Customer Reviews

Scarlett

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(34)
2 star:		(28)
1 star:		(44)

 

 

i am a "Windie" (extreeme gone with the wind fan), so i'm sorry to say that i loved this movie, almost as much as the ORIGINAL. the first scarlett was great, but in the sequel, scarlett O'Hara is much more mature, and definitely less whiney, but she still showed the same "passion for living." Timothy Dalton in the sequel is handsome, dashing, charming, everything clark gable brought to the part, but i dont know how much Rhett really would have gone for that goodey too shoes, oh i forgot her name. the pure fact that they hired both british stars to play southern american parts is absurd... and another thing, the book was extraordinary, how ALexandra Ripley could have thought of that stuff is beyond me... so why did they have to alter perfection and put in some crazy court scene and murder trial? Oh, i know why, simply to get the viewers attention. That never happened in the book and was totally unnecessary. But beside from all that the movie was a smash hit, and not a crash and burn like other "Windies" will tell you. And another thing... who was the costume cordinator, those dresses were stunning! There's a reason to watch it in itself!

I saw this movie before I read the novel. It was intriguing and everytime I watched Gone With The Wind I had felt sort of cheated. I was thrilled to hear that there was more to the story. Because I felt the movie was so good, it inspired me to read the book. And though the movie wasn't entirely like the book, it held true to the essence of the story. The book was pretty long, and so was the movie, you can't expect everything from the book to be included in the movie!

The most highly anticipated sequel in history proves to be well worth nearly sixty years of waiting. "Scarlett" is a lavish, epic film that ties up all the loose strings left by "Gone With the Wind", and while not combining all the original elements of "GWTW" and indeed a long film, it is an extremely entertaining and engrossing film. Joanne Whalley-Kilmer is excellent as the tempestuous post-Vivien Leigh Scarlett O'Hara Butler, bringing a freshness and originality to the role so unique that she succeeds in diminishing Leigh's emblazonment on the role. Timothy Dalton is excellent in his Clark Gable-follow-up to Rhett Butler, bringing a deep sense of humanity to the role lacking in Gable's performance. The story picks up right where "GWTW" left off, and we finally get to know what happened to Scarlett and Rhett. Through this engrossing tale, Scarlett sets out to seek Rhett's love again, make peace with her past haunts, and discover her true identity. Her journey takes her from Atlanta to Charleston to Ireland and beyond before she can succeed in winning back the man she always loved. All the other memorable characters are back too: Ashley Wilkes, Mammy, Aunt Pittypat, Suellen and Will, just to name a few. And there are some new faces, as well: Jean Smart is immensely likable as Sally Brewten, a wily friend of the Butlers with a heart of gold. Colm Meaney is great in his role of Colum O'Hara, Scarlett's Irish cousin. And Ann-Margret makes a memorable cameo as Atlanta's leading madam, Belle Watling, along with Esther Rolle in the part of Mammy. And Sean Bean is very effective in his role of Richard Fenton, an Englishman whom Scarlett meets up with... and later regrets. A lively script, crisp direction, and gorgeous cinematography blend together perfectly to create the most anxiously awaited sequel in history... and it's all worth the wait!

Still better than the movie version of GWTW!! It seems that many more people have read "Scarlett" then have read GWTW. In the book named Scarlett, we get to see Scarlett mature into a person who cares about many people besides herself. The movie version does not show this as well. I believe that a good part of the reason is that the movie condenses the book by several years, thus making Scarlett's tranformation less believable. For example, Scarlett grows emotionally a great deal during Cat's first year of life. The movie completely skips this whole year!! And, like everyone else, I saw absolutely no sense in substituting the whole trial story line for the book's story.

As to the actors.......I give all of then high praise for their portrayals of the characters. James Dalton does a WONDERFUL job as Rhett--far better than Clark Gable. Joanne Whalley-Kilmer does the best she can with the script that she's given. I did wonder, though, why she went through so many changes of clothes. Part of Scarlett's transformation was the fact that she gave up her love of clothes for native Irish dress. Perhaps it was thought that the audience would be lost without all the costumes to look at.

Finally, I must comment on the many criticisms of Scarlett played with brown eyes. Vivien Leigh had blue eyes, which I admit was closer. But who cares? And how may people noticed that Timothy Dalton had blue eyes? What?? Rhett Butler's dark eyes were always described in both books.

My advice? Enjoy Scarlett, the book. And enjoy the movie, as well. Just don't compare, and you'll enjoy both.

If your looking for a Gone with the Wind sequel this movie is not for you. On it's own merits I give it 5 stars. If you are a period movie buff lover you will love this movie as I do. All star cast, acting, beautiful sets and costumes. I just loved all the twists and turns of this movie that kept it exciting especially when Scarlett goes back to Ireland and finds her roots so to speak. I was definetely NOT bored. A love story that is sure to please.

