milovany Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 in watching it with kids? We're somewhat conservative in what we watch and have kids from 6yo to 18yo. For example, "Emma" is something we've all watched (clean fun, a little bit of romance, great dancing), but "Jane Eyre" isn't something I'd show them all (darker in tone, the major part of the storyline that includes premarital and possible adulterous s*ex, etc. -- my older kids have seen it but not the youngers). I watched GWTW (and read the book) quite a few times when I was young, but I can't remember specific scenes in the movie that might be questionable with kids. Anything? I think I recall that Scarlett and Rhett sleep together before being married (right?) but that it's not almost more implied than explicit. I thought this would be our end-of-year fun movie night movie since today was the last day of school here and since we finished up with the Civil War. Any feedback much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 The only thing that I remember is that my kids found it hilarious when Bonnie was killed on the horse. I thought it might be a bit shocking, but I could not have been more wrong. I guess it was the way the movie showed it happening, because they replayed that part several times. It's been about 7 years, and it's the only thing they remember from the movie. They're those weird kind of homeschooled kids though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 I think Bonnie is the most shocking things to kids. That and how terribly long it is. There's obviously racism and crime and hints at sex too, but I think most of that goes over the heads of the little ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen State Sue Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 I don't remember Scarlett and Rhett slept together before marriage in the movie. I didn't read the book so maybe that was in the book. The opening scene with the girls getting ready for the party, they are in their undergarments, but more clothes than a movie of today. I think Scarlett had to shoot a soldier coming up her stairs in her house. There were probably other death scenes or scenes showing dead injured soldiers. Did her father go mad? I don't remember any foul language, as it was a big deal for Rhett to say, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a d***!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 I guess if you didn't think Jane Eyre was appropriate then you may object to the bit where she is attacked in Shantytown and then the part where Rhett gets cross and carries her up the stairs while she fights him but then she looks happy about it the next day. Probably most the time Rhett is talking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted June 14, 2014 Author Share Posted June 14, 2014 I guess if you didn't think Jane Eyre was appropriate then you may object to the bit where she is attacked in Shantytown and then the part where Rhett gets cross and carries her up the stairs .... Probably most the time Rhett is talking. Ahhh, yes, this is what I remember. That'll be okay I think. Olders will get it, others won't. Thanks for the other moments mentioned above .... it's been so long since I've seen it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 She does shoot a guy in the face and a guy's leg gets cut off without anesthetic. She slaps a girl several times for not knowing anything about birthn' no baby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Scarlett was much too practical to let Rhett have the milk without buying the cow. :o They were married before any tEa. The racism can be used as a teaching point, almost like a historical artifact that we never, ever want to return to, and why it was so important to free enslaved people. Emmie Slattery did give birth out of Wedlock, Scarlett drank on the sly, the shantytown incident has already been discussed, and Rhett told the lawmen that the men were at a house of ill repute rather than out killing the men who attacked Scarlett. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 I guess if you didn't think Jane Eyre was appropriate then you may object to the bit where she is attacked in Shantytown and then the part where Rhett gets cross and carries her up the stairs while she fights him but then she looks happy about it the next day. Probably most the time Rhett is talking. She does shoot a guy in the face and a guy's leg gets cut off without anesthetic. She slaps a girl several times for not knowing anything about birthn' no baby. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Her father had dementia and dies jumping a horse over a fence. Her daughter later dies the same way. Lots of dead and dying men during the war hospital scenes, but it's not as graphic as a movie today would be. The amputation scene is pretty intense, as is the part where Melanie nearly dies giving birth. Scarlett tries to run off with Melanie's husband, Ashley. Scarlett does not sleep with Rhett before marriage. He wants her to be his mistress, but she declines. She later offers herself to him when he's in jail in order to get the money to pay the taxes on Tara, but he declines. When they are married, he passionately whisks her up the stairs to the bedroom. Then when she tells him she's pregnant, he says cheer up, maybe you'll have a miscarriage, at which point she lunges at him and falls down the stairs, losing the baby. He also semi threatens to kill her by crushing her skull at one point... He has a breakdown after their daughter dies and threatens not to let them bury her. Lots of drinking. Allusions to the KKK and "cleaning out" undesirable areas. Scarlett's husband at the time is killed during one of these "political meetings." Belle Watling is Rhett's friend and a prostitute. It's not flat out said, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMommy Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 I still can't watch the amputation scene...even though you don't see anything, the screaming just turns my stomach. My children have seen the movie, and I think that anything objectionable really just went over their heads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 All I remember is that my grandma made my brother, my sister, and I watch that 4-hour movie when we were 6, 9 and 11 and gushed, "Isn't that the greatest movie EVER?!" We got nothin'. I haven't been willing to sit through it since! