Ep844: GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) - Movie Review
Ian welcomes back author Benjamin Beard to look at one of cinema's most misunderstood films, Gone with the Wind!
Last week, Ian and his wife ventured out to the historic Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge, Illinois, to see Victor Fleming's landmark motion picture on a gigantic silver screen. When the theatre (also the site of the couple's wedding nearly 20 years ago) recently announced that it was set to close, the management decided to bookend the venue's history with a showing of the first film it had ever run. This was a first-time viewing for both, but not for Ben Beard, who wrote about the movie in his 2020 book, The South Never Plays Itself.
In this revelatory episode, the guys walk through Ian's utter astonishment at what he witnessed over those utterly transportive four hours--and how the film's reputation, as perpetuated by both vehement detractors to ardent supporters, is likely the result of so few modern audiences having actually watched it.
Ian and Ben also discuss the history of Margaret Mitchell's novel; its translation to the big screen (by a director who also helmed The Wizard of Oz, which came out the same year!); and the myopic hypocrisy with which some regard the movie today--not to mention a sneak peak of Ben's newest project and much, much more!
Show Links:
Order Ben's book (which planted the seeds of this episode), The South Never Plays Itself.
Watch actress Hattie McDaniel's historic Oscars acceptance speech.
Watch Ian and Ben's conversation about The South Never Plays Itself.
Learn more about Chicagoland's historic Pickwick Theatre.
And check out Ian's conversation with National Review critic Armond White about the equally controversial films of D.W. Griffith, The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance (mentioned in the show).
Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!
