Gone With the Wind: Who Blew Away Whom (#BOTB Results)

A Silly Gone with the Wind Story

Screenshot of the title page from the trailer for the film
Gone with the Wind (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

       My previous post featured a discussion about Clark Gable and his 1939 film Idiot's Delight.  When I think of Clark Gable my mind invariably turns to Gone With the Wind (GWTW).   Who hasn't seen this epic film also from 1939.   It's on television fairly regularly and available on just about any media source.  That wasn't the case when I first saw the Civil War classic.

        All of my life I'd been aware of GWTW.   I'd often heard it mentioned in discussions about film and read about it in articles here and there.  The film was legendary, but it wasn't shown anywhere where I had access to it.  Perhaps the reason why I'd become aware of the film was partly due to write-ups about it when it had gone into re-release in 1961, 1967, or 1971.  I didn't see it during any of those releases, but I'm sure I'd gotten "wind" of it.

        Finally when it was rereleased in the theaters in 1974 and showed up in my hometown of Maryville, Tennessee I made sure that I wouldn't miss it this time.  I was in college at the time. I knew it was a great film, but I couldn't get any of my friends to go see it with me so I went by myself.

         It was a weeknight so the theater wasn't very full.  The theater was a relatively small venue, but with only 30 or 40 people in the audience it looked bigger than it really was.  The film began and I was engrossed.  When intermission came I thought the film was over. It seemed like an odd way to end the movie but I could see how that could have made an ending.  After all in the 70's there were plenty of films with endings that didn't really seem like endings.  Though it didn't make a lot of sense to me, I figured they must have edited out the part where Rhett says "Damn". That was the controversy that I'd heard so much about.  So anyway, I went ahead and left. 

        When I got to my van I realized that I was the only one who had left the theater. That's when I realized it was only an intermission.  So I wouldn't seem like a total fool if anyone had seen me go to my van I pretended to be looking for something.  Then I sheepishly went back inside hoping that nobody would notice.  The handful of those in attendance were finding their seats or they were already seated waiting for the second half of the film to begin.  No one was paying attention to me so my stupidity apparently had gone unnoticed.

       Fortunately I did see the film to its end. I've seen the film several times since. We have 3 different DVD versions of the film all given to my wife and I as gifts. The gift givers knew it was a film that we both loved.  Now if we want to see GWTW we don't have to wait for a theater showing.  We can watch the film whenever we want.  Getting to see movies is so much easier than it used to be and that's pretty darn cool.

(This post was inspired by a comment originally left at Janie Junebug's site on June 14, 2014)

Battle of the Band Results

        My most recent Battle of the Bands featured two different songs from the film Idiot's Delight.  The outcome of this match was not really a surprise to me and probably won't be a surprise to anyone else.  Actually I feared a shut-out on this though I knew my own vote would save me from this fate.  Thankfully a few of you agreed with my pick so the outcome wasn't quite as one-sided as I had expected.

         The choice was between two songs--"Puttin' on the Ritz" and "How Strange".  The performers weren't supposed to be the criteria for voting though many of you enjoyed "Ritz" as delivered by Clark Gable and Les Blondes as did I.  However, the novelty of seeing and hearing Gable in a rare song and dance was not enough to sway me.

         In my view, "Puttin' on the Ritz" is more of a novelty song that works best in context of a visual presentation.   Typically we see the song performed as a grand dance number.  The song lends itself well to dance, especially tap dance, due to it's syncopation and quirky time signatures.   It's a fun tune, not one that I would call particularly melodic, but with a memorable melody and rhythm that gets toes to tapping and listeners to hum along.   I like musical pieces like this, but it's not what I would sit around listening to for musical pleasure.

          On the other hand, "How Strange" is hauntingly beautiful.   In the version I used, the instrumental opening with what I presume is a viola lures me with it's exotic melody.  Originally the song was a Russian tune that was later adapted with English lyrics.   Since the outset of my Battle "How Strange" is the song that has predominated the playlist in my head.   That's the deciding factor for me.  The song or song version that persists most in my memory, moving me and touching something within me, is the winner in the end.  So based on this my vote goes to the song "How Strange".    Some help for that song, but not enough to even put it close to a win in this contest.

Final Vote

Puttin' on the Ritz             26 votes

How Strange                       9 votes



Coming Up!

