@@salsonny Tell me again how a four hour film is too long to react to, but reactions to entire seasons of Stranger Things and endless Star Trek episodes are a dime a dozen.
I think they're afraid of it. But I am SO glad to watch a reaction. Many movies I'd like UA-camrs to react to get overlooked-- Paper Moon is one I'd love to see a reaction to.
Seriously, why expect anything else from Gen Z? The dumbest generation in the last 100 years. They think they are so sophisticated because they can write code for their electronic gadgets. But they never read, and they don't have a knowledge of history or anything longer than 10 years old. If Gen Z is the future of this country, America is doomed.
She could only attend part of the ceremony because of her race. Although some people, then and since, criticized her for playing an enslaved person, she felt she was portraying a strong woman and that she was serving as an asset to her community.
Her beautiful home is still standing in Los Angeles. It remains a private residence at 2203 South Harvard Boulevard but it's well maintained and worth a look. Don't confuse the address with Harbor Blvd or you'll be at Disneyland. 😉
I have read the book and have seen this movie many times and I believe Melanie is neither naive nor foolish. I think she understands Scarlett’s immaturity perfectly and still loves her. I think she realizes that Scarlett doesn’t really love Ashley, that it’s a childish fantasy, and so she doesn’t resent her. JMO.
I like to think she realises how deeply Scarlett cares for those she truly loves (her parents, Tara etc.) and wants to be like her in how strong she is, a sort of strength Melanie doesn't have.
Melanie never forgets a kindness. Her loyalty to both Scarlett and Rhett is born out of a sense of loyalty to them because she correctly credits both of them with saving her life and that of son’s as well during the flight from Atlanta and the events thereafter. This and not any perceived foolishness is why she won’t hear anything ill about either of them. It’s the same reason why she says she’d be honored to be seen speaking with Belle Watling in public in the second act: Belle did for her by saving Ashley from the noose, and now she’s in her debt. But she has enough honor to know this and be bound by it.
@@phoebevolz2291 I think that helps explain her actions in the second half, but Melanie is overly nice to all three of them in the first half - prior to them saving her.
Can you ask her if she would watch 1) the full documentary on the making of, it’s a masterpiece as well! 2) the week following the movie’s first airing on TV, Carol Burnett dedicated 1/2 of her hour long variety show to a sketch spoofing the movie, and that sketch, on UA-cam, is also legendary. Could you ask her to react to it? 3) You did a brilliant job editing. The only thing I really missed was Butler’s letter returning their two wedding rings. The movie is just a masterpiece in writing. And no one Vivian Leigh’s performance tied for best actress performance ever with Merel Streep in Sophie’s Choice in a massive Entertainment Weekly Poll.
Great minds think alike! I’ve already sent her “Making of a Legend” along with my highest recommendation. I’m sure she’ll check it out when she’s able. And yeah, I’m sorry about Rhett’s letter. I initially did include that, but further trims were needed to get the edit past copyright. Warner Bros. has cracked down particularly hard lately, so the edits have, in turn, had to become more ruthless than I would otherwise like. This particular video sat there uploaded for over a week waiting to premiere, and THEN Warner decided to claim it. Rather than delay the premiere after being gone for two weeks, Madison was kind enough to forego compensation on this one in the hopes that it would generate interest in and growth for the channel. Fingers crossed!
@ I feel like it will, as it is a classic that is beloved. If she loves this, and The Sound of Music, I think TWO great intersection points that she might love to react to, especially for someone that writes Western love stories, is 1) Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and 2) Calamity Jane with Doris Day, one of top 5 films (along with 1776, which NO ONE reacts to). It’s a western musical comedy with a score second to none! It’s Day’s best movie in my opinion. (I do understand musicals can be much harder to edit, but I’m going to go watch her reaction to the Sound of Music. I bet her mom loves 7 Brides for 7 Brothers too ). Subscribed!
Fun fact: When Rhett and Scarlett are escaping Atlanta the 'warehouse burning in the background' was actually the original King Kong wall. The studio used the movie as an opportunity to do a controlled burn of old sets to clear out room for new movies.
Yes, I can't help but see that in the background every time I see the movie. I understand that fire departments were called about seeing a blaze for miles around. I think they used the footage of the fire rear-projected behind the wagon with Scarlett, Rhett, and Melanie in it (which would make sense as much safer).
@@johnnehrich9601 They had stunt performers actually take the horse and wagon in front of the flames; there was no rear projection used. There was some discussion earlier on of using models but it was decided to burn the old sets instead. Police and Fire crews were standing by by prearrangement though I can imagine that they might have received some anxious phone calls from concerned citizens.
Just a few days after turning 104, Ms. Olivia deHaviland died at her home at Paris. The last actor of the golden age of Hollywood. Before Eowyn, Melanie from Gone with the Wind was the person I longed to be like, the one I looked up to. Brave, loving, selfless, a true lady in every single way. I wanted to do a Melanie dress for DragonCon once upon a time. No matter what happened to Melanie, no matter what people did to her, she never stopped loving and caring for others, right up until she gave her life to try to have another baby, and to help Rhett out of his grief over Bonnie's death. She was the perfect antithesis to Scarlett's selfish, self centered attitude about life and love. And maybe, just maybe, Melanie's unwavering love for Scarlett almost from the moment they met helped to save Scarlett in the end, too RIP to you, Ms. Olivia. The world will never again know your equal.
My grandfather worked on this movie. He said the train station scene with all the bodies is a combo between extras mixed in and around with LOTS of dressed cloth dummies they made for this one scene.
Not quite in Scarlett's defense, but by way of understanding her: bear in mind that at the start of the story, she's all of 16 years old, privileged and indulged. There's a reason for her immature, reckless and selfish behavior. When you think about it, Rhett doesn't really help matters much there (not that he has a responsibility to, but his own behavior will come back to bite him somewhat). Watch also, Melanie, who has many more layers than you might think; is wise and tolerant, and as good at thinking on her feet as Scarlett is, just in a different mode. Looking forward to the second half of this!
@@LukeLovesRose Certainly among them, for sure! She goes through tremendous changes from start to finish, without losing the core of what makes her both the support of almost everyone when it most counts; and the bane of their existence. I think that no one in her circle, except Melanie, truly understands her: that includes Rhett. SPOILER HERE: The clue to his lack of understanding comes in his last moments with her, where he says something to the effect of being able to spoil Bonnie the way he wanted to spoil Scarlett, like a child. He has completely ignored and/or rejected all the trauma and forced growth Scarlett has been through, starting, I should say, from the moment he abandoned her, Melanie, Prissy and an infant on a bridge, in order to fulfill his own belated sense of honor.
Thomas Mitchell, Uncle Billy in It's a Wonderful Life. Many of the actors in this movie were British, Vivien Leigh, Olivia De Haviland, and Leslie Howard.
Too bad they kept her out of the premiere in Atlanta (whites only you know) also, McDaniel had to get special permission to attend the Oscars and was seated at a table far away from her fellow cast members. She had to weave her way through tables filled with white members of the industry to receive her award.
@@Sirala6 Yes, and Clark Gable said he would not attend the Atlanta premiere if she couldn't, but she asked him not to make a fuss. And Butterfly McQueen (Prissy) resented the fact that she knew as a Black woman, going forward, she would be typecast to play a maid over and over again.
@@johnnehrich9601At that time movies had very few roles for African Americans. Actually most of the country had “few roles” for Blacks. Even in crowd shots or street scenes there were only white faces.
