Should you catch yourself out and about this weekend, you may care to stop in at the Atlanta Film Festival.
I wanna see a bunch of artsy fartsy movies why you ask? Like most things if it has to be explained to ya, you'll never get it, so let me give you one good reason to go.
The festival is celebrating the 7oth. anniversary of the theatrical release of Gone With The Wind. GWTW's premier on December 15, 1939 was also in Atlanta. Jimmy Carter once said, the opening festival was the biggest thing to happen in the South in his lifetime. Still may be.
In an exceptional movie year, GWTW won 10 Oscars, including Best Film, Director, Actress, and Best Supporting Actress. Adjusted for inflation, it's the highest grossing movie of all time. While its rank on the all time best movie list hovers somewhere around 5, it's a really good flick.
Now, understandably, the movie is not to every one's taste. A lot, thankfully, has transpired in 70 years. We are a better people and a better country now than in 1939. However, we don't make better movies.
Is it good history? No, is any movie?
Is it a good story? Undoubtedly
If your up for the trip, get your tickets early. You need not save the aisle seat for me though. I saw it on TMC Tuesday, and I've a grandson's little league softball game to attend.
Toad
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7 comments:
They're having a big weekend for the 70th anniversary of GWTW here in Marietta in our newly restored Strand Theatre in November. We have a GWTW museum, Scarlett on the Square, that has on a few occasions, hosted the remaining living actors. Local legend says that Margaret Mitchell brought the producers to Marietta to show them the house that inspired Tara (it's still here, but it's a law office and not in one of the prettier historic districts). They deemed it too small, and invented something on set in California.
I have mixed feelings about that movie. I loved the book and never saw the movie until I was in high school the first time it ever appeared on television. It was not shown over and over back then like it is today--the tv premiere was such a big deal, I have the TV Guide cover in my scrapbook! But like any movie, compared to the book, it's fairly one dimensional.
I would love to see a remake done of that movie, but I guess it is such an icon that nobody will touch it. Imagine how good it could be with modern movie making techniques--produced in a realistic manner like the recent Pride and Prejudice (with Keira Knightley).
Funny-- I've seen the movie over and over but never read the book (unusual for me). I think I'll head over to the library right now. For the hypothetical remake, who do you see in the starring roles?
Hmmm, I would have to think on that one. I don't think any of today's big "stars". I'd probably go with some fairly unknown British or Aussie actors because I think they could probably get the accent right. Most Southern accents on tv and in movies are horrible. But that's another subject altogether.
I love the book. I also love the movie. That being said my grandmother and her BFF loved the book so much that they hopped a train and went to Atlanta for the premier. They didn't have hotel reservations nor did they have tickets. They ended up staying at a boarding house not far from where Margret Mitchell wrote said book. They went and stood at the theater anxisiously awaiting a chance to see "movie stars" and hopefully get to see the movie. Some rich people took pity on the two Texas women and gave them their extra seats. They were thrilled.
Here's the house where she wrote the book
www.gwtw.org
The girls have had a couple of sorority semiformals there, and J1 was in a wedding last summer and they had the reception there.
Back in the day, it was called "the dump" and she rented a room, I believe.
The thought of a GWTW remake fills me with dread. The original is near perfect, it has been remastered beautifully. It has held up over time.
What worries me most is what 2-2 1/2 hours would they leave out? No one would make a 4 hour movie today.
My reactionary stance would be to leave well enough alone. You were joking weren't you?
Like Kathy I have never read the book. Sounds like a good project for next week.
Enjoy the festival.
The movie is sadly lacking in comparison to the book. I was being kind before when I said I have mixed feelings....honestly, I don't even really like it because I had read the book so many times for so many years before I ever saw the movie. And I live on a Civil War battlefield just north of Atlanta on the same street with houses built in the 1830's, and the whole thing doesn't look a bit like this place. It was like the only time they ever came here was for the movie premiere.
Now I have to reread it, too.
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