       My next Battle on Monday February 1st will be part of a perfect storm of blogging events.   Coinciding with the Battle of the Bands will be the Lost & Found: Valentine's Edition Blog Hop and Michael G D'Agostino's Question of the Month--everything all wrapped up in one tidy package.  You can get more info by clicking on the preceding links.   Hope you'll consider in joining in with your own posts about lost and found loves--we all have a story to tell.

        On Monday the sign-ups for the annual Blogging from A to Z April Challenge will open.  This will be the 7th year of the event!  It's almost hard for me to believe, but it's true.  Consider joining us again if you've done this in the past or if you've never done this then it's a must for any blogger.   Make new friends and hone your blogging skills.  The A to Z Challenge is now blogging legend and you can become a part of the legacy.  Not only you can, but you should!

       Have you signed up for the Lost & Found Blog Hop yet?   Will you be doing the A to Z Challenge this year?   What is the biggest factor in deciding what songs or song versions you like best? 



      

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Top Ten Controversial Films

         It's time for Captain Alex's Movie Blogfest!   For the participant list you can go here.    I did this one the first time Alex hosted it and actually did two lists which you can find here and here.   So as not to be repetitious I've decided to keep in line with my theme of controversy on Mondays and post some of my favorite films that might or might not involve some controversy, with a few thrown in that will provide a clue about my Tossing It Out A to Z Theme.  


Top Ten Controversial Films:

Birth of a Nation (1915) -- At over 3 hours in length, this silent film might prove tedious for those who don't appreciate old movies.  I've watched it in it's entirety three times.   Charged with racism and historical twisting, this film has been debated for nearly one hundred years.  Sophisticated for its time, I find the film to be a fascinating document of film making history as well as a perspective on the way a controversial time of U.S. was dealt with on film.  Many of the roles of blacks were played by white actors in make-up.   Is that controversial?

poster for Citizen Kane (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Citizen Kane (1941) -- Greatest film ever made?  Precursor to modern film making?  Dated, over-hyped bore?    If one knows film history it's easy to see the signifcance of this film.



Pulp Fiction (1994) --  The "Citizen Kane" of this generation?  Another wacky mess from Quentin Tarantino?   The first time I saw this in the theater I hated it.  The second time I saw it in a theater it made more sense and I loved it.   I've watched it several times since and it's one of my favorite movies.

The Passion of the Christ (2004) -- One of the top grossing films in history, this one created quite a stir when it came out.   No other Jesus film matches the graphic reality of "The Passion".   Some people hate this film.  Of course there are some people who are not too fond of Jesus or His story.

Cover of Easy Rider [Region 2]

Easy Rider (1969) --  This counterculture film changed the film industry and brought credibility to its stars Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson.   Movies changed in a big way after this one.  Was it for the good or the worse?

Memento (2000) --  What?   This is one of those movies I had to watch more than once.   Is it genius or just a gimmick?

Midnight in Paris (2011)  -- Is it time travel or literary fantasy?   Oscar worthy?   Woody's best?

Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001) -- Where's the controversy in this one?  Well, I saw it and you probably didn't.  This is a film that I watched three times in succession.  There aren't many films where I've done that.  I just liked the philosophical study of the questions and the situations.  I think it's a nice film that's interesting to ponder.

The Human Centipede (2009) --  With a concept that is pretty disgusting, I won't even bother describing what this movie is about.   If you're really curious click the link to read more.  I was actually surprised how well they pulled this one off.  They not only made a sequel, which I have not seen, but number 3 is coming soon.   Watch this if you absolutely have to see how they do this, but keep it away from the kids.  Definitely not for the squeamish.

Gone with the Wind (1939) -- Is it terrific epic film making or dumb romantic schlock?   Big controversy because Clark Gable as Rhett Butler said "damn".    Damn?   Ah, the good old days.

         What do you think?   Which ones have you seen?   Do you think any of these are controversial for any reason and why?

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Almost Gone from Gone with the Wind

  

      Those of you born after 1975 might be surprised to know that there was once a time when if you wanted to see a particular movie, you couldn't just pick up a video or DVD or download a streaming version on a computer.  You either had to wait until it was playing in a theater or wait until it was shown on television.  There were certain films like Gone With The Wind that were never on television and rarely re-released into the theaters.   It was for many film buffs something akin to the Holy Grail of cinematic art.

