A to Z Blogging Challenge: Movie Memories
Blogging about the movies that made an impact on my life
It was 1969 and the world was celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Gone with the Wind (1939). I was 11, and the movie was one of the biggest events in our town. I'd never seen it and I could hardly wait.
It was playing at the Lincoln downtown and I went with my mother, my Aunt Jean and my Uncle Bobby. When we got to the theatre, the line wrapped around the corner. I had no idea what I was getting into.
The theatre was standing room only. Back then, if the seats were filled, they'd let you stand in the back or sit in the aisles. I sat in the aisle with my Uncle Bobby. And before you could say "Fiddle Dee Dee," I was in the land of cotton and dancing the Virginia Reel!
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This was an epic film like none other. My previous movie-going experience was limited and most of the movies I'd seen had been on TV, which made watching it in Cinemascope on the big screen even more impressive. I will never forget that day as long as I live.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This was an epic film like none other. My previous movie-going experience was limited and most of the movies I'd seen had been on TV, which made watching it in Cinemascope on the big screen even more impressive. I will never forget that day as long as I live.
A couple of years later I read the book to the point of obsession. I read it over and over, a total of 14 times over two years. Looking back, I think it had to do with the fact that, at the time, we were moving so much and I had to change schools. I had to start over with new friends, new teachers, etc. It was a hard time, but Gone with the Wind got me through. I figured if Scarlett could get Tara back, I could handle the ninth grade.
14 comments:
Hi! Just dropping in from the Challenge!
Hi, Sandra: Great to meet you!
You do know how to pick them! Did you know that this novel was Margaret Mitchells only major publication? It was tragic that she died not yet 50 years old, by being run over by a speeding car. She was a fascinating women and her novel historic! Wonderful post, thank you!
The book is SOOOO much better than the movie.
The first time my hubby saw GWTW it was in the early seventies in a theater.
He forgot where he was and yelled, "BAM" during a fight scene.
It is very hard to watch a movie when everyone around is laughing so hard. Now, of course, 30 some years later, we all yell BAM when that scene comes up.
Siv: Yes, it always amazes me that she only wrote one novel. Same with Harper Lee, another one book wonder with To Kill a Mockingbird. Maybe the writing process was too painful...
Huntress: I agree with you about the book; it is much better than the movie. I used to be upset that the movie didn't show Scarlett's other children, Wade and Ella. It wasn't until I learned about screenwriting and filmmaking that I realized why they made those decisions.
After recently purchasing the DVD, I watched it again. Still holds up agains the modern movies.
Your blog is terrific. I love movies, reading about movies, watching movies, eating hot dogs and popcorn and Junior Mints while watching movies. I'll be back.
Hi, Gail. Nice to meet another movie lover! Thanks for dropping by!
An utterly fantastic movie. I have to admit to having never read the book though. It's something I may now rectify. Thank you.
My one of my sisters is named Tara, my mother liked the movie so much. Great choice
Rebecca: The book is definitely worth reading.
Baygirl: That's awesome. My niece is named Tara, but I don't think it was because of GWTW.
I was waiting for a chance to see this on the Big Screen, but finally gave in and watched it on DVD. Such an epic movie! The two things I love about Gone with the Wind - in film production scripts are broken down into eighths of a page - with that format providing for 1 minute of screen time per page breaking each page into eighths gives all the production departments a good idea what features script page calls for and how long the scene will run. For some reason in the script the entire Herculean burning of Atlanta sequence is only described as a 1/8 page scene - "Atlanta burns." Which is crazy considering how much it took to get that on film. To this day in the film industry any incredibly complicated scene described simply in a script will lead to somebody saying Atlanta burns as a joke. My other connected anecdote is that I actually worked on the Margaret Mitchell story for NBC. It starred Shannen Doherty and it paralleled the author's life with Scarlett o'Hara's. Great choice! Cheers!
Craig: I remember reading something about that, but I didn't know Atlanta Burns became an inside joke for shooting scripts...LOL! I saw the making of the movie and it was amazing how this show was put together from choosing the actress to play Scarlett to the production nightmares. It's a wonder any movie gets made.
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