@@auapplemac1976 Oh, you are so right. I grew up in the '50's just outside NYC. As we heard about the early nascent Civil Rights movement down South, we patted ourselves on our backs, thinking all was well up here. And reading this book and then seeing the movie in my high school days, I was lulled by the subtle racism of the story. GWTW's retelling of 1860's southern life: Slave owners were not all Simon Legrees from Uncle Tom's Cabins and letting the slaves all go free at once was actually bad as so many could not handle their sudden freedom. (I am ashamed to remember I actually thought that. Slavery was hideous to those enslaved, even if a few like Mammy stayed with the O'Hara's after emancipation - and there were tons of problems up north as to how people were treated even if much more subtle and invisible to us.) Even the title and opening description of this movie, a wonderful noble life "gone with the wind" is deceptive. Wonderful to the few. (Most Southerners at the time of the War did NOT own slaves and many more only owned a few. But this system hurt them too, keeping wages artificially low and allowing a small privileged class vs a whole lot of "poor white trash" the book dismisses. To a great degree, this was true in England as per Jane Austen's books and Dowton Abbey, and the current Gilded Age series of New York City.) And Hollywood's version of America before the '60's can be painful to watch.
My husband’s cousin, Susan Myrick, was a writer, and friend of Margaret Mitchell. At the request of Margaret, Susan was hired to take her place on the set of the film. Margaret had no desire to go to Hollywood. Susan was the dialect coach, and technical advisor on all things Southern. Her niece, also a writer from Georgia, inherited Susan’s first edition copy of the book she used on set. It’s filled daily notes, and signed by every cast and crew member of the film. She wrote books about the experience, and photos of her on set, and the book are on the internet.
I wouldn't call Melanie naive. She believes in that there is good in people. She knows what Scarlett is about and in time, her better, good virtues will come out.
Enjoyed you reaction to the first half of GWTW. It’s impossible for us to comprehend how this movie was the pop culture event not just 1939 but also 1940. She told me how the stories about the making of Gone with the wind dominated the newspapers all through 1939 and back into early 1938. Everyone assumed that Clark Gable would play Rhett Butler but the big question would be who would play Scarlet. Leslie Howard, the actor that played Ashley, was a huge star of the 1930s. Melanie being played by Olivia DeHaviland was considered quite a gamble for her. She was one of the big leading ladies of Warner Brothers, but really pushed to get this part. After all she was the leading lady of almost every Errol Flynn movie and for her to play the secondary par, people thought it was a step back. But it was one of the biggest Career helpers that she could ever make. It took her from being a star to a superstar. But the search for Scarlet was the story that was not just in the newspapers. It was all over the papers. Every actress it seemed in Hollywood was being rumored, talked about, or possibly even sign to be Scarlet. But Vivian Leigh got the part and she was an unknown. Boy was she known after this movie. If I was to tell a person today, who would say being in their 20s what this movie was like, I would tell them that it was like a Taylor Swift concert, the Super Bowl, and the Olympics opening ceremony combined.The night of the Premier in Atlanta, the nation stopped and listened to it on the radio. Imagine a movie premier being broadcast nationwide on the radio. Adjusted for inflation this is still the most popular box office movie in Hollywood history. Glad you’re finally getting a chance to watch it and I hope that you really enjoy the second Act
At the Atlanta Premier there were Civil War Veterans in attendance , and during the scene with all the wounded and dying one veteran said if we had that many men we would have won the war
Stellar performances from everyone involved in this epic story....from Vivian Leigh right down to Butterfly McQueen who plays Prissy, the cheeky maid who brags to Rhett Butler that it was "mostly me" who helped deliver Melanie's baby 😊 Can't wait for part 2!
Leslie Howard (Ashley) was one of my favorite actors! His portrayal of the Scarlet Pimpernel was great! Sadly, he was killed in a plane that was shot down in WW2
It's always just broke my heart for Scarlett getting home to Tara, thinking that she'd be safe, and the burden would be lifted, and getting there just revealed the burden was increased and the struggle was worse. That she had to keep on persevering. To be hit in face that your refuge was only in your heart and mind. 💔
My late father never liked movies. Hated going to a theater - he always claimed he didn't like sitting in the seats that long. He went to see this film 3 times, in a week, in the early 1950's.
Thomas Mitchell (Scarlett's father) was also in Stagecoach (the drunk doctor) and Mr Smith Goes to Washington (reporter who offers to marry Clarice), all classics and all released in 1939. Also released in 1939, The Wizard of Oz. Probably the best year EVER for film.
...also Mr. Mitchell was in 1939's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" w/Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara & Edmond O'Brien. A great year for film and Mr. Mitchell!
According to Wiki: "365 films were released in the United States in 1939, which is an average of one movie per day. This was about twice the number of movies released in 1988." And many of these were classics, too, even though I've only watched a few and most are ones I never even heard of.
Thomas Mitchell playing Scarlett's father was later in High Noon as the mayor, and many famous movies of the 1930's and 40's..this movie was new when the Great Depression was still going on, people were starving. My parents took us to the 30th anniversary showing in 1969 in the big theater downtown built in 1928. When Scarlett says just before the intermission "I'll never go hungry again"...that really got to me as a kid. I then realized what my parents gad gone through as kids during the Great Depression.
@@denroy3 Let's add to the 1939 list of movies where Thomas Mitchell played major roles. Along with GWTW and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, you can also add Stagecoach, Only Angels Have Wings, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Quite a year for Thomas Mitchell.
Book was wonderful. My mom loved the book so much when she was a young woman. She read it 9 times. I have read it 2. Costumes and cinematography is stunning.
Thanks, Madison! 🌹 Very few reviewers tackle this classic. Aside from the elements modern audiences find unpalatable, I think it's brilliant, profound and often hilarious. I also think it holds up in most respects.
The whole concept of a siesta, a break in the middle of the day when people would take off their hot clothes and wait for it to cool off and then have the last part of the day continue into the evening, is how people used to cope with the weather in hot climates.
I remember seeing at the theater, my Mom and Aunt took us during the day, back when I couldn’t even see over the seat in front of me, they used to re release big movies at the theater in the 60s so saw many classic movies at the theater that were older than me , Melanie is so sweet, thanks Madison! Also grew up without air conditioner in north Texas, we slept on the screened in porch in the summer, we had ceiling fans in every room and screened windows everywhere, thanks!
This is such a fabulous selection on your part, Madison. Very few if any people on You Tube have reacted to it. I hope to God it stays up and the copyright police do not remove it. 'Gone With the Wind' came out the same year as 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939). Everything about it screams classic from the locales to the cast, direction, cinematography, soundtrack, etc. Clocking in at 3 hours 58 minutes, it certainly ranks as an epic production in length, as well as quality. One of the all time greatest movies. Could not disagree more with the people who find fault with the fact that since it depicts slavery, it should be censored. No, it does not glorify slavery whatsoever. It is just an honest portrayal of the time it is depicting which happens to be during the time of the American Civil War (1861-1865) and the years following ending in 1872.
I've seen this film several times, yet watching your expressions, reactions and listening to your comments really had me more immersed then ever before. Looking forward to your review of part two.
26:30 This was a neat trick they pulled off in 1939. On the rear side of the building there was a truck chained to a center pillar, then at just the right time the truck pulled away the pillar which made the building collapse. Plus it wasn't a *full* building with lots of walls and doors and stuff.
Thank you sooo much for reacting to this! This is honestly the only channel I have seen to do it. It’s one of my fave period piece films. Cleopatra with Elizabeth Taylor is a great film too if you want another classic movie recommendation.
"I's talking about Mr. Ashley Wilkes. - He'll be coming to Atlanta when he gets his leave and you's sitting there waiting for him just like a spider!" - Mammy
Thank you for watching this movie. Bit tricky talking morals and behaviour in a society that believed it was entitled to take people slaves. It is a great movie to watch and the performances are brilliant but always the ghost is there.
