Gone With the Wind Part 2

Gone With the Wind is without question one of the greatest films of all time. Iconic performances, incredible scenes and set pieces. Showing this Sunday at 6pm at the Tarrytown Music Hall, this is a rare opportunity to see this spectacular film on a big screen in a classic movie palace.

The burning of Atlanta is the most famous scene but my favorite is the incredible crane shot of all the wounded soldiers. I haven't scene this film in 30 years but I still remember this one.

It’s just too bad that all this great artistry is devoted to spreading the myth of the “nobility” of the Old South and The Confederacy. It was a huge part of the effort to rewrite history and pretend that the Civil War somehow wasn’t about slavery. Well, since the entire antebellum culture and economy of the South was based on human bondage, that just won’t fly. This would be a minor point except revisionist history like this was a huge impediment in the fight for civil rights.

It also advances the myth (that is still accepted wisdom by many people) that Reconstruction was a horrible exploitation of the South by Northern carpetbaggers. In truth, Reconstruction was a high water mark for African-America equality that has never been equaled. Its abandonment in the aftermath of the election of Rutherford B. Hayes remains one of the most shameful acts in American history.

And let’s not forget that when this movie came out, there were plenty of ex-slaves still alive. We should also remember that there are still plenty of people living today who personally knew ex-slaves. It’s not as far in the past as we’d like to pretend.

Anyway, see you there! I’m looking forward to seeing this most conflicting of films again.

For tickets: http://tickets.tarrytownmusichall.org/orderticketsarea.asp?p=999&a=541&backurl=default.asp