‘Frankly My Dear’ — A New GWTW Book

Molly Haskell is an extraordinarily insightful writer, especially about three topics: film, women, and the South. All three come together in her newest book, Frankly, My Dear, about the history of Gone with the Wind. The story behind the scenes is just as gripping as what went on in the book, with tyrannical, micro-managing producer David O. Selznick and four different directors, and every actress in Hollywood angling to play the greatest role of a generation, Scarlett O’Hara. Haskell tells the stories behind the book and movie and she analyzes what it is that makes Margaret Mitchell’s characters and what they illustrate about race, gender, and the deepest conflicts in American history that continue to fascinate us.