"She'll never go hungry again"--Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind was very unpopular with the men. It was the first in our series of "really, really long movies" it was a 222 minute commitment. The hostess would argue worth every minute, as an avid fan of the book.

I think most people know the story--Scarlett, girl from Tara, that selfish little tart, loves Mr. Ashley Wilkes, but alas...he loves a plain little woman named Melanie Hamilton. How dare he, thinks Scarlett, and goes out of her way to tell him of her love. But he rejects her. In the midst of this rejection, she meets Rhett Butler, a general cad. She catches his eye, and he manages to seek her out many times in the future. Scarlett marries Melanie's brother (not sure if it was to make Ashley jealous or to just give her an in with the wife), but he dies soon after. She can't bear to be in mourning, and generally embarrasses herself with her need to attend parties, dance, and receive male attention. After running out of cash, she steals her sister's beau, Frank Kennedy, to gain enough money to pay taxes on Tara. He dies defending her in an altercation after she is attacked by some stranded soldiers. But, she really doesn't care, and moves on deftly running her business and taking care of Tara. She then marries Rhett Butler, but her pride and still undying love for Ashely Wilkes manages to screw that up, and he leaves her with their daughter, Bonny. A reconciliation is in the works, but there is more fighting, Bonny's death, a miscarriages, and general bad behavior. He then leaves just when she decides she loves him, because "he doesn't give a damn". She then decides to leave his estate and return to Tara to rebuild, because "tomorrow is another day".

It's a classic, and I can't argue with that--an accurate and chilling picture of the times in which it took place; humanity mixing with the inhumanity of war. You can argue that Scarlett was really a champion, or a victim of the times in which she lived. But after a certain point, you have to get sick of Scarlett's selfishness and self-absorption. I can't believe any man, especially one as debonair as Rhett Butler, would have stuck around that long. But then again, we all make poor decisions in love....