I don't even know where to begin about the butchering of Alexandra Ripley's amazing sequel to GWTW. After reading the book, I was thoroughly horrified by the deviations from the book that the directors took. Why bother to say the movie was based on the book when in reality it wasn't? Apparently the directors did not read GWTW either; as IF Scarlett would ever forgive Suellen or come to like her! This is a movie that would have been better left un-made rather than expose the rest of us to such a shoddy representation of a masterpiece. No one could possibly ever follow up the acting of Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable because they have burned permanent pictures of what "Scarlett and Rhett" should look and act like into our minds. Scarlett in the new movie didn't even have green eyes, for God's sake; in both books, her eyes were discussed at length and their significance was noteworthy.

I have never been more disappointed in a movie based on a book (except for "A Civil Action," but that's another story). It's movies like this that ruin people's opinions of a book, leading them to never read that book at all. I think the majority of people who actually liked this hideous version of Ripley's sequel have never read GWTW or Scarlett, and have only seen the movies. Both GWTW and Scarlett are meant to be READ anyway; the depth of the characters can never be conveyed onto a big screen with such a short amount of time! The history behind their families - Scarlett's mother and father and their intricate lives that explain how Scarlett came to be who she was, Scarlett's cousins and the Irish uprising, etc. - are lost in the translation to the big screen. At least, however, in GWTW the directors stayed basically true to the story and left viewers with an accurate portrayal of the book.

If I were Alexandra Ripley, I would change my name and live incognito the rest of my life, rather than face the shame of what those directors and actors did to my fantastic story and meticulous research.

Trust me - if you are a true GWTW fan, just read "Scarlett." Don't even bother with this movie or you will fume just like I am doing! If you are the type of person who enjoys soap-operatic displays that are totally unrealistic, and you have never read either book, then you might enjoy this movie because you won't have the initial bias. But please rest assured that this movie is nothing like the book and is indeed a very poor imitation/reflection upon it.

I enjoyed the book Scarlett and have read it a few times. I was really excited coming across the DVD version of this movie (having missed it on TV years ago). But now, after watching it, I wished I had saved my money.

The acting was fine, and I wasn't bothered like some with the casting. Someone made a point about green contacts, and I completely agree. Joanne Whalley is lovely, and if her large eyes were only green instead of dark brown, I think she would have been much more believable as Scarlett. And I know that eye color doesn't determine how much an actress is able to embrace a role, but Scarlet's green eyes are such a large and memorable facet of her character. Timothy Dalton as Rhett was a good choice--for fans of the movie, Clark Gable is Rhett, so Dalton had some impossible shoes to fill. Not too bad considering the task at hand.

Now for the plot: the movie starts out fine. I was impressed with how it was staying pretty close to the storyline in the book. Usually screenwriters ruin perfectly fine plots in order to make a story more "commericial"--which is exactly what happened here by the 2nd half of the movie.

Scarlett never grows like she does in the novel--She always remains prissy and fancy, unlike the adorable barefoot and pregnant Scarlett of the sequel--Lord Fenton becomes a disgusting main character--the Irish and the Fenian cause are pushed to the background to make way for murder and mayhem--and most importantly, Cat is barely heard from--Scarlett's little daughter, who becomes one of the most important (and interesting) characters in the book, is barely seen or mentioned. I was most disappointed by the movie's failure to show Scarlett's deep and changing relationship with her daughter.

Read the book. Watch the movie just for laughs (which you will get--there is a trial scene at the end that I couldn't stop snickering at). But don't expect too much with this movie. It's rather disappointing.

I enjoyed the story, took a long time to watch. The acting was good. The settings
and costuming were good. I could say a lot more about it. It was a while back that I saw it, stayed up half the night to watch it all. Very interesting story. I always liked the strong character of Scarlett, and in this sequel, Scarlet displays better judgment about her relationship with Rhett. I had enjoyed the woman that Scarlett was in Gone With The Wind, although she had that infatuation and fetish for Ashley, who wasn't her equal in spirit or good business sense. We need more stories for strong female characters, that are made into movies or tv movies.

Okay Gone With the Wind fans, we all know that Scarlett can't be compared to GWTW. We know that Joanne Whalley and Timothy Dalton can't be compared to Vivan Leigh and Clark Gable. The books don't even have the same author, for crying out loud. But inspite of these facts, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I believe that despite the fact that they're not Leigh and Gable, Whalley and Dalton have excellent chemistry. This movie is based upon more of the relationship between Rhett and Scarlett than the politics of the day (except for the Irish movement.) But as another reveiwer stated, this movie has a much more satisfying ending.So if you enjoyed GWTW, I urge you to at least watch if not buy Scarlett. Hey, even if you're a stickler for minute details, you'll at least know what happened to your favorite characters.

I enjoyed reading both books, GWTH and Scarlett before watching the movie. It was great to see a happy ending to an exciting love story. The scenery, costumes and historical illusions were well done. True, literary liberties were taken with the movie, but viewers must remember that IT IS A MOVIE. If you want the book version, go read the book. If you want to see the growth of characters we have all come to love (or hate!) watch this movie.