Friday's Film Adaption: Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Gone With The Wind
Summary:
Gone with the Wind is a novel written by Margaret Mitchell, 1st published in 1936. The story is set in Clayton County, GA, & Atlanta during the American Civil War & Reconstruction era. It depicts the experiences of Scarlett O'Hara, the spoiled daughter of a well-to-do plantation owner, who must use every means at her disposal to come out of the poverty she finds herself in after Sherman's March to the Sea. A historical novel, the story is a Bildungsroman or coming-of-age story, with the title taken from a poem written by Ernest Dowson. Gone with the Wind was popular with American readers from the onset & was the top American fiction bestseller in the year it was published & in 1937. As of 2014, a Harris poll found it to be the 2nd favorite book by American readers, just behind the Bible. More than 30 million copies have been printed worldwide.

Rating:  

Scarlett

Summary:

The timeless tale continues... The most popular and beloved American historical novel ever written, Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind is unparalleled in its portrayal of men and women at once larger than life but as real as ourselves. Now bestselling writer Alexandra Ripley brings us back to Tara and reintroduces us to the characters we remember so well: Rhett, Ashley, Mammy, Suellen, Aunt Pittypat, and, of course, Scarlett. As the classic story, first told over half a century ago, moves forward, the greatest love affair in all fiction is reignited; amidst heartbreak and joy, the endless, consuming passion between Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler reaches its startling culmination. Rich with surprises at every turn and new emotional, breathtaking adventures, Scarlett satisfies our longing to reenter the world of Gone With the Wind, and like its predecessor, Scarlett will find an eternal place in our hearts.

Rating:  

What can I say about Gone With the Wind that hasn't already been said in over 75 years since it's original publication?  It's a true classic that I think should be a must read for anyone who loves historical fiction/romance.  Rhett Butler is the iconic anti-hero and Scarlett? Well she's Scarlett and I think that's the best way to describe her, she's just Scarlett.  Feisty, determined, straight-forward, beautiful, and a dozen other adverbs to describe her personality.

I've included Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley in this week's Friday Film Adaption because even though it's not as good as the original it is the continuing tale of the characters we love as well as many new ones.  I think the author did a very decent job of the keeping the same writing flow as Margaret Mitchell and yet she made it her own.  Scarlett is still very determined and very stubborn and on more than one occasion they get her into trouble, but will they get her Rhett?  You'll have to read for that one.

Films

Gone With The Wind

Release date December 15, 1939 (Atlanta premiere)

Running time 221 minutes  and  234–238 minutes (with overture, intermission, entr'acte, and exit music)

CAST

Tara plantation

Thomas Mitchell as Gerald O'Hara

Barbara O'Neil as Ellen O'Hara (his wife)

Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara (daughter)

Evelyn Keyes as Suellen O'Hara (daughter)

Ann Rutherford as Carreen O'Hara (daughter)

George Reeves as Brent Tarleton (actually as Stuart)[nb 1]

Fred Crane as Stuart Tarleton (actually as Brent)[nb 1]

Hattie McDaniel as Mammy (house servant)

Oscar Polk as Pork (house servant)

Butterfly McQueen as Prissy (house servant)

Victor Jory as Jonas Wilkerson (field overseer)

Everett Brown as Big Sam (field foreman)

At Twelve Oaks

Howard C. Hickman as John Wilkes

Alicia Rhett as India Wilkes (his daughter)

Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes (his son)

Olivia de Havilland as Melanie Hamilton (their cousin)

Rand Brooks as Charles Hamilton (Melanie's brother)

Carroll Nye as Frank Kennedy (the guest)

Clark Gable as Rhett Butler

In Atlanta

Laura Hope Crews as Aunt Pittypat Hamilton

Eddie Anderson as Uncle Peter (her coachman)

Harry Davenport as Doctor Meade

Leona Roberts as Mrs. Meade

Jane Darwell as Mrs. Merriwether

Ona Munson as Belle Watling

Minor supporting roles

Paul Hurst as the Yankee deserter

Cammie King Conlon as Bonnie Blue Butler

J.M. Kerrigan as Johnny Gallagher

Jackie Moran as Phil Meade

Lillian Kemble-Cooper as Bonnie's nurse in London

Marcella Martin as Cathleen Calvert

Mickey Kuhn as Beau Wilkes

Irving Bacon as the Corporal

William Bakewell as the mounted officer

Isabel Jewell as Emmie Slattery

Eric Linden as the amputation case

Ward Bond as Tom, the Yankee captain

Cliff Edwards as the reminiscent soldier

Yakima Canutt as the renegade

Louis Jean Heydt as the hungry soldier holding Beau Wilkes

Olin Howland as the carpetbagger businessman

Robert Elliott as the Yankee major

Mary Anderson as Maybelle Merriwether

Awards

Academy Awards for Best Picture (1940): (won)

