Customer Reviews

Frankly, My Dear: "Gone with the Wind" Revisited (Icons of America)

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Molly Haskell is a genius. With scholarship and enormous wit, she shows us why GWTW means so much to us as individuals and to our culture. Every page of FRANKLY, MY DEAR informs and resonates. GWTW is seared into the American psyche more deeply than CITIZEN KANE, ON THE WATERFRONT, THE GODFATHER rolled into one. Molly Haskell inhabits GWTW. I think of her now as Molly O'Haskell. This is a must-read.

Ever since the author published her memoir of her marriage, "Love and Other Infectious Diseases" (1990), I have loved her writing. Now she has taken on the late 1930's with her cultural review and history of the book/movie, "Gone With the Wind". The "Titantic" of its day was a best-seller and Oscar winner. She argues that Scarlett was a feminist hero for her day, the Depression and pre-World War II era. You may not agree with her insights but the reader will be entertained by them.

For anyone who loves "Gone With The Wind" this is the book to read. Against all odds, Molly Haskell has taken a film classic set in amber and raised questions that are not merely fresh but also provocative. At the same time, she brings to the film's seventieth anniversary a voice that is at once personal, clearsighted, and wonderfully exhilarating. Like the movie itself, this book arrives on the scene already assured of its place in film history. In addition it is a pure delight.

To begin with, I am not supporting the old south. I am describing Mitchell's thinking.

First, the idea that Mitchell was "subversive." Like all liberals Haskell is in love with the concept and she is led to misread Margaret Mitchell. Life is complicated, and a woman can be traditional and conservative, like Mitchell, and still see the faults of the male population, can see the hesitation and fear under male bravado, can acknowledge the strength of women and women`s need to sometimes do something different from the traditional female role. There are always contradictions in culture and a lot of things that seem silly even as we do them and believe them. Moreover, every society has the established order and standards and then something that stands in opposition to it, but not enough to seriously question the established order, just enough to provide people with a safe way to blow off frustration or stress (normal aspects of life). Mitchell sees all this. But acknowledging this does not make Mitchell a feminist or a rebel who wants to change the basic order of things.

Mitchell sees that people can break the rules, provided they are willing to pay the price. Those few who want to be different can take the risk. They may succeed or fail. But those who risk don't expect society to change all its rules for them so that everyone can be made to approve of their breaking the rules. They have to live with some degree of disapproval from others. This is very different from the modern way of thinking that wants to break the rules and get approval for doing so and, in fact, bring about a revolution, abolish the rules, and set in place new ones or none at all. That was not Mitchell. Yet Haskell twists things around to make Mitchell into some kind of rebel against the order of the old south or traditional male female roles. Mitchell was not subversive. She was not about changing the rules. In fact, she lamented change.

Seeing the fault of something or the negative side of it does not mean you want to destroy it or even change it. Rather, you realize that the "bad" part is an inevitable accompaniment to the "good" part. You accept that tradition has its disadvantages just as everything does. Haskell makes much of the fact that Mitchell created strong female characters. That has nothing to do with feminism. Contrary to feminist teaching, women's strength has always been acknowledged, but in a way different from ours today. Until recently people thought that a woman could be strong without becoming like a man or acting like one. She could still be feminine and strong, like Melanie. A woman can be strong and smart without being feminist. The other kind of strong woman is Scarlett. In Scarlett, Mitchell created a ruthlessly selfish, resourceful, determined, ambitious character. Sometimes women are like this and it can serve a purpose, Mitchell is saying. Mitchell clearly did not endorse the view that every women should be like Scarlett. She saw the costs and benefits of Scarlett's conduct. The character of Scarlett is also no feminist. She does not think that everyone should be like her or that she is spearheading social change or anything remotely like that. Scarlett thinks only of her own benefit and her family's. And she pays a price for it.

