While watching the film, I decided that I thought it belonged to the Melodrama genre of film, but that it also had elements of a the romance film. I decided this as, after reading the book 'An Introduction to Film Genre' by Lester Friedmann et al, I noted that it had many of the elements of a Melodrama film as documented in the chapter. It also however had elements of a romance film, as noted in the book. The main features to the Melodrama genre and a Melodrama film are Sex, Innocence, Self Sacrifice, Good v's Evil, Recognition, Moral Lessons and Class. Whilst watching the film I was able to find elements within the film that fitted under nearly all of these headings.
Throughout the film, Scarlett's sexuality and seductive nature is apparent, especially at the beginning and in key moments later in the film. One of the beginning scenes of the film is the barbecue that she attends where she hope to win over her love Ashley. Before the barbecue in the 'dressing scene' she highlights the feminine, alluring elements of her body, such as her decolletage and cleavage, by pulling the shoulders of her neck down. This instantly reflects the mischievous, confident and flirtatious side to her personality. Whilst at the barbecue she also attracts the attention of many other men due to her beauty and dress choice, including Rhett Butler, her main male companion and love interest in a 'love is blind' sense throughout the film, who she teases and acts amorously to, and her behaviour prompts one other guest also to propose to her. Due to her flirtatious nature and seductive allure to many of the male attendees many of the female guests are wary of her and are negative towards the way that she represents and carries herself. One of the major scenes in the film is the rape scene where Rhett takes Scarlett, his wife at this point, upstairs even though she repeatedly says no and shows no interest. These scenes show that sex and sexuality are very prominent and important throughout the film.
Innocence also features highly throughout 'Gone With The Wind'. This mostly comes from Scarlett who in one scene, although a grown women asks for her mother and says, 'I want my mother'. This shows the innocence and fragility of her character even though she is represented throughout as very tough and mature. Scarlett also talks fondly of the past, along with the other male lead Ashley, and reminisces of the past innocence that they once had at the barbecue, which to me represents that last time in the film that both Scarlett, Ashley, Rhett and the other main characters could be innocent and free as directly afterwards the American Civil War breaks out which brings many hardships. During the Civil War, which is followed in the film, the state of Georgia is evacuated and, during the evacuation Scarlett wears the same hat that she wore to the barbecue which I thought highlighted the fondness, longing for the past and better times felt by Scarlett.
Self sacrifice is also a major feature throughout. Scarlett sacrifices some of the older traditions of South America and Georgia's women's ideals by becoming more independent and by starting a business of her own and reverting Tara, her home plantation, back to its former status after the war destroyed it. Scarlett also shows self sacrifice by agreeing to look after her friend Melanie Hamilton, Ashley's wife's, baby after Melanie becomes seriously ill. Scarlett however struggles with this concept as she loves Ashley but agrees anyway as she knows it is the right thing to do.
Recognition is another element that features in the melodrama genre. Like most of the other features the recognition comes mostly from the point of view of Scarlett. She recognises that the man she thought she loved, Ashley, was actually weak and incapable of being strong and keeping up with the changing South. At the end of 'Gone With the Wind' she also recognises her true feelings for Rhett Butler after realising that Ashley never loved her fully and that she couldn't love him.
Whilst watching 'Gone With The Wind' I think that the main moral lesson that stood out was the idea that you have to adapt and keep determined even in times of great difficulty. In the beginning of the film Scarlett is young and frivolous and has few struggles, due to the wealth of her family, and no worries. As the film progresses however we see her taking control over her life, due to the uncontrollable circumstance of the Civil War, as well as the people and land that once had control over her. She also ends up looking after people that she was not under any obligation to do so, which to me also shows that maybe sometimes we have to be selfless for the good of another. Throughout the film her strong character and ability to manipulate, adapt and control, by setting up her own company, make her able to keep up with a changing America and fight for what is hers during and after the war.
Class is also a major factor in 'Gone With The Wind', as it shows the class divide between the rich white people of the south and the poorer black people, who in many cases had little control over their lives as they worked for and were slaves for the rich white people. It was ultimately the American Civil War which led to the defeat of the South which meant that slaves were freed which led to a major shake up in the class system in America.
Motifs in 'Gone With The Wind'; In films and literature, motifs are elements that are repeated or feature highly throughout the piece. Whilst watching 'Gone With The Wind', I noticed that the colour green features in nearly all of the major scenes as well as the facial appearance of Scarlett. Universally the colour green is well known for representing jealousy, which Scarlett feels throughout most of the book, due to the unrequited love that she receives from Ashley. Green however also represents growth, ambition and finances. It is also the colour of American money. The idea of wealth and growth is also a major part and symbol throughout the film. The film features many close ups of Scarlett's eyes and it is clear to see that she has very green eyes, this means that in any scene that she is in, the colour green is prevalent. At the beginning of the film, at the barbecue, Scarlett wears a white dress with green detailing which is worn with a wide brimmed hat that is tied under the chin with a large green ribbon. Rhett also brings Scarlett back a bonnet from his travel to Europe which is also an emerald green colour. She also wears this hat to meet Ashley from the station with Melanie after he returns from war. Scarlett famously makes a dress from curtains hanging in Tara when she goes to meet Rhett to ask for his money. The dress and hat that she fashions from these curtains are green. When her father falls off his horse and dies, the jacket that he is wearing is green. It is clear that a message was trying to be put across to the audiences due to the high abundance of the colour.
