In Defense of Scarlett
As always, this blog varies wildly between serious posts and pop culture. It's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. Yep, I wasted a few hours tonight watching AFI's 100 Greatest Movie Quotes.
Not surprisingly, the top quote was "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn", from Gone With The Wind. While I agree with the placement, I take issue with the comments on it. Everyone's all "woohoo, Rhett!" and they applaud him for finally giving that nasty Scarlett her comeuppance.
Where are the feminists when we need them? Shouldn't Scarlett, someone who single-handledly saved herself, her family and her friends after the Civil War, be held up as a woman worthy of admiration rather than scorn? She should be a fictional feminist icon. As should Melanie. Here's a movie, made nearly 70 years ago, that produced two of the strongest female characters ever (and characters that displayed different kinds of strength) and it's mostly remembered now for the tongue lashing the heroine gets at the end, rather than for the indomitable strength she displays throughout the film. I don't understand it. Did she and Melanie have to have a hot love scene to get their due from the bra-burning crowd?
And besides, Rhett really did give a damn. I'm sure he headed on down to Tara a few months later and tried to win her back. Don't try to tell me any differently. It's just like how Rick & Ilsa hooked up in America after WWII or how Holden & Alyssa from Chasing Amy really do get back together someday.
I think The History Channel (or possibly me) should put together a list of the Top 100 Presidential Quotes. Any early nominees?
Posted by at June 21, 2005 10:37 PM
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Comments
| # June 22nd, 2005 8:50 AM BVBigBro |
| Coolidge has the best presidential quote. When told by a woman at a party that someone had bet her that she couldn't get three words out of him, Coolidge replied "You lose." |
| # June 22nd, 2005 11:22 AM ThatWouldBeMe |
| Do we really want to go here, given who's in office right now??? :)
"I know it's hard to put food on your family." "If you don't stand for anything, you don't stand for anything!" "... I've been talking to Vicente Fox, the new president of Mexico... I know him... to have gas and oil sent to U.S.... so we'll not depend on foreign oil..." "I think we agree, the past is over." I could go on but I don't know how much disk space you have. :) |
| # June 22nd, 2005 1:07 PM BVBigBro |
| The movie list is crummy. It includes a lot of "movie quotes" that are real life quotes. "Houston we have a problem" isn't from a movie. And with all the Bogie quotes where is "That's the ticket"? |
| # June 22nd, 2005 1:37 PM KVBigSis |
| BVLittleBro, they pointed out on the show that "Houston, we have a problem" came from real life, but it was the movie that propelled the phrase into common usage. They also showed Lou Gehrig's REAL speech.
Yay, Kris, for defending Scarlett and Melanie. You notice it was mostly men cheering Rhett's final remarks. The only one strong enough not to be threatened by Scarlett was Melanie! I thought the show was a lot of fun - but it made me want to stay home and watch a LOT of old movies. |
| # June 22nd, 2005 1:50 PM chummer |
| "Oh, thatwouldbeme, I've been swimming in raw sewage, I love it!"
Naked Gun, with a special treat for one user. |
| # June 22nd, 2005 1:54 PM BVBigBro |
| Threatened? And here I was thinking Rhett was just tired of the dead kids and wife who didn't love him. |
| # June 22nd, 2005 2:14 PM KVBigSis |
| Nah, BV, he was threatened because he basically lost his mind when Bonnie died, and Scarlett proved that she could survive even THAT.
And when Scarlett shows up on his doorstep (because she'd NEVER be passive enough to just wait for him), he'll be as enthralled as he ever was. |
| # June 22nd, 2005 2:24 PM BVBigBro |
| But that's the point. She can't be passive because he ain't coming back. And when she shows up, she'll be greeted by her replacement. |
| # June 22nd, 2005 2:35 PM kris |
| Oh please, you can't just replace a woman like Scarlett O'Hara.
Although, actually KV, most film people think that it was the women in the audience who needed to see Scarlett punished. The men liked her. |
| # June 22nd, 2005 2:44 PM BVBigBro |
| There is no hate between the characters. "So let's leave it alone, 'cause we can't see eye to eye. There ain't no good guy. There ain't no bad guy. There's only you and me and we just disagree." |
| # June 22nd, 2005 2:47 PM kris |
| Heh.
I was hoping that you, with all your travels, would have found some good country song lyrics for me  |