I used to watch this with my mother and grandmother. It’s one of my fondest memories with them. It’s good for all of us to see it. It’s also important to bear witness and understand the flawed times (mid-19th century thru early-20th century) the novel and film reflect as we strive to progress as a country.
Scarlett is such an interesting character. In the book, Scarlett stays in Atlanta longer. She goes from one wounded soldier to the next, helping the doctor tend to them.
Rhett returning Melanie's wedding ring has always stuck out to me. There's a decent man beneath the scoundrel - or, at the very least, a desire to be a decent man.
I'm going to save watching this for when part 2 comes out so I can watch them together, just dropped in now to give it a thumbs up and to say thank you for reacting to this masterpiece!
GWTW was my mother's favorite all-time film, too. When I was 7 or 8, it was re-released into cinemas, and she brought us see it. I remember the first half quite well, but think i fell asleep for part two. Have since been able to watch it, though.😅 Margaret Mitchell took 10 years to write the novel, which was an enormous bestseller in the 1930s, and was almost immediately turned into this film. Hattie McDaniel, who played Mammy, was the first African American to win an academy award, for this role.
Madison, have you noticed the parallel in the movie character of Rhett Butler and Han Solo. Both blockade running rebels with connections and an eye for the ladies. Same sense of humor and always ready to be the hero.
The Writer Neil Gaiman tells the story of his cousin Helen and her time in the Warsaw ghetto during WWII. Inside the ghetto, she started teaching the local girls arithmetic and grammar. Then, books were illegal and there was a death sentence for anyone found possessing one. However, Helen had a Polish translation of "Gone with the Wind" and kept it hidden behind a loose brick in the wall. She would stay up late every night reading so that when the girls came in the next day she could tell them what had happened in the chapters she had read the previous night and just for that hour these girls got out of the Warsaw Ghetto and they got to visit the American South. The bravery of this young woman always inspires me and makes me realize that fiction is not just escapism, it can actually be escape, and it’s worth dying for.
Good honest reaction! Saw this in 1968 at 20 or 21 or so when I was in the Air Force. (my main memory is marvelling at the magnificence and scope of the movie and also remember having a crush on Olivia DeHaviland (Melanie). What an experience to see on the big screen. Didn't expect to see a reaction of this movie almost 60 years later. Good for you - quite an undertaking.
My mom introduced me to this film when I was a kid. We studied the Civil War in the 5th grade and we watched this film in class and had a day where we dressed up like southern belles or characters from the movie.
So many people think Gone With The Wind is about the Civil War and slavery but it's not. It's just a story of a spoiled girl who's forced to become a survivalist in a world where women have no rights or agency. The one constant is her childlike idea of love, represented by Ashley. She goes from 16 to 28 and just think of all that she went through in those 12 years.
Glad to see you responding to what interesting characters these people are. I know this film is not real popular these days because it is said to romanticize the South and slavery; but I think it is a great film. It's seeing things the way the Southerners saw it, and showing that what they experienced was the whole collapse of their World. And I think Scarlett's strength is that she is a survivor in a World that is dying, even if she is not a totally admirable person. She loves the land, the way her Father did; and that's what will pull her through.. maybe.
To paraphrase Margaret Mitchell, GWTW "is about those who have gumption and those who do not." For that reason, and also because I have a soft spot for those of us who foolishly devoted too much of our lives to unrequited loves, I give Scarlett quite a deal of slack. Ashley was her idealized white knight who only belonged in the pre-war southern aristocracy. Lacking the capacity to adapt, he will now fade into irrelevance and myth. Thanks for reacting to this milestone of a movie!
The book was required reading when I was in High School, along with The Grapes of Wrath, The Good Earth, and East of Eden, which were all made into wonderful movies.
Papa O'Hara is played by Thomas Mitchell. I believe you've seen "It's A Wonderful Life", and if you have, you have seen Mitchell as Uncle Billy. This will give you an idea of the range of talent of this man, one of the most gifted of the army of gifted supporting actors of this time.
@@jeffreyjeziorski1480 1939 is considered the greatest year for movies ever. Mitchell was in three of them - GWTW, Stagecoach, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington!
So wonderful revisiting this movie. Beautifully edited for the reaction video. 💞🕊☮ I think when Rhett Butler left the women, he believed Scarlet would get the group to safety and that with so many enemy soldiers around, it was his only opportunity to join what remained of the southern army. It seemed like a death sentence to me.
May I suggest another great classic. THE QUIET MAN with John Wayne and Maureen O'HARA lovely romantic story with humor and some action actually filmed on location in Ireland and very well done in glorious early color film. Loved it since I was 12 and still watch it a few times a year
Winner of 8 Oscars including Best Picture. When they premiered the movie in HBOmax last year, they put up a notification as it was stating that some of the material involving slavery or the subject of slavery might not be suitable for anyone under 10.
Neither are military assault weapons killing children in schools, but we continue to let them happen...lets all hide slavery from the kids and pretend it didn't happen. How stupid.
A piece of trivia. During the filming for the burning of Atlanta, the great wall built for the King Kong movie was used, as it was a stand in for structures to be set aflame. This happened December 10th, 1938 and took six minutes for the flames to consume it
One take, one chance to get that huge warehouse conflagration on celluloid; that includes the real-life folks crossing in the foreground in the wagon, visible in silhouette against the orange wall of flames.
Back in high school (over 50 years ago) I read the book. They used to show it on cable from time to time, but then when they were talking bad about it during a prior administration, I bought a copy on eBay. Hattie McDaniel won the first Oscar a person of color won as best supporting actress. This was about a time in our history, and well worth the time to watch. Thank you, Madison. BTW, Scarlet was a selfish brat.
Easily my all time favorite film. Me thinks you're a bit hard on Rhett. He stayed with the women out of a fallen Atlanta until far behind the lines. At that point I'd argue the gallant move was the one he took. Hiding with the women or joining the fight, you pick. Thanks for this movie, I love it.
From the very first time I saw this as a teen at an anniversary re-release, I liked Scarlett. It went against every trope - the self-sacrificing, nurturing woman, ever the martyr. Of course, I was aware of her flaws, but, I also admired her roll-up-the-sleeves and get it done attitude. She was strong; she was conniving in a way that women had to be back then - even when she did ignore the conventions of the time (because she was a smart, savvy businesswoman) and was overtly independent and decisive, she was despised for it. If their survival had depended on Melanie, they all would have been dead before too long. I found her character to be interesting and compelling and Melanie annoyed me as much as she did Scarlett. Having said that, I did end up admiring and liking Melanie's quiet wisdom and almost eerie understanding of Scarlett.
A great movie...from a great book! Every actress wanted desperately to be Scarlett...and Leigh was chosen and became suddenly a star! She had acted on stage,then starred in very good movies, and I think she was one of the most beautiful actresses. You can watch on UA-cam some screen tests of other actresses, but Leigh was The One. I think that the book and the movie are unforgettable. Fun fact: the book begins with "Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful..." Anyway she was also a great actress!!!
As a young adolescent in the early 1970s Gone with the Wind and The Sound of Music were - like your mother’s - my two favorite movies. They were both playing in theatrical re-releases at the time (neither movie was shown on television until 1976), and I remember vividly the excitement I got one weekend when I saw TSoM on a Saturday and then GwtW on Sunday. I don’t want to be a spoilsport, but I think the reason Gone with the Wind has lost a lot of its luster is due to the uncomfortable portrayal of the slaves as being content in their place (not all of them, but the “good” ones - particularly Mammy and Pork). In addition the movie (and even more, the novel) has no criticism for the institution of chattel slavery which is unsettling in 2024 (and for some, unsettling in 1939). In spite of that, I’m still seduced by the story and will go to my grave loving it - but I understand why many people today are bothered by the implied acceptance of a brutal system.