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 IMDB says that it would probably rate PG-13 today, mostly for violence and sensuality, but it has a TV-PG. The IMDB parent advisories usually give good detail on what is included. I can't imagine a 6-yr-old wanting to watch it. 238 minutes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 I'd probably talk to my children to make sure they understood that black people weren't stupid as they are portrayed. I'd mention also the "happy slave" myth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 I'd probably talk to my children to make sure they understood that black people weren't stupid as they are portrayed. I'd mention also the "happy slave" myth. Good point. Also, I always cringe when people view this as such a romantic movie. Rhett and Scarlett are romantic in GWTW in the same way that Eminen and Rihanna are romantic in "Love the Way You Lie." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Didn't Scarlett and Ashley kind of... make out? She wanted him to leave Melly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/gone-with-the-wind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Here's what Common Sense Media says: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/gone-with-the-wind My boys are 11 and I decided to wait because of Scarlett's come-hither looks and innuendo. I'm conservative about this stuff too. Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted June 14, 2014 Author Share Posted June 14, 2014 We've watched much of it but I got uncomfortable after Bonnie was born and sent those 14 and under to bed. I'll finish watching with olders and show the youngers appropriate scenes tomorrow to finish it up. Thanks for your input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 All I remember about watching Gone with the Wind as a kid was that it seemed like it would never, ever, ever end. I didn't even bother watching the whole movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readinmom Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 The scene with the amputation stayed with me for a long time when I was little. The camera pans out and shows all of the wounded/dying soldiers. Other than that, I would think the obvious of her using men to gain advantage, regardless of who she hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Sexism and racism. I thought the movie was quite romantic as a teen 4 decades ago---now I'm disgusted that the dramatic scene of Rhett whisking her up the stairs for sex impies not only marital rape but also that it "worked" --it's implied that she liked it/needed it, it fixed her mood, etc. Later when he forces her to wear the red dress with the plunging neckline, is another example of "control" by the husband. This type of treatment of his wife is glamorized. So is male attraction to a selfish manipulative woman. The racism is bad as well. PPs have described that. Lots of drunkeness. The one redeeming thing I can remember is Melanie's forgiving and gracious attitude. I'd have to watch it again (I only saw it the once as a teen) to decide whether it's truly gracious or just doormat behavior. Historically, it does show how bad Sherman's march on Atlanta was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 The one redeeming thing I can remember is Melanie's forgiving and gracious attitude. I'd have to watch it again (I only saw it the once as a teen) to decide whether it's truly gracious or just doormat behavior. Historically, it does show how bad Sherman's march on Atlanta was. Doormat. The classic Carol Burnett skit riffs on this (and of course many other memorable movie moments): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjUYw2HKB7o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 The scene with the amputation stayed with me for a long time when I was little. I was young when I saw it and the amputation scene traumatised me. I had nightmares about people having to have surgery without anesthetic. I haven't had my DD watch it. DD is a total diva girl, and I already have to work hard to impresss on her that she must develop inside and out, and that women are more than their appearance and flirtatiousness, etc. She adores the big ballgowns, etc from that period...I could just see Scarlett becoming her "role model"... :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Doormat. The classic Carol Burnett skit riffs on this (and of course many other memorable movie moments): Well now I can just have DD watch that, then she doesn't have to watch the movie! Much quicker! I forgot how much I loved Carol Burnett! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SadieMarie Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 I wouldn't pick it and my kids would hate it. But I guess as far as warnings, Scarlett does offer to be Rhett's mistress for money to pay the taxes. Rhett gets angry and drunk and rapes her (only marital rape though), but it turns out she likes it so not really rape in the end I guess. She is married and still constantly maneuvering to get close to her BIL, Ashley, her true love... I think you could find something better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Yup...very long. Most of the stuff will probably go over the heads of younger ones and you'll have a lot of explaining to do with older ones which is not bad in principle. We watched more controversial movies once my ds was older but had a lot of discussions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 She slaps a girl several times for not knowing anything about birthn' no baby. :lol: I have nothing to add but that just struck me as funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.