         An avid movie fan since childhood, I became a true film aficionado after I started college in 1969.  I even took film classes.  Free or inexpensive film offerings were presented throughout the week at the university and I took advantage of most of them.  However, the legendary Gone With The Wind was not among the those films.  The Civil War epic was a film that I had heard of and longed to see, but it seemed to be an elusive quest.

        Then, in early 1974, I learned that the film would once again be in theaters and was thrilled when I saw that the film would be shown in the small Foothills Cinema in my hometown of Maryville, Tennessee.  Since none of my friends seemed to be interested in going to see GWTW, I decided to go by myself.   I often went to the movies by myself--my friends were usually not too interested in seeing the films that I wanted to see.  It was no big deal to me.  It was easier to enjoy the movies watching them alone, though it would have been nice to have had someone with whom to discuss them afterward.  GWTW was in town and I was going to see it no matter what.

        Being a Tuesday night, I was not surprised to see a less than full theater for such an important film.  But I was rather surprised that there were only about twenty people in the theater.  This suited me fine since there would be less distraction due to inconsiderate film viewers.  I settled into my seat with no other patrons near me.  At last I was going to see this film that I had heard of all of my life.

         It was a fine film that lived up to all that I had heard about it.  The grandeur of the antebellum Southern aristocracy was well depicted.  The mounting excitement of impending war and the ensuing conflicts that eventually lead to the defeat of the Confederacy were enthralling.  The spectacular conflagration of Atlanta and Scarlett's harrowing escape from the burning city was heart-pounding.  The sadness of the ruined plantations was moving.

         Then there was that final dramatic scene with Scarlett rooting for food in the pillaged garden of the sacked plantation of Tara.  Silhouetted against the dusky sky she defiantly proclaims, "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again!"  The screen went dark.

          As the lights came up, the theater was quiet.  With only twenty people in the theater I guess one wouldn't expect much noise.  I solemnly left the theater contemplating the film I had just seen.  I could understand why the film had been so popular.  I thought the ending was powerful, though somehow not complete.

          After I entered my car and put the key in the ignition, something seemed amiss.  No one else was leaving the theater.  I thought perhaps they had used another exit.  But, no, there were no cars leaving either. I realized that the words "The End" had never appeared.  And I never even heard Rhett say, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn". At that moment one of those forehead slapping moments hit me.  Duh!  The movie was not over, it was only intermission.

           I felt foolish.  Trying to cover up my mistake, I sat in my car for a short while and acted like I was looking for something.  After a few moments I strolled back into the theater trying to act cool and collected.  I sauntered over to the refreshment counter and looked over the offerings as though I might be looking for something.  Casually, I looked around the lobby.  The ticket seller was gone since there were no more showings that night.  The girl at the refreshment stand stared blankly toward the door looking every bit like she was ready to go home.  No one else was in the lobby.

        I returned to the seating area.  The few people in attendance were still in their seats talking or lost in thoughts.  I sat down where I had been sitting previously.  No one paid any attention to me.  I still felt foolish for having thought the film was over and actually leaving the theater.  At least I had covered my mistake well with my coolness.

        Since my first viewing of Gone With The Wind, I have seen the film several times.  I went to see it in the theater again in the mid-nineties at a theater in a mall in Cerritos, California.  They didn't have a proper projector to show the movie causing the colors to be out of whack and the entire film was slightly out of focus with strange auras surrounding all of the actors.  I felt like I was watching the movie after having taken a hallucinogenic drug.  I had gone with a group of people but nobody said anything about the way it looked until intermission.  Then the guy who had been at the helm of our film outing and who was a hard core film fan went to complain.  They told him that's the way things were and there wasn't anything they could do about it.  So we watched the whole movie like that and I felt like I was high after I left the theater.

       Now the movie is shown on television occasionally.  My wife and I have two different GWTW DVD box sets.  Now I can watch the film whenever I want.  And since it's on DVD I can stop it and have an intermission whenever I want.  I haven't been to a movie theater in years.   I can't stop the movie in the theater when I want to.  Movies these days don't have intermissions anymore.  When you get older, you think about intermissions more often.  But I guess that's another story entirely.


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