Gone With The Wind

1939.
#4 / #6
Winner of 10 Academy Awards.

GONE WITH THE WIND follows Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh), a young woman who fights to survive the Civil War and Reconstruction. All the while, Scarlett pines for Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), while weaving in and out of marriages, all the while playing cat and mouse with Rhett Butler (Clark Gable).

Eddie: I saw this movie when I was in film school. I didn't like it then, and I don't like it now.

Scarlett whines for four hours, and just when she stops acting like a childish fool, we get a big swooping dolly shot and the movie's over! In spite of Scarlett, Gable steals the show as Rhett Butler, one of the coolest movie characters ever. This guy is pure, 100% cool. I also found myself rooting for Melanie Hamilton (Olivia de Havilland) - Scarlett's rival. Melanie is the model of unadulterated kindness; why would anyone root against her?

Sarah: Scarlett does not whine for four hours! She is determined to get her life back to the way it was before the war, which is why she focuses on Ashley. She is awesome. She does everything on her own and breaks all the rules a lady is supposed to follow. Besides, she has the best mottoes: "I'll think about that tomorrow" or "Tomorrow is another day" and "Fiddle-dee-dee." Scarlett O'Hara is a complex heroine. Why are her worries called whining? Men just want to see movies about men who whine by day and wear tights and capes by night.

Eddie is right about one thing, Clark Gable is amazing. He is cool, charming, and funny. I want to marry Rhett Butler. Another amazing actor in this film is Hattie McDaniel. Her portrayal as the sassy and kind Mammy won her an Academy Award (the first black actress to win an Academy Award). I could praise this film all day (it is my favorite movie ever) but instead, I'll say: Just watch it.

Why You Should See It: Rhett's proposal to Scarlett. She is drunk and he is sarcastic and cool. It's comical and sweet.