@@steelers6titles I can enjoy the movie as a story about its characters and accept that it is told through their point of view, but yeah, the fact that it is portraying the antebellum South this way is really something that should be looked at critically while watching.
I first saw GWTW in 1967 when it was re-released in theaters. I was 9 years old. I absolutely loved it from the opening theme song to Rhett Butler's "Frankly my dear l don't give a damn". I thought Vivian Leigh was the most beautiful actress l ever saw. I wish l could see it again in a theater.
Nice reaction. I appreciate your solid morals that leave you uncomfortable with Scarlett and Rhett both. I saw this on the big screen at the American Film Institute theater about 50 years ago. I was impressed with it, probably because of the cinematography and overall epic quality, but when I saw it again years later, I thought that it was an overrated movie. I found it hard to care about the principals, despite my deep Southern roots. My great-great-grandfather joined the 4th Louisiana (at age 21) when it formed, and he was finally knocked out of the war at Atlanta. He was in a trench on the Sandtown line (northwest of Atlanta) reading a letter from home. It was Sunday and all quiet. Then, out of the blue, a shell exploded nearby, badly wounding his right leg. He was lucky. He had already missed the worst fighting in the Battle of Atlanta, and since he went home wounded, he missed the Battle of Jonesboro after the collapse of Atlanta, where his regiment was decimated. My grandmother, who died at 96, attended his funeral in New Orleans in 1914, when she was 9. This means that I am only two degrees of separation from an adult combatant in the Civil War.
Fun fact 3: The scene at the railway yard with all of the injured soldiers was taken by putting the camera on a platform and raised by a crane slowly. There weren't enough available extras so if you really look some extras are pulling strings to make dummies move to add some motion and simulate other living people.
Absolutely love that you reacted to this, it's one of my favorite dramas. Your mom has wonderful taste in movies ^_^ Scarlett isn't a really likeable character, but she is interesting, and the story is great.
In Carol Burnett's classic "Went With The Wind", she has to slap Prissy (Vicki Lawrence), who starts going over the handlebars about her ignorance of childbirth lol
Growing up in the 50's & 60's in Houston, Tx GWTW played in various theatre's once a year so i saw it several times, at the drive in & indoor theatre. When it came out on vcr tape they no longer did. Nothing like seeing it on the big screen. When the role of Scarlett was finally cast southerners were of the opinion that they were glad it was a British woman & not a yankee haha. No actress vying for the role could've done it justice like VL did. Thanks for the great reaction.
Thanks Madison for reacting to this wonderful movie. This movie brings back beautiful memories of watching this movie on TV together with my family when I was growing up.Many a young lad, including myself had mad crushes on Scarlett and Miss Melanie when we were growing up while watching this movie. If you weren't aware Madison, the actor Leslie Howard (Ashley), was killed over the Bay of Biscay off the west coast of France in 1943 while flying in a plane that was targeted and shot down by the Nazis; thinking that Winston Churchill was on that plane. It is also speculated that Howard was a spy for British intelligence, and a reason why his plane was mysteriously shot down. Vivien Leigh (Scarlett), suffered from Bipolar Depression for most of her life and died at the age of 53 from tuberculosis in 1967. Leigh's husband Lawrence Olivier starred in a wonderful movie, also from 1939, Wuthering Heights, would be a great movie for you to react to.Olivia De Haviland (Melanie) was the last star to pass away from Gone With the Wind in 2020 at the age of 104. You're awesome Madison for reacting to this movie. Looking forward to your reaction to part 2.
Gone With The Wind, Casablanca and Titanic are the greatest epic romances ever put on film. So many classic moments. So many epic feels. I know Scarlett does a lot of questionable things, but she ends up showing us how good, weak and vulnerable she really is. To me, Scarlett O'Hara is the greatest, most interesting and compelling character ever put on film. She holds your attention for 4 freaking hours. Thats saying a lot
Hi Madison! I haven't seen Gone with the Wind in a very long time. I had forgotten how good it is. Your editing and commentary were excellent and I was able to easily follow along. I'm looking forward to Part 2. I hope you're enjoying the holidays, - Thomas
This is considered one of the greatest films of all time, but very, very few UA-camrs have reacted to it. Thanks Madison.
It’s especially disappointing so few have reacted to it when it is so conveniently broken up into an Act One and Act Two! Thanks for sharing with us!
Cus its 12 hours long
@@salsonny Tell me again how a four hour film is too long to react to, but reactions to entire seasons of Stranger Things and endless Star Trek episodes are a dime a dozen.
I think they're afraid of it. But I am SO glad to watch a reaction. Many movies I'd like UA-camrs to react to get overlooked-- Paper Moon is one I'd love to see a reaction to.
Seriously, why expect anything else from Gen Z?
The dumbest generation in the last 100 years.
They think they are so sophisticated because they can write code for their electronic gadgets.
But they never read, and they don't have a knowledge of history or anything longer than 10 years old.
If Gen Z is the future of this country, America is doomed.
Hattie McDaniel (Mammy) won an Oscar for her role in this film. The first black actor ever to get this honor.
She could only attend part of the ceremony because of her race. Although some people, then and since, criticized her for playing an enslaved person, she felt she was portraying a strong woman and that she was serving as an asset to her community.
@@vapors4villains She was literally an asset to her community. She helped desegregate neighborhoods in LA.
@ I didn’t know that! That’s wonderful!
Her beautiful home is still standing in Los Angeles. It remains a private residence at 2203 South Harvard Boulevard but it's well maintained and worth a look. Don't confuse the address with Harbor Blvd or you'll be at Disneyland. 😉
@@vapors4villainsShe ran Scarlett's life.
I have read the book and have seen this movie many times and I believe Melanie is neither naive nor foolish. I think she understands Scarlett’s immaturity perfectly and still loves her. I think she realizes that Scarlett doesn’t really love Ashley, that it’s a childish fantasy, and so she doesn’t resent her. JMO.
I think you are 100% right, one of the unfairest supporting battles ever, and Mammy and Melanie should both have won.
I like to think she realises how deeply Scarlett cares for those she truly loves (her parents, Tara etc.) and wants to be like her in how strong she is, a sort of strength Melanie doesn't have.
Melanie never forgets a kindness. Her loyalty to both Scarlett and Rhett is born out of a sense of loyalty to them because she correctly credits both of them with saving her life and that of son’s as well during the flight from Atlanta and the events thereafter. This and not any perceived foolishness is why she won’t hear anything ill about either of them. It’s the same reason why she says she’d be honored to be seen speaking with Belle Watling in public in the second act: Belle did for her by saving Ashley from the noose, and now she’s in her debt. But she has enough honor to know this and be bound by it.
@@phoebevolz2291 I think that helps explain her actions in the second half, but Melanie is overly nice to all three of them in the first half - prior to them saving her.
This was such an honor to edit! Happy 85th Anniversary to one of the greatest films of all time.
Can you ask her if she would watch 1) the full documentary on the making of, it’s a masterpiece as well! 2) the week following the movie’s first airing on TV, Carol Burnett dedicated 1/2 of her hour long variety show to a sketch spoofing the movie, and that sketch, on UA-cam, is also legendary. Could you ask her to react to it? 3) You did a brilliant job editing. The only thing I really missed was Butler’s letter returning their two wedding rings. The movie is just a masterpiece in writing. And no one Vivian Leigh’s performance tied for best actress performance ever with Merel Streep in Sophie’s Choice in a massive Entertainment Weekly Poll.
