vivien Leigh: “She wasn’t a critic’s actress. She wss a people’s actress,” the same can be said of GWTW. it IS a critic’s film (lots of critics like it it seems even still), but it’s more a people’s film. When was the last time anyone went into Hallmark and saw a Citizen Kane collector’s plate? I mean GWTW as an empire is still going strong in the merchandise business. People haven’t forgotten it like they have a lot of movies that were applauded then. GWTW is a film for all time because its themes are universal and anyone in the world can understand them, and I don’t see it fading away from memory any time soon.