A phrase, which can also be considered a motif, is also repeated in the film by protagonist Scarlett during times of hardship, "I'll think about it tomorrow." and "tomorrow is another day." This to me shows that she would rather put off reality and in some ways would rather put off negative thoughts and not reflect on things that she finds difficult to a day which may not come, but the positive nature of her second phrase I think helps her overcome her problems and makes her stronger and shows that she is able to cope in a changing world.
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| https://petticoatjunction.wordpress.com/2010/01/09/top-costume-drama-costumes/ |
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| The Curtain Dress https://www.thevintagenews.com/2015/05/06/26-most-iconic-movie-dresses-of-all-time/ |
Scarletts Character
I decided that I would focus on the character of Scarlett and analyse her styling. Throughout 'Gone With The Wind', Scarlett's clothing and styling reflects her character and the changes that she faces. At the beginning of the film the clothing and hair styles that she wears reflect her innocence and naivety. She wears a white dress which is known to represent purity and virginity. I also thought that this may also reflect her desire to be engaged to Ashley as white is a traditional colour associated with brides. I also thought this as her younger sisters wear a lot brighter colours, showing their youth and lack of need or desire to be out in society. She pairs the white dress with a red belt around her waist and red bows in her hair. I thought that the use of the colour red may reflect her spoilt life style and the wealth of her family. Her hair is also in a very innocent style of loose curls surrounding her face, paired with the bows. As the film progresses and she gets older her hair changes and becomes more severe and less innocent.
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| https://www.quora.com/Gone-with-the-Wind-1939-movie/Why-is-this-dress-worn-by-Scarlett-OHara-called-the-prayer-dress |
After her marriage to her first husband Charles, her hair becomes more severe and pulled back from her face. This may represent her lost innocence and may also reflect that she is becoming a more independent and strong women by setting up her own business. She is also more covered up after her marriage, which may also show that she is no longer thinking about seducing men and finding a husband but creating a successful business. Her clothes also become more masculine during these scenes throughout the film, which show her strong nature, a changing America and her adaption to an altering society. After the death of Charles she is wearing black due to the mourning process. However throughout this time she is not truly sad, this is reflected when she wears purple among the black.
During the film there are many occasions when she tried to win Ashley back. On these occasions her innocent outfits and hair styles are back, she often wears bows in her hair, as she did in the beginning of the film. This shows more of a sweet and maybe vulnerable side to her character.
During the tough times of the film, her clothing is drastically different from her usual decedent and rich dresses. During the war she helps out at a hospital where she is looking after the wounded soldiers. She wears lots of browns and dull colours and open neck button up shirts. Her sleeves are also often rolled up showing that she must now do her bit, get stuck in and grow up. The time for fun and flirtation is over and life has got more serious. During the scene where the character Melanie is ill, Scarlett wears very similar clothing and print to that of the family slave Prissy. This may reflect that she is doing jobs that were once considered only worthy of a black slave, but may also be representing the end of slavery and the merging of the black and white classes after the end of the Civil War. Her hair is also no longer groomed and it is very messy and often in a hair net.
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| http://thehollywoodart.blogspot.co.uk/2006_02_01_archive.html |
When Scarlett is trying to be manipulative or get her own way with men, even in the tough times, she is always glamorous and 'done up' again. Her hair is usually in ringlets which once again shows her attempt at portraying a sweet persona.
In one of the most famous scenes in the film, when her husband Rhett is trying to punish Scarlett for being caught in an embrace with Ashley, he sends her to a party, hosted by Ashley and his wife in a red, very low cut dress. This style was very provocative and is reflective of a style of clothing worn by a provocative women and maybe even a prostitute.
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| https://www.pinterest.com/larosecouture/gone-with-the-wind-burgundy-dress/ |
Her make up stays very similar throughout the film and there is very little change in how she is facially represented. She always has very wide eyes which are framed by very long lashes. Her skin is always flawless with a small amount of blusher. Her lips are the only part of her look that change; during the day her lips are a light coral colour and at special events or for evening looks she wears a darker red. Even in the tougher times of the film, she is still looking presentable, even though her look is scaled back and less glamorous.
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| http://ebar.com/arts/art_article.php?sec=dvd&article=457 |
It is clear to see that Scarlett's styling reflects the changes that she is facing in her life, help us understand her character and struggles further, as well as to help, progress and support the storyline.