Academy Awards for Best Actor (1940): Clark Gable (nominated)

Academy Awards for Best Actress (1940):  Vivien Leigh (won)

Academy Awards for Best Cinematography (1940): Ernest Haller and Ray Rennahan (won)

Academy Awards for Best Director (1940): Victor Fleming (won)

Academy Awards for Best Editing (1940): Hal C. Kern and James E. Newcom (won)

Academy Awards for Best Art Direction (1940): Lyle Wheeler (won)

Academy Awards for Best Music, Orig Dramatic Score (1940): Max Steiner (nominated)

Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects (1940): Jack Cosgrove, Fred Albin and Arthur Johns (nominated)

Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress (1940): Hattie McDaniel (won)

Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress (1940): Olivia de Havilland (nominated)

Academy Awards for Best Writing, Screenplay (1940): Sidney Howard (won)

AFI 100 Years... series

AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – #4

AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – #2

AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains

Rhett Butler, Hero – Nominated

Scarlett O'Hara, Hero – Nominated

AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." – #1

"After all, tomorrow is another day!" – #31

"As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again." – #59

"Fiddle-dee-dee." – Nominated

AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores – #2

AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers – #43

AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – #6

AFI's 10 Top 10 – #4 Epic film

Trailer: 

Rating:  

Scarlett

An eight-hour miniseries based on Alexandra Ripley's novel, "Scarlett," the sequel to "Gone With the Wind." Scarlett O'Hara travels to Ireland to be with family and escape the confusion of her rocky marriage to Rhett Butler.

Separated from Scarlett and seeking a divorce, Rhett is now pursued passionately by his wife, who seeks a reconciliation. Frustrated in her efforts and unwilling to win Rhett by telling him that she is pregnant with their child, Scarlett leaves on a journey from Atlanta to Charleston and Savannah, to London, and then to her ancestral home of Ballyhara in Ireland, where she is caught up in the upheavals of the day. In England, she subsequently stands trial for a murder that she did not commit. In a dramatic climax, Rhett rushes to Scarlett's side, knowing that she needs him and that her life is at stake. Helping to win her acquittal and finally apprised that they have a son, Rhett reunited with Scarlett, conceding that he never stopped loving her.

Release date November 13, 1994

Running time 360 mins

Cast

Joanne Whalley as Scarlett O'Hara

Timothy Dalton as Rhett Butler

Stephen Collins as Ashley Wilkes

Sean Bean as Lord Fenton

Esther Rolle as Mammy

Colm Meaney as Colm O'Hara

John Gielgud as Pierre Robillard (Scarlett's maternal grandfather)

Annabeth Gish as Anne Hampton-Butler

Julie Harris as Eleanor Butler (Rhett's mother)

Jean Smart as Sally Brewton

Ray McKinnon as Will Benteen (husband of Scarlett's sister Suellen)

Ann-Margret as Belle Watling

Barbara Barrie as Pauline Robillard (one of Scarlett's spinster aunts)

Paul Winfield as Big Sam

Trailer:

Rating:  

Gone With the Wind is the epitomy of epic.  From Scarlett's first "Fiddle-dee-dee" to Rhett's "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" I am always mesmerized, no matter how many times I watch it and that is quite a few times.  I don't really know just what else to say other than I can clearly see why this is celebrating it's 75th anniversary and is still the classic epic today that it was in 1939.

Scarlett, was a decent television mini-series that was cast as good as it could be considering it was long after the death of Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable.  Is it on the same wavelength of excellence as it's predecessor? Not at all, but it does the book honor and it shows us what Scarlett decided to do after realizing that "After all, tomorrow is another day."

Author Bios:

Margaret Mitchell

Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell, popularly known as Margaret Mitchell, was an American author, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for her novel, Gone with the Wind, published in 1936. The novel is one of the most popular books of all time, selling more than 28 million copies. An American film adaptation, released in 1939, became the highest-grossing film in the history of Hollywood, and received a record-breaking number of Academy Awards.

Alexandra Ripley

Alexandra Ripley was an American writer best known as the author of Scarlett, the sequel to Gone with the Wind. Her first novel was Who's the Lady in the President's Bed?. Charleston, her first historical novel, was a bestseller, as were her next books On Leaving Charleston, The Time Returns, and New Orleans Legacy. Scarlett received some bad reviews, but was very successful nonetheless. She attended the elite Ashley Hall, in Charleston, South Carolina, and Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.

