Casablanca vs. Gone with the Wind

[SeattleMovieCritic 3]

Heavyweight Bout.

[Philly Cheesesteak 92]

I think Casablanca would win in a landslide. Its stellar performances, themes of self-sacrifice and resistance in the face of tyranny and oppression and general mood and atmosphere still gel so much better with today's audiences...

 

Than an epic romance that paints the antebellum South in a tragic, noble, heroic light. And, of course, the whole "mammy" character... Malcolm X had once remarked that, as a child, he had found the character so distasteful and offensive he would hide underneath the blankets every time she was onscreen.

 

Still, on the other hand, the colours and sets and genuine accomplishments of the movie do need to be acknowledged.

[Muthsarah 124]

Casablanca wouldn't just win because of the politics. It's a well-paced film chock-full of great lines, that doesn't exhaust the viewer.

 

Gone With the Wind is very, very impressive from a production standpoint. From a modern-day viewing standpoint, EEEEEEEEESH!!! Just end already! You're not Lawrence, y'know. Scarlet is not a very likeable character. It's really, really hard to feel for anybody, not the simpleton Melanie and Ashley, not the smarmy Rhett, not the self-absorbed Scarlet. Even Prissy is annoying as hell.

 

Anytime I think of that film, I just watch Carol Burnett's

. That does me.

[Chet Roivas 5]

I think Casablanca would win in a landslide.

 

Agreed.

[Philly Cheesesteak 92]

Casablanca wouldn't just win because of the politics. It's a well-paced film chock-full of great lines, that doesn't exhaust the viewer.

 

Gone With the Wind is very, very impressive from a production standpoint. From a modern-day viewing standpoint, EEEEEEEEESH!!! Just end already! You're not Lawrence, y'know. Scarlet is not a very likeable character. It's really, really hard to feel for anybody, not the simpleton Melanie and Ashley, not the smarmy Rhett, not the self-absorbed Scarlet. Even Prissy is annoying as hell.

 

Anytime I think of that film, I just watch Carol Burnett's

. That does me.

 

Definitely another point in Casablanca's favour. Even the side characters are more charming.

[kubrickshines 15]

I'm also Team Blanca, though I think the vote would be more split than you guys do. Casablanca's a real boys' club, for instance, and I wonder if women might identify more with GWTW's perspective. Or people who prefer historical epics to snappy comebacks.

[T.D. 61]

Why these two films? Seems like an odd pairing and I'm not sure the compare/contrast format of a versus episode would really benefit the discussion of either film.

 

Despite its many virtues, I have a hard time imagining "Gone with the Wind" having a fighting chance against really any classic film from the era (as others have mentioned above, no doubt "Casablanca" would win in an absolute blow-out). It does loom large in film history, though, so I think it probably deserves its own episode.

[Philly Cheesesteak 92]

I'm also Team Blanca, though I think the vote would be more split than you guys do. Casablanca's a real boys' club, for instance, and I wonder if women might identify more with GWTW's perspective. Or people who prefer historical epics to snappy comebacks.

 

Implying a movie famous for its witty comebacks and pithy sayings somehow lacks either.

 

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

 

For the common person today, literally the one thing the movie is known for.