At the same time that she lauds feminism, Haskell defends and appreciates the traditional male ego. She finds Rhett Butler attractive. But feminism and the male ego cannot live in the same place. One drives out the other. Haskell admits this in a backhanded kind of way. She sees that the tough Scarlett and the tough Rhett are a good combination. But Scarlett has to be a little softer and let Rhett take the lead at least some of the time. But Scarlettt is so strong she can't give, can't bend, can't reach out. Rhett can't bend to her will first because he is a man. Scarlett has to give first. Haskell has no way to bring together the woman who is strong like a man is strong and the masculine man. Neither does Mitchell.

Haskell makes a good point about Leslie Howard when she points out that he was a heartthrob in his day. He is the gentler male, different from the Clark Gable character. But he was still a man with the male ego. He was not a wimp as some contemporary readers think. When women were soft, men could be soft without risking their masculinity.

If you are an obsessive GWTW fan like me, who likes re-reading the book and re-watching the movie million of times, who likes talking about GWTW, reading about GWTW and reading about other people talking about GWTW, this book is for you.

"Frankly, My Dear" is a very entertaining, easy to read book, which has a lot of curious facts about both the novel and the movie. I personally enjoyed stories about Margaret Mitchell and her very strange relationships with her two husbands; about manic-depressive Vivien Leigh and her turbulent affair with Lawrence Olivier; about Clarke Gable who refused to cry on screen because of the fear to appear weak to the public, etc.

At the same time, this work is rather superficial and lacks structure and depth of knowledge of the subject. It is roughly divided into several parts addressing the story of creating the book, the difficulties of making the movie. It also attempts to explain why the story has been able to capture hearts of so many millions of readers (not very well unfortunately).

You will not find any deep analysis of GWTW or a decent comparison of the movie and the book. "Frankly, My Dear" is just a bunch of anecdotes thrown together to provide some light entertainment for the fans. It is not necessarily a bad thing. The book gives just enough basic information to spark interest in the subject and to guide fans curious to know more to the better researched sources. As for me, after reading this book I am determined to learn more about both Margaret Mitchell and Vivien Leigh. I think they both are extremely interesting women to know.

Molly Haskell takes a fresh look at the whole GWTW oeuvre: the book, the movie, and the people behind both. She mixes a feminist perspective with fun facts and trivia, and comes out with a winning take. She makes a great point regarding why young women (especially) discover GWTW and why it speaks to them so strongly. After watching GWTW when I was 16, I remember thinking that the main characters were remarkably relatable, and Haskell explains why that is. Haskell is scholarly without being dull, enthusiastic about GWTW without being blind to its faults, and thoroughly interesting and entertaining. Highly recommended!

The story behind Margaret Mitchell's phenomenon is as fascinating as Scarlett herself. Haskell provides all the essentials: the author's story, the story of the movie and, most astutely, a look at why we will never get enough of its spirited and controversial heroine. Seventy years after the movie's release, Haskell doesn't ignore its flaws. But she reminds us of why this story changed us forever.

My only reservation is about the cover. It looks like a promo for the Hitchcock remake of GONE WITH THE WIND.

This is a very good book, designed to reintroduce a classic book and movie to those who already know them and those have yet to enjoy their benefits.

Currently reading the book. Interesting take on the 3 main forces behind Gone With The Wind; Margaret Mitchell, David Selnick, and Vivien Leigh. I enjoyed the authors insight. Recommend to any GWTWa-phile!

To me "Gone With The Wind" is one of my earliest memories at the Movies, and the first book I ever read at age ten. I picked up Molly Haskell book with great anticipation and was not disappointed.
She is an engaging writer who is both well versed in her close to the heart of the nation subject and she is fun and witty and utterly charming. A little like Scarlett herself. The book covers the three most important personas in the legend, Margaret Mitchell, David O. Selznick and the incredible and ultimately tragic Vivien Leigh. Miss Haskell peels the layers away from the history of each of these incredably fascinating real life characters to reveal complex and interesting people.
She also delves deep into the psychology of GWTW as it connects through the decades and human ages of those it has effected, that being most of the world but in the end the United States most of all. How it defines us as a culture a people by our reactions to it both in love and hate, kind of like Scarlett and Rhett's relationship.
"Frankly My Dear..." is a must have for any fan of history, film, Hollywood and that consummately towering epic that is "Gone With The Wind".