Monday, August 8, 2011

Movie Review Monday #12: Two Sides

Two movies I am always in the mood for: Little Women and Gone with the Wind.

I find myself strongly identifying with both female leads. When it comes to Jo, that’s a lovely thing. But in regards to Scarlet, I feel quite uncomfortable about this connection.



Consumed with her own appearance, always after another woman’s man, entirely unappreciative of people who love and care for her, and greedy as all get out, Scarlet is a class-A-lady-I-shouldn’t-like. Jo on the other hand is described as having one beauty, her hair. But she is passionate, intelligent, talented, committed to her family in a sacrificial and affectionate way. She is able to say no to a man she knows she wouldn’t have an ideal marriage with, and instead marries a professor.  Yay for being married to professors!



I’ve come to feel like Scarlet is what I would look like if I’d never met Jesus. Maybe Jo is a character I identify with more now. And at the same time, Jo is “hopelessly flawed.” Both of these women have hubris to overcome, like any great hero in literature, harder to find in women of popular media though – so they’re special.

After years of loving these two movies/stories, it only just occurred to me that they paint two pictures on opposite sides of the civil war. Scarlet is the slave owning Southerner. Jo is part of a family who boycotts products and makes lifestyle choices according to the highest of ethical standards. But both are women fighting for survival in difficult times. Not to justify any evils, but I just find it interesting how these two movies illustrate through their tones how we look back on history based on the winners of wars. Losers must be wrong, and it must be as simple as that. But despite the way they serve as foils to each other, I find such comfort and inspiration in both.

I find my heart welling up with pride for Scarlet as she pulls herself together to face yet another challenge, I end the movie with a sense of hope that she might be able to redeem herself and impressed that she made it as far as she did – as underhandedly as she might have been in order to get there. And I find myself excited at Jo’s dream of creating her own school and I internalize her sense of triumph in finding her authentic voice as a writer.

I don’t know if I’m trying to make any big important point here, mostly and observation and trying to find an excuse to muse about two things I enjoy. Had you noticed this connection between these two very different movies?

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