Is Gone with the Wind (1939) Worth Four Hours of Your Life?

Romance is not only one of the most popular, but also most diverse genres (except when watching Hallmark movies). There are so many different tropes, complex characters, and conflicting storylines. Romance entertains and intrigues, but is it possible to get tired of reading or watching the same story? Maybe the movie is too long or the book has too many pages with extremely small print. Gone with the Wind presents this problem, running three hours and forty-two minutes long in movie form, and the book is just over one-thousand pages. How could a love story possibly have enough enticing material to fill up all those minutes and pages?

Granted I have not read the book, but I did watch the movie. The movie took two days to finish; I basically divided it up into two two-hour blocks. The movie is based in the early 1860s before, during, and after the Civil War. Scarlett O’Hara is a young and beautiful boy magnet who lives in upper class Georgia. She claims to be in love with one man but marries his brother-in-law to make him jealous. Even though the man she is in love with is already married to her husband’s sister. It is complicated…I know; that is just a taste for what is to come.

Rhett Butler is a wealthy bachelor with a degree in womanizing. He meets Scarlett and almost instantly falls in love. Scarlett does not make it easy for him, not one bit. Gone with the Wind is such a unique and addicting love story because of how both main characters are not traditional protagonists. In fact, I hate Scarlett O’Hara. I think she is selfish, mean, and naïve. Rhett Butler, although he becomes likable towards the end, is also selfish and mean. Their relationship is toxic, but it works. This goes against all odds. The two characters have so many red flags combined that their relationship is actually good for both of them. The entire movie thrives on character development and tension. The movie bleeds detail, making it different from most movies in today’s world.

Now to answer the question: yes, the story is worthwhile. Maybe just one time, but watching the movie one time will leave its victim heartbroken and contemplating everything they once knew about love and romance. Although the characters are annoying and terrible people, their destructive nature is captivating. Every minute of the movie shows how people are dynamic, in good ways and in bad ways. This movie is not some cheesy, unrealistic happy ever after. There is conflict upon conflict. Plain and simple, the movie is fun to watch. Gone with the Wind draws out all sorts of emotion, and in my opinion, that is the best kind of entertainment.  

Who Should Watch This Movie?

I find it hard to recommend this movie to a narrow audience. Gone with the Wind has violence, romance, and loads of drama, so if any of these genres interest you, you will at least find something to enjoy when watching this movie.

Who Should Not Watch This Movie?

Traditional romance lovers will have a hard time watching Gone with the Wind. I do not mean that they will not enjoy watching the movie, but they will dislike it. I know that does not make much sense, but think of an extremely gut wrenching and sad movie that is really good. Gone with the Wind is one of those. So, if you are looking for a happy and lighthearted Friday night; this movie is not for you.   

Gone with the Wind is available at the Logos in both book and film form.

Lindsey Norwood’s reviews reflect her personal opinions and not necessarily those of the library or university.

Monday Movie: “Psycho”

Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), an office worker in Phoenix, is tired of having to see her lover only on lunch breaks. Instead, she wants to marry Sam Loomis (John Gavin), but can’t because he’s spending most of his money on alimony. But Marion finds a chance when her boss asks her to bank forty-thousand dollars. She instead takes the money and drives towards California, hoping to reunite with Sam. Unfortunately, her exhaustion and the pouring rain cause her to veer off the highway and stop at the Bates Motel, run by young Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). Norman is a strange man, who seems lonely all by himself running the hotel, and who also seems to be completely dominated by his mother.

At the same time, Lila Crane (Vera Miles) gets worried when her sister goes missing and hires a private detective to go find her. Only to her horror, that same detective also go missing, causing Lila and Sam to journey to the one place that connects it all-the Bates Motel.

There is little more to be said about Alfred Hitchcock’s most famous movie. Psycho, even sixty-years later, holds up as an incredibly suspenseful movie. Even now, having seen more modern horror movies, I found myself shivering at the creepiness that the movie creates. I held my breath through several moments and gasped at the shocking twist at the end. And even if, given the age of the movie, you happen to know the ending, the movie is still enthralling. Each line of dialogue causes increased tension, and the payoff is perfect. This movie, more than any I’ve reviewed or seen in a long time, kept me guessing as to what would happen next.

And unlike modern horror movies, there are few, if any, jump scares and a complete absence of gore. Hitchcock uses dialogue, scenery, and music to great effect to create a terrifying movie, of which there is no equal. And so, even in the absence of any sexual innuendos, language, or gore, I would still encourage parents to take caution before showing this movie to their kids. Many moments are especially disturbing, and many young teenagers and kids will likely find no enjoyment from this movie.

Still, if you are looking for an old-school scare, Psycho holds up as an engrossing, horrifying, and continually creepy experience. So, grab some popcorn, curl up, and check in to the Bates Motel!

Psycho is rated-R, though given the time period a better rating would be PG-13 for: some violence, disturbing images and behavior, and thematic elements.

Psycho is available in the Logos.

*review by Brennan Kress