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Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Can’t overlook racism in ‘Wind’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve tried.
Tried to embrace Scarlett, Rhett, Mammy and Prissy.
Tried to understand the cinematic, cultural and societal accolades that have been bestowed upon “Gone with the Wind,” voted by the American Film Institute to be No. 4 among the top 100 movies of all time.
I’ve tried and failed, never frankly cared much. Not even a kernel’s worth.
“Rhett Butler’s People,” the second authorized book sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s best-seller, will be released Nov. 6. The media buzz about the sequel has me, once again, trying to understand the adulation for the original story and its cinematic script.
So I seek enlightenment, a lesson on how to appreciate the flick. If you consider the movie a masterpiece, a favorite, help me see what you see, what I obviously miss.
Maybe the love story hooks you.
Clark Gable’s Rhett and Vivien Leigh’s Scarlett create an on-screen chemistry that’s undeniable. They almost take you away from the war - its purpose - that’s unfolding.
Almost.
Perhaps you’re like a (white) female friend of mine. In Scarlett, this California girl found power, a role model for women. She identified with Scarlett’s ability to rise from the ashes of a defeated South. She especially liked the scene where Scarlett declares she’ll never be hungry again, or something to that effect.
Maybe you’re a Southern sympathizer.
You like the melancholy, cinematic broad brush the movie gives slavery. You like that feel-good spin about states’ rights, the Southern way of life being under attack, a “civilization” going with the wind.
If you identify with all of the above, if you see all these things so clearly, deeply and devoutly, then tell me something.
Where, in the context of this movie, does that leave people with my skin tone?
I had never seen “Gone With the Wind” in its entirety till 1998. Before then, I’d only seen bits and pieces. I couldn’t stomach it. After finally seeing it, though, my lasting impressing isn’t of love and a genteel Old South.
It’s of denigration and minstrel black characters, sympathetic to an immoral Southern cause, put off by “Yankees” who’ve come to disrupt their wonderful life on the plantation.
Spare me, please.
We aren’t even served subservient characters with dignity. Think Huck’s “Jim,” or Miss Daisy’s “Hoke,” characters some critics find abominable. Better yet, how about Sheriff Gillespie’s Virgil Tibbs?
Well, I’ll take them over Mammy, who gets a red petticoat for her loyalty to the O’Hara family.
Special.
You might be able to overlook the inherent racist context. I can’t. That’s like asking Jews to not be offended by a movie that praises Nazi Germany, that treats the Holocaust like a hiccup.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail rbadie@ajc.com.
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