Gone With The Wind

1) The movie, Gone with the Wind, was originally a novel written in 1936, by Margaret Mitchell. Her novel took a total of ten years for her, to write. She eventually sold the rights of her novel for a total of $50,000. The owner of the rights, and the producer of Gone with the Wind, was David O. Selznick. It was on of the first films that were shot in technicolor. The budget of the motion picture was an astounding 3.9 million dollars, which ended up being, well worth it. It was Americas top grossed film, up until 1966 at $500,000,000 world-wide. It was also the longest film ever made until 1939. Its length clocked in at 3 hours and 44 minutes. The international success resulted in numerous Academy awards for Gone with the wind, in nine different categories.

2)                                             (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gone_with_the_wind/)

This article I found on the movie critic website “Rotten Tomatoes,” Summarizes the story line and the cast of the American classical movie, Gone with the Wind. The cast consisted of legendary actors and actresses such as; Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Hattie McDaniel,  and Butterfly McQueen, just to name a few. It stresses how the story became a very beloved movie in the history of American films. Also as a quick synopsis; The story opens up in 1861 in the south and involves a young southern belle named Scarlet O’hara, who is a hopeless romantic. She throws herself, on numerous occasions, at Ashley Wilkes who is marrying on of her close peers Melanie. A wealthy man named Rhett Butler, tries to woe Scarlet throughout the movie and recieved mixed reactions on many different occasions. But, despite all of these romance conflicts the biggest conflict is the civil war that is going on against the North, which are better known as the Yankees. These American themes went hand-in-hand to put together a very beloved movie that reflects our patriotic tradition.

3) In regards to the screening, this article has graded it as a very high rating. It is a 95% professional rating and a 91% audience rating. I personally know how hard the critics are on Rotten Tomatoes are. They are very reliable in rating movies. A movie must be great if it has a high approval rating. It is no secret that Gone with the Wind’s cinematography is praised and the movie’s story line and history plays a large role as the foundation to the movies we see today.

4) I am very grateful to be given the opportunity to finally see, what is said to be one of the most influential movies in our country’s history. The story line was very good and kept my attention the entire time. The roles were played with exceptional quality and the  way it was filmed in brilliant color, which was very respectable, and had to change the way people thought about movies from that point on. I enjoyed Gone with the Wind and it should be seen by every American, so they can finally be exposed to a rare style if film that can be imitated but never duplicated.

Stagecoach

1) Stagecoach was an American, John Ford, film released in 1939. It was released during a time, where it is said to be the greatest period in American Movie making. Ford, won four “best director” awards for films in his illustrious career. He was mainly known for his array of westerns, Military films, and his social dramas. Although Ford was told that westerns held a high risk on ruining his career, he was persistent and it turned out to work well in his favor, and it showed. He combined action, drama, and humor, in Stagecoach. Along with the genres he incorporated, the main story line consisted of a set of symbolic characters in a stagecoach set to leave Tonto, New Mexico for a settlement far away in Lordsburg, with a diverse set of passengers along with it such as an alcoholic doctor, two women, and a bank manager who has taken off with his client's money. Little do they know, along the way Geronimo becomes an obstacle and attacks, making the trip a tad more interesting. 

2) “Relegated to B-movie status by the mid-1930s, the western was regenerated most prominently by John_Ford's Stagecoach in 1939. Ford and screenwriter Dudley_Nichols artfully balanced the genre's standard action with the character studies and quality production values of prestigious 1930s films. In the microcosm of the stagecoach, the confrontation between "civilization" and "savagery," Western future and Eastern past, is played out among characters journeying through hostile Apache territory, with honor-bound outlaw Ringo fighting valiantly for a society that shuns him. Though not the top-billed player, and then a B-movie actor, John_Wayne as Ringo became the star hero from the moment that Ford introduces him with a rare kinetic flourish. Ford here introduced his signature Western setting of Monument Valley, lending Stagecoach a realism that set it apart from studio-bound films; and his deep focus interiors preceded Citizen_Kane by two years. A critical and commercial hit, Stagecoach helped spearhead the revival of the Western as a viable A-feature, and it turned Wayne into an A-list star. When he made Citizen_Kane, Orson_Welles claimed that he learned everything about directing movies from watching Stagecoach more than 40 times. Lucia Bozzola, Rovi” (http://www.starpulse.com/Movies/Stagecoach/Review/)

3) This article covers the main aspects of the film, on as well as off of the screen. Ford, took an average film and made one of the greatest films in AMerican history. It reinforces Ford’s use of social satire, in his beloved western style. He compared the civilized beings to Geronimo’s barbarians, and depicted the “good guys” winning. The off screen aspects of the film, include the brilliant cinematography, for the era of the films release, as well as the emergence of John Wayne, in his first major role in a film. 

4) In my opinion, I have to give respect to one of the great movies in our country’s history, however I thought this movie was painful. I can appreciate the social messages that the plot consisted of, as well as the status of the different individual characters. So, clearly the content of the message was good, in my eyes. Overall, I am not a huge fan of western films, and the fact that it was in black and white, was very painful to watch. If not for the scene where Geronimo and his men attacked, I might have fallen asleep. However, people should see his movie, since it is such an iconic film in our history.