Great minds think alike! I’ve already sent her “Making of a Legend” along with my highest recommendation. I’m sure she’ll check it out when she’s able.
And yeah, I’m sorry about Rhett’s letter. I initially did include that, but further trims were needed to get the edit past copyright. Warner Bros. has cracked down particularly hard lately, so the edits have, in turn, had to become more ruthless than I would otherwise like.
This particular video sat there uploaded for over a week waiting to premiere, and THEN Warner decided to claim it. Rather than delay the premiere after being gone for two weeks, Madison was kind enough to forego compensation on this one in the hopes that it would generate interest in and growth for the channel. Fingers crossed!
@ I feel like it will, as it is a classic that is beloved. If she loves this, and The Sound of Music, I think TWO great intersection points that she might love to react to, especially for someone that writes Western love stories, is 1) Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and 2) Calamity Jane with Doris Day, one of top 5 films (along with 1776, which NO ONE reacts to). It’s a western musical comedy with a score second to none! It’s Day’s best movie in my opinion. (I do understand musicals can be much harder to edit, but I’m going to go watch her reaction to the Sound of Music. I bet her mom loves 7 Brides for 7 Brothers too ). Subscribed!
@ Yeah, musicals are just extremely difficult to get past UA-cam copyright for obvious reasons.
Fun fact: When Rhett and Scarlett are escaping Atlanta the 'warehouse burning in the background' was actually the original King Kong wall. The studio used the movie as an opportunity to do a controlled burn of old sets to clear out room for new movies.
Yes, I can't help but see that in the background every time I see the movie. I understand that fire departments were called about seeing a blaze for miles around. I think they used the footage of the fire rear-projected behind the wagon with Scarlett, Rhett, and Melanie in it (which would make sense as much safer).
It was during the burning sequence Vivian Liegh was introduced to Victor Fleming,"Meet your Scarlett O'Hara"....
@@johnnehrich9601 They had stunt performers actually take the horse and wagon in front of the flames; there was no rear projection used. There was some discussion earlier on of using models but it was decided to burn the old sets instead. Police and Fire crews were standing by by prearrangement though I can imagine that they might have received some anxious phone calls from concerned citizens.
Hattie McDaniel's Mammy is the heart and soul of this film. She puts Scarlett in her place, and holds her own against Rhett.
Something Rhett respected and appreciated about Mammy.
Just a few days after turning 104, Ms. Olivia deHaviland died at her home at Paris. The last actor of the golden age of Hollywood.
Before Eowyn, Melanie from Gone with the Wind was the person I longed to be like, the one I looked up to. Brave, loving, selfless, a true lady in every single way. I wanted to do a Melanie dress for DragonCon once upon a time.
No matter what happened to Melanie, no matter what people did to her, she never stopped loving and caring for others, right up until she gave her life to try to have another baby, and to help Rhett out of his grief over Bonnie's death.
She was the perfect antithesis to Scarlett's selfish, self centered attitude about life and love. And maybe, just maybe, Melanie's unwavering love for Scarlett almost from the moment they met helped to save Scarlett in the end, too
RIP to you, Ms. Olivia. The world will never again know your equal.
Butler's assessment of Yankee strength is exactly accurate, historically.
Fun fact 2: George Reeves, famous for playing Superman, is one of the twins in the beginning.
My grandfather worked on this movie. He said the train station scene with all the bodies is a combo between extras mixed in and around with LOTS of dressed cloth dummies they made for this one scene.
Not quite in Scarlett's defense, but by way of understanding her: bear in mind that at the start of the story, she's all of 16 years old, privileged and indulged. There's a reason for her immature, reckless and selfish behavior. When you think about it, Rhett doesn't really help matters much there (not that he has a responsibility to, but his own behavior will come back to bite him somewhat). Watch also, Melanie, who has many more layers than you might think; is wise and tolerant, and as good at thinking on her feet as Scarlett is, just in a different mode. Looking forward to the second half of this!
She acts like pretty much every Hollywood celebrity in 2024. Except they aren't 16.
I know Scarlett isn't perfect. But that's what makes Scarlett O'Hara the greatest, most interesting and compelling character ever put on film
@@LukeLovesRose Certainly among them, for sure! She goes through tremendous changes from start to finish, without losing the core of what makes her both the support of almost everyone when it most counts; and the bane of their existence. I think that no one in her circle, except Melanie, truly understands her: that includes Rhett. SPOILER HERE:
The clue to his lack of understanding comes in his last moments with her, where he says something to the effect of being able to spoil Bonnie the way he wanted to spoil Scarlett, like a child. He has completely ignored and/or rejected all the trauma and forced growth Scarlett has been through, starting, I should say, from the moment he abandoned her, Melanie, Prissy and an infant on a bridge, in order to fulfill his own belated sense of honor.
@@melenatorr Great observations! Thank you.
Thomas Mitchell, Uncle Billy in It's a Wonderful Life. Many of the actors in this movie were British, Vivien Leigh, Olivia De Haviland, and Leslie Howard.
Mitchell was a great character actor and also played a drunk doctor in the Western classic movie, Stagecoach, released the same year as GWTW.
...also in 1939's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" w/Charles Laughton & Maureen O'Hara. What a year for film.
Thomas Mitchell also had a great supporting role in "Lost Horizon" (as did Edward Everett Horton, another wonderful character actor).
Hattie McDaniel's Oscar win was a milestone. She accepted it graciously.
Too bad they kept her out of the premiere in Atlanta (whites only you know) also, McDaniel had to get special permission to attend the Oscars and was seated at a table far away from her fellow cast members. She had to weave her way through tables filled with white members of the industry to receive her award.
@@Sirala6 Yes, and Clark Gable said he would not attend the Atlanta premiere if she couldn't, but she asked him not to make a fuss.
And Butterfly McQueen (Prissy) resented the fact that she knew as a Black woman, going forward, she would be typecast to play a maid over and over again.
@@johnnehrich9601At that time movies had very few roles for African Americans. Actually most of the country had “few roles” for Blacks. Even in crowd shots or street scenes there were only white faces.
@@Sirala6 Yeah, that was racism.
@@auapplemac1976 Oh, you are so right. I grew up in the '50's just outside NYC. As we heard about the early nascent Civil Rights movement down South, we patted ourselves on our backs, thinking all was well up here. And reading this book and then seeing the movie in my high school days, I was lulled by the subtle racism of the story. GWTW's retelling of 1860's southern life: Slave owners were not all Simon Legrees from Uncle Tom's Cabins and letting the slaves all go free at once was actually bad as so many could not handle their sudden freedom. (I am ashamed to remember I actually thought that. Slavery was hideous to those enslaved, even if a few like Mammy stayed with the O'Hara's after emancipation - and there were tons of problems up north as to how people were treated even if much more subtle and invisible to us.)
Even the title and opening description of this movie, a wonderful noble life "gone with the wind" is deceptive. Wonderful to the few. (Most Southerners at the time of the War did NOT own slaves and many more only owned a few. But this system hurt them too, keeping wages artificially low and allowing a small privileged class vs a whole lot of "poor white trash" the book dismisses. To a great degree, this was true in England as per Jane Austen's books and Dowton Abbey, and the current Gilded Age series of New York City.)
And Hollywood's version of America before the '60's can be painful to watch.
