Scarlett

I read the book 'Scarlett' by Alexandra Ripley and enjoyed it very much and I anticipated to TV movie. The thing was the movie was greatly different from the book. Honestly, if you read the book and saw the movie you would think they were two different stories. I believe the book had greater merit and a more interesting story. The movie wasn't that bad, its just that the book was better.

I have leafed through enough derogatory comments on this miniseries that I will scream if I don't respond. As for the comparisons of Joanne Whalley (now minus the 'Kilmer') to Vivian Leigh and of Timothy Dalton to Clark Gable, "Scarlett" is not meant to replace the original "GWTW" any more than these two lead stars are meant to replace Clark and Gable! "Scarlett" is meant to be a good time, even if it isn't a classic. I like Mr. Dalton's roguish, believably disarming portrayal of Rhett Butler because he also makes his Rhett capable of feeling for other people, such as Anne. Only one word sums up Mr. Dalton: STUD! Ms. Whalley makes a charming if somewhat flawed Scarlett as her sororal relationship with cousin Colum O'Hara (Colm Meaney) reveals. Sean Bean's portrayal of Lord Fenton stands out the most for me because his Fenton is simultaneously a charming hottie (yes, Mr. Bean is just that--a hottie though he is a hottie who is also a father) and an unbelievably cruel racist, as the mistreated Mary Boyle (Tina Kellegher) finds out to her cost when he rejects her and their ill-fated unborn child. Scarlett soon wises up and tries to break up with him, only to find out Lord Fenton will not accept "No!" or "You're a loser!" or "This one-night-stand is over!" for an answer though he sure doesn't mind snarling those phrases out! "Scarlett" is certainly not meant for the easily squeamish. All I am going to say about the naysayers who don't think "Scarlett" deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as "GWTW" is this: Get over it and either enjoy its odd twists and turns or let the fans enjoy this miniseries without speaking in the fans' ears!

When I saw Gone with the wind I thought that there could not be better actors than Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable to play Scarlett and Rhett but then I saw the movie Scarlet. I fell in love for this dramatic story. I love Timothy Dalton as Rhett Butler, he's fantastic. This is a movie I could watch a thousand times and it still wouldn't bore me.

Frankly my dear, I was quite happy that a sequel to "Gone With the Wind" had finally been made. I had never been satisfied by the way the original movie ended. I could not see Rhett Butler walking out on his wife forever. Maybe temporarily.

Robert Hami did an excellent job with the cast and production. It was delicious. Joanne Whalley-Kilmer did such an excellent job as Scarlett O'Hara that when I first saw it, I had difficulites trying to remember Vivien Leigh's face. She was also cheated out of an Emmy nomination. Timothy Dalton was marvelous - as usual.

What I best liked about "Scarlett" was the fact that from Part 1 to Part 4, it was strictly one genre. Meaning, it was strictly a costume melodrama. It did not suffer from a schizophrenic genre, like GWTW (going from a historical drama to a costume melodrama in such a startling manner). "Scarlett" also benefited from a superior ending, in compare to GWTW. On the whole, it was excellent.

I often see movies without reading the book and never judge a movie by the book. Maybe it deviated from the book but look how many movies they make each year that deviate from the books they are based on. That's HOLLYWOOD for you. I think the movie was very well done and followed the story faithfully from the end of the first movie (Gone With The Wind). I really loved the lavish costumes and brilliant scenery. You have to write a lot of story for an 8 hour mini-series and there were lots of writers with a lot of imagination. Bravo to the writers for such a good movie!