CRITICS CORNER

Critics Corner

Critics Corner

Gone With The Wind

Gone with the Wind is, simply put, a tale of two halves. The movie is divided by an intermission into a pair of roughly-equal segments. The first, which is brilliant and consistently captivating, covers the time period of the Civil War, beginning shortly after the election of Abraham Lincoln, and ending during Sherman's march through Atlanta. The post-intermission half, which dishes out the suds, picks up at the end of the Civil War and concludes about eight years later. This portion of Gone with the Wind, while still retaining a degree of appeal and narrative interest, spins its wheels frequently (Compaine, 2000).

Nevertheless, viewing Gone with the Wind on television pales in comparison to seeing it projected on a motion picture screen. New Line Cinema has chosen to re-release the film (which is now in its sixth major revival) for its 59th anniversary. (Why not wait a year for the 60th?) Anyone who loves movies but has only seen this one on TV or video is heartily encouraged to visit the nearest participating venue. Theatrically, Gone with the Wind is an entirely different experience from its small-screen counterpart; some of the second-half narrative tedium is effaced by the glorious visuals. With a restored three-strip Technicolor print that preserves all of the original's deep, vibrant colors and digitally-enhanced sound, this picture has never looked or sounded better.

Gone with the Wind has one of the best-known storylines of any film, due in large part to the popularity of the source material, Margaret Mitchell's best-selling 1936 book. It's essentially a sumptuous soap opera set around Civil War times in the deep South. The main character is Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh), the spoiled, manipulative daughter of an Irish immigrant plantation owner (Thomas Mitchell, who would later play Uncle Billy in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life). Scarlett has two sisters, but she is by far the most spirited of the three O'Hara girls, and her father, seeing her as his successor, teaches her lessons about the importance of the land. "It's the only thing that lasts... the only thing worth fighting for," he comments in the face of war.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Frank Capra's classic comedy-drama established James Stewart as a lead actor in one of his finest (and most archetypal) roles. The film opens as a succession of reporters shout into telephones announcing the death of Senator Samuel Foley. Senator Joseph Paine (ClaudeRains), the state's senior senator, puts in a call to Governor Hubert "Happy" Hopper (Guy Kibbee) reporting the news. Hopper then calls powerful media magnate Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold), who controls the state -- along with the lawmakers. Taylor orders Hopper to appoint an interim senator to fill out Foley's term; Taylor has proposed a pork barrel bill to finance an unneeded dam at Willet Creek, so he warns Hopper he wants a senator who "can't ask any questions or talk out of turn" (Gomery, 2000).

After having a number of his appointees rejected, at the suggestion ...