My husband’s cousin, Susan Myrick, was a writer, and friend of Margaret Mitchell. At the request of Margaret, Susan was hired to take her place on the set of the film. Margaret had no desire to go to Hollywood. Susan was the dialect coach, and technical advisor on all things Southern. Her niece, also a writer from Georgia, inherited Susan’s first edition copy of the book she used on set. It’s filled daily notes, and signed by every cast and crew member of the film. She wrote books about the experience, and photos of her on set, and the book are on the internet.
Leann, this is sooo amazing ❤
clark gable is so good you don’t even realize he didn’t bother to learn a southern accent (and thank god cuz it would have been bad) -
great video !
I wouldn't call Melanie naive. She believes in that there is good in people. She knows what Scarlett is about and in time, her better, good virtues will come out.
Enjoyed you reaction to the first half of GWTW. It’s impossible for us to comprehend how this movie was the pop culture event not just 1939 but also 1940. She told me how the stories about the making of Gone with the wind dominated the newspapers all through 1939 and back into early 1938. Everyone assumed that Clark Gable would play Rhett Butler but the big question would be who would play Scarlet. Leslie Howard, the actor that played Ashley, was a huge star of the 1930s. Melanie being played by Olivia DeHaviland was considered quite a gamble for her. She was one of the big leading ladies of Warner Brothers, but really pushed to get this part. After all she was the leading lady of almost every Errol Flynn movie and for her to play the secondary par, people thought it was a step back. But it was one of the biggest Career helpers that she could ever make. It took her from being a star to a superstar. But the search for Scarlet was the story that was not just in the newspapers. It was all over the papers. Every actress it seemed in Hollywood was being rumored, talked about, or possibly even sign to be Scarlet. But Vivian Leigh got the part and she was an unknown. Boy was she known after this movie. If I was to tell a person today, who would say being in their 20s what this movie was like, I would tell them that it was like a Taylor Swift concert, the Super Bowl, and the Olympics opening ceremony combined.The night of the Premier in Atlanta, the nation stopped and listened to it on the radio. Imagine a movie premier being broadcast nationwide on the radio. Adjusted for inflation this is still the most popular box office movie in Hollywood history. Glad you’re finally getting a chance to watch it and I hope that you really enjoy the second Act
At the Atlanta Premier there were Civil War Veterans in attendance , and during the scene with all the wounded and dying one veteran said if we had that many men we would have won the war
Margaret Mitchell’s husband said that, according to Olivia de Havilland.
Stellar performances from everyone involved in this epic story....from Vivian Leigh right down to Butterfly McQueen who plays Prissy, the cheeky maid who brags to Rhett Butler that it was "mostly me" who helped deliver Melanie's baby 😊
Can't wait for part 2!
I believe Margaret Mitchell, the author of “Gone with the Wind,” based Scarlett on her grandmother. She’s a complicated heroine.
Leslie Howard (Ashley) was one of my favorite actors! His portrayal of the Scarlet Pimpernel was great! Sadly, he was killed in a plane that was shot down in WW2
Leslie Howard was working for British intelligence during World War II.
It's always just broke my heart for Scarlett getting home to Tara, thinking that she'd be safe, and the burden would be lifted, and getting there just revealed the burden was increased and the struggle was worse. That she had to keep on persevering. To be hit in face that your refuge was only in your heart and mind. 💔
My late father never liked movies. Hated going to a theater - he always claimed he didn't like sitting in the seats that long. He went to see this film 3 times, in a week, in the early 1950's.
Thomas Mitchell (Scarlett's father) was also in Stagecoach (the drunk doctor) and Mr Smith Goes to Washington (reporter who offers to marry Clarice), all classics and all released in 1939.
Also released in 1939, The Wizard of Oz. Probably the best year EVER for film.
Oz is a better film than GWTW and will be remembered much longer!
He also played Uncle Billy in "It's a Wonderful Life" in 1946.
The list of super-classic movies that came out in 1939 is absolutely staggering.
...also Mr. Mitchell was in 1939's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" w/Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara & Edmond O'Brien. A great year for film and Mr. Mitchell!
According to Wiki: "365 films were released in the United States in 1939, which is an average of one movie per day. This was about twice the number of movies released in 1988." And many of these were classics, too, even though I've only watched a few and most are ones I never even heard of.
Thomas Mitchell playing Scarlett's father was later in High Noon as the mayor, and many famous movies of the 1930's and 40's..this movie was new when the Great Depression was still going on, people were starving. My parents took us to the 30th anniversary showing in 1969 in the big theater downtown built in 1928. When Scarlett says just before the intermission "I'll never go hungry again"...that really got to me as a kid. I then realized what my parents gad gone through as kids during the Great Depression.
You didn't mention 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington', which also came out in 1939, like GWtW.
@@denroy3 Let's add to the 1939 list of movies where Thomas Mitchell played major roles. Along with GWTW and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, you can also add Stagecoach, Only Angels Have Wings, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Quite a year for Thomas Mitchell.
Book was wonderful. My mom loved the book so much when she was a young woman. She read it 9 times. I have read it 2. Costumes and cinematography is stunning.
Thanks, Madison! 🌹 Very few reviewers tackle this classic. Aside from the elements modern audiences find unpalatable, I think it's brilliant, profound and often hilarious. I also think it holds up in most respects.
Carol Burnett Show "Went with the Wind" is worth a watch on UA-cam...
@@p2va73xc6j3 the rooster/curtain gown.
Oh so true. I laugh each time I think of it.
The famous dress that Carol wore in that skit is now in the Smithsonian.
I'm so happy you're reacting to this wonderful classic! 😊
The whole concept of a siesta, a break in the middle of the day when people would take off their hot clothes and wait for it to cool off and then have the last part of the day continue into the evening, is how people used to cope with the weather in hot climates.
I remember seeing at the theater, my Mom and Aunt took us during the day, back when I couldn’t even see over the seat in front of me, they used to re release big movies at the theater in the 60s so saw many classic movies at the theater that were older than me , Melanie is so sweet, thanks Madison! Also grew up without air conditioner in north Texas, we slept on the screened in porch in the summer, we had ceiling fans in every room and screened windows everywhere, thanks!
This is such a fabulous selection on your part, Madison. Very few if any people on You Tube have reacted to it. I hope to God it stays up and the copyright police do not remove it. 'Gone With the Wind' came out the same year as 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939). Everything about it screams classic from the locales to the cast, direction, cinematography, soundtrack, etc. Clocking in at 3 hours 58 minutes, it certainly ranks as an epic production in length, as well as quality. One of the all time greatest movies.
Could not disagree more with the people who find fault with the fact that since it depicts slavery, it should be censored. No, it does not glorify slavery whatsoever. It is just an honest portrayal of the time it is depicting which happens to be during the time of the American Civil War (1861-1865) and the years following ending in 1872.
And they were both directed by Victor Fleming. He had quite a year!!
I really enjoyed your empathy towards the end. Great reaction as always !
The practical effects,they used everything available at the time and invented some new effects...
The documentary on the making of is a masterpiece itself!
I've seen this film several times, yet watching your expressions, reactions and listening to your comments really had me more immersed then ever before. Looking forward to your review of part two.
26:30 This was a neat trick they pulled off in 1939. On the rear side of the building there was a truck chained to a center pillar, then at just the right time the truck pulled away the pillar which made the building collapse. Plus it wasn't a *full* building with lots of walls and doors and stuff.
This movie was made for her!
This one has it all. Just an amazing monument to film making. Fantastic performances all around.
Vivian Leigh was stunning.
Thank you sooo much for reacting to this! This is honestly the only channel I have seen to do it. It’s one of my fave period piece films. Cleopatra with Elizabeth Taylor is a great film too if you want another classic movie recommendation.
Fiddle dee dee!