She died in Richmond, Virginia, and is survived by two daughters from her first marriage to Leonard Ripley, a son in law and granddaughter, Alexandra Elizabeth.

Ripley has also published works under the name B.K. Ripley.

Margaret Mitchell

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Films

Gone With The Wind

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Damned Sinner by Jami Denise

Title: Damned Sinner

Author: Jami Denise

Series: The Jayne Series #3

Can be read as a stand alone

Genre: adult, contemporary romance

Summary:
Vince Donovan has lost a lot in his life. He has lived life under a code of greed, lies and crime - never allowing anyone to get too close. After losing the empire he fought to build at the hands of a psychotic man in pursuit of revenge, Vince vows to rebuild what he once had. Along with his once protege and now partner, Jayne King, he sets out to create an empire that is based on beautiful women, sex and sin.

Kelsey Franklin is young, beautiful, sexy and should be forbidden. Kelsey is also the one woman that Vince has vowed never to have and yet is the one woman he wants and needs.

When love happens in the unlikeliest of circumstances Vince must ask himself - Is love fit for the damned and the sinner?

Does the words "redemption" or "reinvention" apply to Vince?  Probably not, but it's a bit of both mixed with "rebuilding" so I think it's suitable to throw them out there when I think about what Damned Sinner meant to me.  There's definitely no shortage of determination from all characters involved, especially Vince and Kelsey.  On the surface they appear to be very different but for me, it's that determination they both have that cemented their connection.  Granted, what is driving their individual determination may not be the same thing but nevertheless it proved to me that they would most certainly benefit in more ways than not by being together.  But does the author make it so?  For that answer, you'll have to read this one for yourself.

Rating:  

     Her lips were glossy and covered with a thick sheen of red. I stared at her mouth while dragging a finger across them and let the paint follow a path down her chin, over her neck, and down her chest. The stain coated the light fabric of the white dress—spoiling it, just like I was spoiling her.
     “You can see right through this,” I said roughly and dragged a finger underneath the neckline of the dress. Your little pink nipples are pushing right through it—aching and ready for someone to bite them.”
     I let my teeth snap in her ear and then sucked the soft skin into my mouth. “A man like me sees a woman in a dress like this, and that’s what he wants. To touch the nipples you so willingly show off, to bite, pull, tug, and suck on them. He wants to pull those sweet little tits into his mouth, let his tongue run over them until your nipples are so hard they hurt.”
     She was shaking, but I wasn’t going to stop there. As if to show her exactly what I was talking about, I moved the palm of my hand over her shoulder and down to her chest. I cupped one of her ripe tits in my hand, squeezing softly at first, and then wrapped my fist around it tightly and pulled.
     She whimpered, and her knees shook. I was testing her, and so far she failed. As badly as she thought she wanted what I had to give, she had no fucking clue what it meant. She wasn’t ready.
     I released her from my grasp and ran my hand over her clavicle, smearing the rotten red mess all over her chest and the top of the dress before moving it down over her belly.
     “I could see the valley between your legs when you walked down the hallway,” I growled in her ear. “I could see your little pussy, the sweet V where I’d sink my cock. All I could think about was your long, skinny legs wrapped around my back while I fucked you right there in the hallway.”
     She whined. “Please, oh God.” She grabbed the collar of my shirt and tried to pull me closer. “Fuck me, Vince.”
     My cock jumped in reply, but I ignored her and went on with my ministrations. I reached the hem of her skirt, and with a swift rip, I yanked it up over her hip. There wasn’t much of it there in the first place, so it was no big task. That pissed me off even more. There were maybe three inches of lift and I could see her pussy.
     Rubbing my coarse finger over her soft, silky mound, I stood back and watched her face. I was testing her, but I wasn’t going to push her. If she showed an ounce of regret, I was done. But I had to see where she stood once and for all.
     Her eyes fluttered open as if she could read my thoughts. They were as wide as a newborn chick, scared and astonished, but surprised and exhilarated.
     But definitely not ready to leave the nest.
     I gave her pussy one more swipe of my finger and then a light slap. The shock showed clear in her eyes, and her mouth fell slack with pleasure. I could feel that she was into it, slick and warm and malleable in my hands.
     “That’s right, baby,” I said gruffly. “I want to tear this pussy up. I want to make this pussy cry. You have no idea what I want to do to you, and if you don’t stop teasing me, you’re bound to find out.”
     She bucked her hips stubbornly, and I narrowed my eyes. Folding my fingers, I gave her clit a hard flick with enough force to knock a dog on its ass.
     “You’re not ready for this—or me,” I said, lowering my voice. “I want to defile you in so many ways, but that’s not what you want.”
     “Yes,” she said. Her voice shook, and I could feel her heavy heartbeat through her dress.
     “I care about what happens to you, Kelsey,” I said as evenly as I could. “That’s why I took you home—where you belonged. If you think walking around in Jayne’s clothes will do you any good, you’re completely wrong. What I want to do with your body is the same thing every other man out there wants. The only difference is, they won’t stop.”
     “Don’t stop,” she said weakly, tears sprouting from her eyes. “I can handle anything from you. I love you, and you damn well know it.”
     She dropped to her knees abruptly and raised her hands to undo my fly. I had a brief moment of euphoria. This was a regular fantasy of mine to have her on her knees with her mouth on me. It was too fresh and way too clear for me to think straight.
     I jerked her up by her shoulders and pinned her back against the wall. “Stop!”
     She snarled and fought against my hold on her. “If you don’t want me, why do you care if someone else does?”
     I slammed her lightly against the door and leaned forward again so we were eye to eye. “I do want you—that’s not the problem. I want to fuck you. There’s a difference.”

