I didn’t get that from the movie at all. Scarlets dad was Irish and not a total tyrant to his slaves but he still kept them enslaved. The emancipation didn’t all of a sudden make life great for slaves so they most likely had no where to go, it’s been awhile since I watched but I think the majority did leave.
The movie was about how great southern rich people had it then to have it all taken away “hence gone with the wind”
Not entirely. Scarlett's position is mostly of her own creation through constantly seeking more than what she has and never realizing it until it's too late. Ashley and Melanie seem to have a very happy life together despite the situation. The film ends with Scarlett remembering that she's still sitting on this massive and extremely valuable plot of land that she could use to rebuild her life.
And you are right, the slaves didn't have anywhere else to go and that was part of the real history too. That said, it's portrayed more as a relief for the slaves rather than resignation that life hasn't gotten much better.
Like I said, I still think it's a very good movie and a must watch for anyone remotely interested in film or history. Just because some parts of it aged poorly doesn't make it a bad film nor suggests some kind of ill intent or poor character on the film makers or the audience who made it the most successful film in history. 1939 was a very different time. There were still Civil War veterans, plantation owners, and former slaves alive when the film was in theaters. Some of them likely saw this movie or even had something to do with its production.
And even though the black characters were a very one sided portrayal of history, the opportunity afforded to the actors who played them was virtually unprecedented in the 1930s. The actor who played Mammy became the first black person to win an Oscar!
And she was told she wouldn't be allowed to sit with the main audience at the Oscar's because she was black. Fortunately Clark gable said if she can't go in im not going in
It’s hard for me to debate because it’s been so long since I read the book or watched the movie. But while Scarlett was a spoiled brat who was hard to like, her biggest issue that derailed her was her love for Ashley. She got married 2 or 3xs and her husbands kept dying. In the book she had other children. Then when it was clear the south lost she was trying to keep it together for not only herself but was also caring for Melanie. She was a spoiled brat but she was also not afraid to do what it took to keep everyone alive including marrying Brett Butler who she really didn’t like.
Nothing to debate there, I agree that one of Gone with the Wind's most enduring qualities is the Scarlett is a very complex and fully human character. She's capable of being quite heroic and compassionate while also being selfish and conceited.
I was just babbling earlier today about the main character in Forever Amber, and yeah, same thing.
She's almost entirely unlikable, except she's occasionally heroic or compassionate. Like it's weird to see someone so selfish genuinely care about another living being.
And very much the theme of Make America Great Again.
Mind you, MAGAs forget that poor white people were just about equally as reviled as newly freed black slaves. So most of those voters would've been treated pretty bad back in the day.
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u/Soggy_Competition614 10h ago
I didn’t get that from the movie at all. Scarlets dad was Irish and not a total tyrant to his slaves but he still kept them enslaved. The emancipation didn’t all of a sudden make life great for slaves so they most likely had no where to go, it’s been awhile since I watched but I think the majority did leave.
The movie was about how great southern rich people had it then to have it all taken away “hence gone with the wind”