Gone with the Wind: A Legacy

Perhaps one of the most ambitious films ever made, the four hour long 1939 film Gone with the Wind probably defines the term "American epic". Produced by the legendary David O. Selznick at Warner Brother's studio, the I am not going to detail the long plotline, or the amount of awards the film recieved, including its ten Oscar wins that were not to be outdone for twenty years. Everyone knows of the illustrious cast of Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Ann Rutherford, Hattie McDaniel, Butterfly McQueen, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Fred Crane, George Reeves, and so many others. I want to talk about the legacy of the film and all of the fan worship that his risen up from it.

The original book Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell was originally published in 1937 and won a Pulitzer Prize. Mitchell did not approve of or condone much of the making of the film, she did approve of Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara. Her book became one of the best selling books in history and was listed by time as one of the Best 100 Novels ever written. Recently, writer Alice Randall released a parody version of the book entitled The Wind Done Gone, which is the same story told from the perspective of a slave at Tara. For more information on the history of the book and film, you can look here at the official fan site and at this article, from the historyoffilm.com.

Both the film and the book have become an American icon, as evidenced by this article. An entire industry has been built around Gone with the Wind and Scarlett O'Hara. The Scarlett O'Hardy Museum in Jefferson, Texas offers a museum memorabilia, a Scarlett O'Hara bed and breakfast, and souvenir. The Scarlett Online fan site offers everything Scarlett from costume made clothes to dolls to look-a-likes. The University of Texas at Austin even has a Gone with the Wind exhibit online, providing history, biography, costuming, and more.

Atlanta and the state of Georgia have even developed an entire segment of their tourist industry devoted to the film, book, and characters. You can visit the Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta, where the story had its inception or the official Gone with the Wind exhibit in the history museum at Marietta, Georgia. In fact, Atlanta has even set up this official trip guide for those of you who would like to take a GWTW themed trip, including sites connected to the film like the real Twelve Oaks, Tara, the GWTW tour, battlefields from the movie and more.

Gone with the Wind has infultrated so much of our culture in parody, history, and society to become an American icon. From the lines to the costumes to the actors to the vacation plans, this is truly an immortal film.

Austen and Romance

Though not the most accurate version of Jane Austen 's classic tale, the 1940 version of Pride and Prejudice is my second favorite after the 1995 BBC Miniseries. One of the reasons for this is because the 1940 version has an excellent cast of characters, in particular my favorite actress in the role of Elizabeth Bennet , Greer Garson. This version of the film, with a script primarily written by novelist Aldous Huxley , is more of a combination of Pride and Prejudice along with another Austen novel, Emma.

I won't bore you with the details of a story we all know so well, but I will point out Garson's excellent fellow cast mates in this film. Mr. Darcy is played by the illustrious actor Sir Laurence Olivier, Mary Boland is Mrs. Bennet, Edna May Oliver is Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Edmund Gwenn is Mr. Darcy, Maureen O'Sullivan is Jane Bennet and Ann Rutherford is Lydia. Though the film is not accurate, it is still a treat to see so many wonderful screen greats at their craft.

A lot of criticism arises over how the film does not follow along with the book and how the costumes do not match the period. The film was made in 1940, during the Great Depression when the US still was not recovering entirely because World War II was just beginning. The costumes were reused from epic Gone with the Wind, because MGM did not have the money to make new ones. They also did not have money to shoot some of the location scenes, which is why the Pemberly scene is missing. Keeping up with its Gone with the Wind leftovers, Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable were both considered for lead roles in this film.

The film has been remade several times since this inception and will probably continue to be redone. Still, I prefer the book version, if I have to choose. For those that are interested, here is a trailer for the film:

Of Love Triangles and Elephant Stampedes

The 1954 film Elephant Walk did not receive much critical acclaim when it came out. In fact, most critics panned it. Still, that did not stop audiences from coming to see a love triangle set in the breathtakingly exotic landscape of Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. The film was based on the book Elephant Walk by Robert Standish, which is the pseudonym of Digby George Gerahty.

While in a small town in England, John Wiley (Peter Finch) meets the beautiful bookshop clerk Ruth (Elizabeth Taylor) and after only a period of knowing each other, the two marry. Wiley owns a tea plantation in colonial England's Ceylon post World War II and the two move to the estate. The plantation is called "Elephant Walk" because it was built on the path elephants used to use to get to water and a large wall was built to keep the elephants at bay by Wiley's late father, who is buried at the plantation. The house is a glorious mansion and Ruth meets her husband's devoted servant Appuhamy (Abraham Sofaer), who has an unwavering devotion to Wiley and his dead father while he remains suspicious of her. Ruth also meets her husband's American overseer, Dick Carver (Dana Andrews), who tells her not to trust the legacy of Wiley's father. He tells her that Wiley's father "rules Elephant Walk even from the grave" and that local gossip states Wiley Sr. was a factor in his wife's death. Wiley throws a lavish party at which Ruth is the only woman and the men become rough and rowdy while Ruth is upstairs, trying to sleep. Like his father, Wiley is somewhat arrogant and self-involved and he tries to live up to his father's legacy, leading to many confrontation between him and Ruth. Wiley breaks his leg during some rough housing with his friends and Ruth asks Carver to come back to help her husband run his plantation. A romance develops between Ruth and Carver because of her husband's behavior and they plan to leave together, stalled by a cholera outbreak at the plantation. The story takes twists and turns as the love triangle becomes more complicated and the beautiful nature of Ceylon turns deadly.