"I's talking about Mr. Ashley Wilkes. - He'll be coming to Atlanta when he gets his leave and you's sitting there waiting for him just like a spider!"
- Mammy
I love how Melanie goes from being Scarlett’s rival to her closest friend.
Thank you for watching this movie. Bit tricky talking morals and behaviour in a society that believed it was entitled to take people slaves. It is a great movie to watch and the performances are brilliant but always the ghost is there.
I used to watch this with my mother and grandmother. It’s one of my fondest memories with them. It’s good for all of us to see it. It’s also important to bear witness and understand the flawed times (mid-19th century thru early-20th century) the novel and film reflect as we strive to progress as a country.
Scarlett is such an interesting character. In the book, Scarlett stays in Atlanta longer. She goes from one wounded soldier to the next, helping the doctor tend to them.
Rhett returning Melanie's wedding ring has always stuck out to me. There's a decent man beneath the scoundrel - or, at the very least, a desire to be a decent man.
It’s even clearer in the novel; Rhett had a deep respect and affection for Melanie.
Yes, very much a Mr Darcy type of character only with more sass.
Madison, love your Latin sign from Lonesome Dove ! Having that up on your wall is priceless !
Scarlett is definitely a problem but she kept her promise to stay with Melanie when her own aunt left her.
I'm going to save watching this for when part 2 comes out so I can watch them together, just dropped in now to give it a thumbs up and to say thank you for reacting to this masterpiece!
GWTW was my mother's favorite all-time film, too. When I was 7 or 8, it was re-released into cinemas, and she brought us see it. I remember the first half quite well, but think i fell asleep for part two. Have since been able to watch it, though.😅
Margaret Mitchell took 10 years to write the novel, which was an enormous bestseller in the 1930s, and was almost immediately turned into this film.
Hattie McDaniel, who played Mammy, was the first African American to win an academy award, for this role.
Madison, have you noticed the parallel in the movie character of Rhett Butler and Han Solo. Both blockade running rebels with connections and an eye for the ladies. Same sense of humor and always ready to be the hero.
The Writer Neil Gaiman tells the story of his cousin Helen and her time in the Warsaw ghetto during WWII. Inside the ghetto, she started teaching the local girls arithmetic and grammar. Then, books were illegal and there was a death sentence for anyone found possessing one. However, Helen had a Polish translation of "Gone with the Wind" and kept it hidden behind a loose brick in the wall. She would stay up late every night reading so that when the girls came in the next day she could tell them what had happened in the chapters she had read the previous night and just for that hour these girls got out of the Warsaw Ghetto and they got to visit the American South.
The bravery of this young woman always inspires me and makes me realize that fiction is not just escapism, it can actually be escape, and it’s worth dying for.
Can't wait for part 2.
Good honest reaction! Saw this in 1968 at 20 or 21 or so when I was in the Air Force. (my main memory is marvelling at the magnificence and scope of the movie and also remember having a crush on Olivia DeHaviland (Melanie). What an experience to see on the big screen. Didn't expect to see a reaction of this movie almost 60 years later. Good for you - quite an undertaking.
My mom introduced me to this film when I was a kid. We studied the Civil War in the 5th grade and we watched this film in class and had a day where we dressed up like southern belles or characters from the movie.
So many people think Gone With The Wind is about the Civil War and slavery but it's not. It's just a story of a spoiled girl who's forced to become a survivalist in a world where women have no rights or agency. The one constant is her childlike idea of love, represented by Ashley. She goes from 16 to 28 and just think of all that she went through in those 12 years.
Glad to see you responding to what interesting characters these people are. I know this film is not real popular these days because it is said to romanticize the South and slavery; but I think it is a great film. It's seeing things the way the Southerners saw it, and showing that what they experienced was the whole collapse of their World. And I think Scarlett's strength is that she is a survivor in a World that is dying, even if she is not a totally admirable person. She loves the land, the way her Father did; and that's what will pull her through.. maybe.
Thank you Madison for this reaction. I haven’t seen this movie in ages and I really enjoyed your commentary
The amazing shot of the burning structure that collapses during the burning of Atlanta sequence is the actual filmed demise of the King Kong Wall! 🔥
To paraphrase Margaret Mitchell, GWTW "is about those who have gumption and those who do not." For that reason, and also because I have a soft spot for those of us who foolishly devoted too much of our lives to unrequited loves, I give Scarlett quite a deal of slack. Ashley was her idealized white knight who only belonged in the pre-war southern aristocracy. Lacking the capacity to adapt, he will now fade into irrelevance and myth. Thanks for reacting to this milestone of a movie!
And Melanie had gumption. In the book you really feel her metal even more. She was the epitome of a strong southern lady.
Best movie of all Time!
I am so blown away waiting for this. :)
The book was required reading when I was in High School, along with The Grapes of Wrath, The Good Earth, and East of Eden, which were all made into wonderful movies.
Hard to believe you haven't seen this as it seems right up your alley and is an all-time classic.
Papa O'Hara is played by Thomas Mitchell. I believe you've seen "It's A Wonderful Life", and if you have, you have seen Mitchell as Uncle Billy. This will give you an idea of the range of talent of this man, one of the most gifted of the army of gifted supporting actors of this time.
He was also the drunk doctor in the original Stagecoach movie. (The film that made John Wayne a star).
@@jeffreyjeziorski1480 Indeed he was!
@@jeffreyjeziorski1480 1939 is considered the greatest year for movies ever. Mitchell was in three of them - GWTW, Stagecoach, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington!
So wonderful revisiting this movie. Beautifully edited for the reaction video. 💞🕊☮ I think when Rhett Butler left the women, he believed Scarlet would get the group to safety and that with so many enemy soldiers around, it was his only opportunity to join what remained of the southern army. It seemed like a death sentence to me.
Frankly, my dear, … 🤠
Glad you’re watching this
May I suggest another great classic. THE QUIET MAN with John Wayne and Maureen O'HARA lovely romantic story with humor and some action actually filmed on location in Ireland and very well done in glorious early color film. Loved it since I was 12 and still watch it a few times a year
I love that one. Have you seen How Green is My Valley? Maureen OHara was only 20 in that film but her performance is one of my very favorite.
I could be wrong but I believe she's already reacted to the Quiet Man.
@@lynnturman8157Not yet.
@@jerrywalters8885 she's already watched it.
Winner of 8 Oscars including Best Picture.
When they premiered the movie in HBOmax last year, they put up a notification as it was stating that some of the material involving slavery or the subject of slavery might not be suitable for anyone under 10.
Neither are military assault weapons killing children in schools, but we continue to let them happen...lets all hide slavery from the kids and pretend it didn't happen. How stupid.
Life in general can be unsuitable for anyone under 10. Thanks HBO for reminding people 😆
A piece of trivia.
During the filming for the burning of Atlanta, the great wall built for the King Kong movie was used, as it was a stand in for structures to be set aflame.
This happened December 10th, 1938 and took six minutes for the flames to consume it
One take, one chance to get that huge warehouse conflagration on celluloid; that includes the real-life folks crossing in the foreground in the wagon, visible in silhouette against the orange wall of flames.
Back in high school (over 50 years ago) I read the book. They used to show it on cable from time to time, but then when they were talking bad about it during a prior administration, I bought a copy on eBay. Hattie McDaniel won the first Oscar a person of color won as best supporting actress. This was about a time in our history, and well worth the time to watch. Thank you, Madison. BTW, Scarlet was a selfish brat.
My father played as an extra in this movie. I remember him always talking about it when I was young.
Easily my all time favorite film. Me thinks you're a bit hard on Rhett. He stayed with the women out of a fallen Atlanta until far behind the lines. At that point I'd argue the gallant move was the one he took. Hiding with the women or joining the fight, you pick. Thanks for this movie, I love it.