Author Bio:
Jami Denise is a romance writer from Southern California. While she waits for the next felon to come along and sweep her off her feet, she writes about swoony bad boys and sassy gals that make them squirm. She also loves cats, cars, cupcake flavored lip balm, and cherry limeade.

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Damned Sinner #3

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Bounty: Hunted Love #2 by Aden Lowe

From Aden's FB page: 

***Good morning, everyone.... I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

Well, I was planning to announce about now that Bounty was live and ready for purchase.

Unfortunately, it didn't work that way. Last night I came back from Thanksgiving with family, and sat down to check through the book one last time before uploading it.

Imagine my shock to find huge chunks of the file missing, blank pages and gaps in the text. I tried multiple times to recover the file, with no luck.

Soooo, I have no choice but to delay the release of Bounty while I reconstruct it. I hope you understand, and I appreciate your patience.

For all the bloggers who are participating in the Blitz, I want to thank you, and I apologize for the inconvenience with the delay. As soon as I have the problem fixed, I'll send you the links. I understand if you are unable to run it at the later date, but if you possibly could, I would appreciate it.

Again, thank you for your patience. And as my way of apologizing for the delay, the first two chapters of Bounty will be on my blog later today.***

***I will update the post when Aden gets everything situated***

Title: Bounty: Hunted Love #2

Author: Aden Lowe

Genre: Romance

Release Date: November 28th, 2014

Summary:
Bounty hunter, Falon Harris is asked to go after outlaw biker Tom Kellen and tracks him to where he's hiding out in Stags Leap, KY, laying low and waiting for the heat to pass. Rita James operates a busy tavern/grill and occasionally rents out the little camper trailer on her back lot. Figuring the tavern is the most logical place to watch for Kellen, Falon rents the trailer for a week. The first night, while he's having dinner and watching everything, Kellen shows up and starts giving Rita a hard time. The bartender puts a stop to it, but Falon gets the idea it's happened before. Knowing Kellen's past, he knows the biker won't take no for an answer for long.

*** 18 years old and up due to sexual content***

     Falon took advantage of the small gap between them to look. Silky pale skin covered her smooth musculature and feminine contours. Black lace accentuated the paleness of her breasts and acted as an artistic showcase for all that sheer perfection. The impulse to touch overcame him and he allowed his hands to rise and gently cup her flesh. She reacted with a sharp hiss and reached behind her back to unclasp her bra. The garment went slack in his hand, and he let it drop in favor of touching bare skin. Hardened nipples beckoned his mouth, and he obeyed instantly to flick his tongue across the tip of one and rolled the other between his finger and thumb. Rita's moan accompanied her fingers cupping the back of his head, nails raking his scalp in a way that inflamed him even more. He pulled her nipple between his lips and sucked hard, drawing a gasp from her. A muffled bang from below made them both stiffen just as a buzzer sounded in Rita's apartment. "Shit!" She pulled away and scrambled for her bra and shirt. "Trouble in the bar. That was the shotgun."

Author Bio:
Growing up an only child, I was lucky enough to have a huge brood of cousins to help me get into all sorts of trouble. Long summers spent on various family members' farms gave me a deep appreciation for the outdoors and horses. I worked my way through college training horses as a result of those summers.

After 15 years editing books for strangers, I decided to try my own hand at writing. Big Game: Hunted Love #1 was my solo debut, and my story idea file is endless. After I finish the Hunted Love series, I have a romance series featuring soldiers returning from war and set twenty years in the future. And after that, there's a Roman Gladiator who keeps insisting on telling me his story…

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