I find this movie so incredibly dull that every positive element has about a dozen things that drag it back down.
There are occasionally scenes that play well, or have comedic value. But then there’s another fifteen minutes of slow southern cultural annoyances.
Here’s where I actually show a certain amount of intolerance. I simply don’t like this kind of southern culture. Ignoring the racial elements of it, it’s pompous, and it involves people refusing to say things because it would be impolite. The result is that people like Scarlett are created, who are completely dislikable. She’s a jerk, she’s dumb, she seems to almost exclusively make bad decisions. She shows some signs of growing up about halfway through the movie, then manages to undo it as soon as she has her wealth back.
Rhett Butler is a peculiar character, because he seems to be the only one willing to tell Scarlett she’s a pain. The problem here is that Rhett moves from being fairly likable to being a dislikable jerk by the end.
Structurally, there are a bunch of strange problems. Most of them stem from the format. If the story ended about halfway through, it could actually be a more engaging movie. Instead, the second half of the movie just drags and drags. It’s hard to care about anything that happens.
Despite my complaints, I actually did find the movie more watchable this time, compared to watching it during college. It’s easier if you expect Scarlett to not have any redeemable qualities. And it’s nice to see someone as cool as Rhett pick on her a bit.
I have no idea why this movie is as successful as it is. The only thing it seems to have going for it is that it feels like a uniquely American movie. The Civil War accomplishes part of that, but the southern culture seems like a unique American creation.
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