So glad to see this being reacted to way to go Madison!
Madison I just love your reactions/reviews! One of the best!
Did you notice Superman in the opening scene of the movie?
What about Scarlett's father being Uncle Billy from _It's a Wonderful Life?_
Can't wait to see part 2!
From the very first time I saw this as a teen at an anniversary re-release, I liked Scarlett. It went against every trope - the self-sacrificing, nurturing woman, ever the martyr. Of course, I was aware of her flaws, but, I also admired her roll-up-the-sleeves and get it done attitude. She was strong; she was conniving in a way that women had to be back then - even when she did ignore the conventions of the time (because she was a smart, savvy businesswoman) and was overtly independent and decisive, she was despised for it. If their survival had depended on Melanie, they all would have been dead before too long. I found her character to be interesting and compelling and Melanie annoyed me as much as she did Scarlett. Having said that, I did end up admiring and liking Melanie's quiet wisdom and almost eerie understanding of Scarlett.
Melanie appreciated all those qualities in Scarlett too. She knew Scarlett saved them all.
Thomas Mitchell was terrified during the horse ride. Fleming gave him a hard time to compel him to complete the take. Can't wait for part two!
A big thank you from France for this reaction
A great movie...from a great book! Every actress wanted desperately to be Scarlett...and Leigh was chosen and became suddenly a star! She had acted on stage,then starred in very good movies, and I think she was one of the most beautiful actresses. You can watch on UA-cam some screen tests of other actresses, but Leigh was The One. I think that the book and the movie are unforgettable. Fun fact: the book begins with "Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful..." Anyway she was also a great actress!!!
I saw this in Richmond at a restored old silent movie theater in 1989 for the 50th anniversary rerelease. It was gorgeous on the big screen.
As a young adolescent in the early 1970s Gone with the Wind and The Sound of Music were - like your mother’s - my two favorite movies. They were both playing in theatrical re-releases at the time (neither movie was shown on television until 1976), and I remember vividly the excitement I got one weekend when I saw TSoM on a Saturday and then GwtW on Sunday.
I don’t want to be a spoilsport, but I think the reason Gone with the Wind has lost a lot of its luster is due to the uncomfortable portrayal of the slaves as being content in their place (not all of them, but the “good” ones - particularly Mammy and Pork). In addition the movie (and even more, the novel) has no criticism for the institution of chattel slavery which is unsettling in 2024 (and for some, unsettling in 1939). In spite of that, I’m still seduced by the story and will go to my grave loving it - but I understand why many people today are bothered by the implied acceptance of a brutal system.
Not only does GWTW not critcize slavery, it portrays it as some kind of mythical Eden.
@@steelers6titles I can enjoy the movie as a story about its characters and accept that it is told through their point of view, but yeah, the fact that it is portraying the antebellum South this way is really something that should be looked at critically while watching.
Excellent movie! One of my favorites too!
I think you're just the 2nd youtuber to react to this classic. I'm glad you took it on.
I first saw GWTW in 1967 when it was re-released in theaters. I was 9 years old. I absolutely loved it from the opening theme song to Rhett Butler's "Frankly my dear l don't give a damn". I thought Vivian Leigh was the most beautiful actress l ever saw. I wish l could see it again in a theater.
Nice reaction. I appreciate your solid morals that leave you uncomfortable with Scarlett and Rhett both. I saw this on the big screen at the American Film Institute theater about 50 years ago. I was impressed with it, probably because of the cinematography and overall epic quality, but when I saw it again years later, I thought that it was an overrated movie. I found it hard to care about the principals, despite my deep Southern roots.
My great-great-grandfather joined the 4th Louisiana (at age 21) when it formed, and he was finally knocked out of the war at Atlanta. He was in a trench on the Sandtown line (northwest of Atlanta) reading a letter from home. It was Sunday and all quiet. Then, out of the blue, a shell exploded nearby, badly wounding his right leg. He was lucky. He had already missed the worst fighting in the Battle of Atlanta, and since he went home wounded, he missed the Battle of Jonesboro after the collapse of Atlanta, where his regiment was decimated. My grandmother, who died at 96, attended his funeral in New Orleans in 1914, when she was 9. This means that I am only two degrees of separation from an adult combatant in the Civil War.
It's been longer since GWTW came out, than between the end of the Civil War and when GWTW came out.
Fun fact 3: The scene at the railway yard with all of the injured soldiers was taken by putting the camera on a platform and raised by a crane slowly. There weren't enough available extras so if you really look some extras are pulling strings to make dummies move to add some motion and simulate other living people.
Absolutely love that you reacted to this, it's one of my favorite dramas. Your mom has wonderful taste in movies ^_^ Scarlett isn't a really likeable character, but she is interesting, and the story is great.
In Carol Burnett's classic "Went With The Wind", she has to slap Prissy (Vicki Lawrence), who starts going over the handlebars about her ignorance of childbirth lol
I remember that this movie would come on TV every year. It would be broken up into 3 parts, played over 3 nights. We watched every year.
A classic movie with a great score.
One of my favorites, ever since I was a kid!!! I am so excited you’re watching and reacting to it. ❤️❤️
Growing up in the 50's & 60's in Houston, Tx GWTW played in various theatre's once a year so i saw it several times, at the drive in & indoor theatre. When it came out on vcr tape they no longer did. Nothing like seeing it on the big screen. When the role of Scarlett was finally cast southerners were of the opinion that they were glad it was a British woman & not a yankee haha. No actress vying for the role could've done it justice like VL did. Thanks for the great reaction.
Myron Selznick, David's brother, saw Vivien Leigh in "Fire Over England" and knew he had found Scarlett.
Next time you want a long classic epic, I highly recommend LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. It’s a must-see.
Glad to see you're reacting to classic movies again, Madison! And as I'm sure you know, you're not a true southerner until you've seen GWTW (ha ha).
Thanks Madison for reacting to this wonderful movie. This movie brings back beautiful memories of watching this movie on TV together with my family when I was growing up.Many a young lad, including myself had mad crushes on Scarlett and Miss Melanie when we were growing up while watching this movie. If you weren't aware Madison, the actor Leslie Howard (Ashley), was killed over the Bay of Biscay off the west coast of France in 1943 while flying in a plane that was targeted and shot down by the Nazis; thinking that Winston Churchill was on that plane. It is also speculated that Howard was a spy for British intelligence, and a reason why his plane was mysteriously shot down. Vivien Leigh (Scarlett), suffered from Bipolar Depression for most of her life and died at the age of 53 from tuberculosis in 1967. Leigh's husband Lawrence Olivier starred in a wonderful movie, also from 1939, Wuthering Heights, would be a great movie for you to react to.Olivia De Haviland (Melanie) was the last star to pass away from Gone With the Wind in 2020 at the age of 104. You're awesome Madison for reacting to this movie. Looking forward to your reaction to part 2.
Gone With The Wind, Casablanca and Titanic are the greatest epic romances ever put on film. So many classic moments. So many epic feels.
I know Scarlett does a lot of questionable things, but she ends up showing us how good, weak and vulnerable she really is. To me, Scarlett O'Hara is the greatest, most interesting and compelling character ever put on film. She holds your attention for 4 freaking hours. Thats saying a lot
Hi Madison!
I haven't seen Gone with the Wind in a very long time. I had forgotten how good it is. Your editing and commentary were excellent and I was able to easily follow along. I'm looking forward to Part 2.
I hope you're enjoying the holidays, - Thomas
Thank you, Thomas! So glad you enjoyed it. Happy Holidays to you and your family!🎄