The film was originally supposed to star Laurence Olivier and then wife Vivien Leigh in the lead roles of John and Ruth Wiley, but Olivier had a scheduling conflict with the film he was working on, The Beggar's Opera. Leigh worked on the film for a brief time but had to quit because she was suffering through a bout with bipolar disorder. There are still some scenes were Leigh can be found in the background. The film was made in Colombo, Ceylon, which is now Colombo, Sir Lanka. The elephants in the movie were trained and borrowed from the Cole Brothers Circus in Chicago.

Though I personally liked this film, reviews of it remain mixed. For a general synopsis, you can read this, thanks to Turner Classic Movies. The original New York Times review can be read here. This brief point based review is from weekly-movie-review.com, and this review was written by Dennis Schwartz on Ozus' World Movie Reviews. If you do not find the film believable, I think you can at least enjoy the beautiful native scenery, ritual, and costuming as well as the glamour of Elizabeth Taylor.

"Uh, you folks American citizens...?"

Today Entertainment Weekly did a review for the 50th anniversary of Touch of Evil, a 1958 film with an all-star team behind it. Orson Welles directed and played a part in the film with Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff, and Marlene Dietrich in various roles. One of the last of the Film Noir genre, the controversially made film still remains timeless.

The last film Orson Welles made, he was reluctant to sign on for the project. He was fired during post-production and in his will left instructions on how the film should be edited. The studio ignored his request and Welles's version of the film was not created until a version of it was released in 1998. Monsters and Critics did a good piece on Welles's problems with the film and how the modern version he wanted was finally created.

The story of Touch of Evil is that of Mexican narcotics officer, Mike Vargas (Charlton Heston), having a quickie honeymoon in a border town with his newly wed wife Susie (Janet Leigh), who is an American. Vargas must testify against drug lord Grandi (Akim Tamiroff) , who has all of his goons out to threaten and scare Vargas out of testifying. Soon, Vargas gets too involved in the case, endangering his wife, after a wealthy US developer is killed by a car bomb. Vargas catches a famed US cop (Orson Welles) planting evidence to make a Mexican national responsible for the bombing. The plot gets thicker and Vargas uncovers twisted tales of corruption, lies, deceit, drugs, and that justice and law don't mean the same thing to everyone.

The Chicaco Reader has done a great overview and analysis of the film that you can read here. This film is truly a marvelous one. You can tell from the all-star cast, Welles's direction, and the impact it has had on the culture since. It is amazing that we have had fifty years with this film.

Grace and Beauty

I would like to congratulate the venerable actress Greer Garson a happy 104 birthday since it was on this day in 1904 she was born. Greer won the 1943 Oscar for her lead role in I would like to congratulate the venerable actress Greer Garson a happy 103 birthday since it was on this day in 1904 she was born. Greer won the 1943 Oscar for her lead role in Mrs. Miniver and still holds the Guinness Book World Record for the longest Oscar acceptance speech. In 1942, she tied Bette Davis's record for being nominated for having five Best Actress nominees in five years. Greer also gained acclaim for her roles in Madame Curie, Mrs. Parkington, and The Valley of Decision. Younger generations might remember Greer better as the narrator of the claymation film The Little Drummer Boy. 

She was considered for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, but lost out the famed Vivien Leigh. Tutored by none other than Laurence Olivier during her theatre days in London, Greer was set up from the beginning to be a great actress. Greer also enjoyed many successful acting partnerships with Clark Gable and Walter Pidgeon.

My personal favorite role of Greer's is as Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. Intellectual and witty, Greer was a perfect fit for the role of Elizabeth Bennett. Greer's portrayal of the role is my second favorite, only to Jennifer Ehle in the masterful BBC mini-series. Greer captures the essence of Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennett wonderful, from her simplest expressions to her delivery of the lines taken from Jane Austen's masterpiece and written into script form by Aldous Huxley. Laurence Olivier stars opposite Greer as Mr. Darcy, and the film features an all-star cast, including Mary Boland, Edna May Oliver, Ann Rutherford, and Edmund Gwenn. Ironically, it was Vivien Leigh who was passed over for Greer's role of Elizabeth Bennett.

Greer Garson is truly a Hollywood actress who those of today should aspire to emulate. She was a shining example of grace, beauty, and elegance in her time and devoted to the craft of acting.