Gone With The Wind is a movie that was released in the year 1939, this movie has a novel version with the same name written by Margaret Mitchell that came prior the movie release. The story in this movie shadows the life of a rich man’s daughter (Scarlett O'Hara) who owns a plantation at Georgia, in essence the movie depicts or rather shows the struggles and sufferings the girl goes through in the antebellum and antibellum South. As the movie proceeds, the viewer sees Scarlett transform from an ordinary girl to an independent woman while experiencing the pre-war lifestyle of the south as it gradually becomes gone with the wind as alluded by the topic of the movie. This movie brings out the southern history through the eyes of Margaret Mitchell, the author.
The main objective of the move Gone With The Wind as intended was to present ways in which civilization in the south was being blown away as a result of “the dirty Yankees” conquest and invasion during the Civil War. Apparently, there exist historical accuracies and inaccuracies.
In the film, the costumes that had been designed by Walter Plunkett from the movie, were accurate for that time of the history. In essence, the costumes used showed or rather depicted the true nature of fashion of the time in which the movie represents. Dark jackets, tight fitting trousers with suspenders, and facial hair for men clearly draws a clear mental picture of that time inside the viewer’s mind. The costumes used by women in the movie included corsets, regency gowns, and petticoats. An ideal women of the time represented in this film was basically defined with such kind of clothing. From the film, both women and men wore shoes on formal occasions and durable shoes everyday thus representing clearly that time of history.
The movie accurately represents and reflects the social world and women’s role during therein time of history (Konečná and Hana 39). In essence, the movie articulates the story of a young girl who grows to become an independent woman, as portrayed in the film, the young girl is forced to transform to an independent matriarch from a young southern belle subsequent to reconstruction and civil war.
When subjected to economy woes during reconstruction, Scarlett O'Hara struggled through all forms of hardships and poverty to secure her home and land Tara. Scarlett O'Hara vowed to herself to do anything within her scope so as to ascertain that she never gets hungry. She married for money, struggled with her sisters in the cotton field an even opened a lumber business to secure herself from all the difficulties and struggles. The struggles and tribulations that Scarlett O'Hara underwent clearly defines the nature of an ideal woman during the 1930’s. During this time of history, many women engaged themselves into unfamiliar business so as to gain economic security (Konečná and Hana 32), therefore Scarlett O'Hara in the movie represent the roles and social world of a woman during the 1930’s. Another aspect of historical accuracy in the movie is evident from the fact that the movie connects the present and the past through the use of feminism and woman’s life aspects, it basically shows the true nature of how things were by closely relating it to the present.
The film is also famous following the use of Technicolor style. This technique helped the movie add some historical authenticity. In this movie, the historical aspect of the time being represented is accurate due to the many apparent use of Technicolor, for instance, the scene depicted by the twelve oaks destroyed signified the destruction and anguish experienced during the world war. Generally, the artistic work incorporated and employed by Selznick portrays and significantly establishes the historical authenticity of the film.
Despite the historical accuracies stated herein relating to Selznick’s artistic work, there exists a number of inauthentic sets that does not accurately represent the time of the history stated herein. For instance, Scarlett the main character ran past a lamp that contains an electric cord attached as she looks for Dr. Meade, another thing that do not represent the time of the history being portrayed is the use of radio tower (Andrea 11). During 1860’s the American’s had not begun using electricity or radio. This therefore misrepresent the true nature of this time.
Another apparent inaccurate representation of history is evident from the fact that there existed equal racial representation or rather equality during this era, in contrast with this, history establishes this era as that time which racial discrimination was at peak and rampant (Perry and Mary 323). Basically, Selznick mistook the nature of Hollywood’s racial equality in 1930’s to represent the nature of racial values and inequalities in 1860’s world’s (Andrea 15)
An inaccurate representation of history is also apparent from the instant in the film where Gerald O'Hara arrives an informed those at Tara plantation that General Lee had surrendered and that the war was over on April 9, 1865, however the end of civil war according to accurate history came subsequent to the surrender of General Kirby Smith on May 26, 1865 (Perry and Mary 260).
Works Cited
Andrea Barnes. “History and Hollywood: Gone with the Wind and A League of Their Own”
(2010)
Konečná, Bc Hana, and Hana Konečná. "Gone with the Wind: Changes in the Southern
Society Brought by the Civil War, especially Changing the Role and Status of Women." (2010).
Perry, Carolyn, and Mary Weaks-Baxter. The History of Southern Women's Literature. Baton
Rouge (La.: Louisiana state university press, 2002. Print.
