Rue de la Paix

Here's a little collage I made, featuring one of our favorite GWTW posters--Rhett and Scarlett embracing at Tara. Who doesn't love an alternate universe GWTW scenario from time to time? 

Rhett and Scarlett at Tara by gwtwscrapbook featuring ribbon jewelry

Famous Fans of GWTW

As it turns out, being a fan of GWTW puts you in some pretty exclusive company. From stars of the silver screen to athletes to world leaders, the list of famous GWTW fans is a long one--not to mention a rather eclectic one. In honor of these celebrity Windies, we've created a new page, Famous Fans of GWTW, which you can find on the side bar.

The link to the new page is also below. Be sure to check it out and let us what you think. Also, if you're aware of any famous Windies who we've neglected to add, don't hesitate to let us know--and we'll get them added to the list.  

http://gwtwscrapbook.blogspot.com/p/famous-fans-of-gone-with-wind.html

Poster of the Week

Rhett and Scarlett go riding through Five Points in this week's poster (date unknown). Doesn't Scarlett looked thrilled to be spending time with her companion?

Image from moviegoods.com.

The Quotable Rhett Butler: That Weak Imitation of Napoleon

Having taken a look at the reasons England had for not weighing in on the side of the Confederacy, we'll now continue with the second half of Rhett's line and examine France's stance:

"And as for France, that weak imitation of Napoleon is far too busy establishing the French in Mexico to be bothered with us. In fact he welcomes this war, because it keeps us too busy to run his troops out of Mexico..." 

--Gone with the Wind, Chapter XIII

The "weak imitation of Napoleon" is of course Napoleon III, the nephew of The Napoleon (tm, because Bugsie likes him a great deal) and emperor of the Second French Empire. Now, weak imitation of his uncle or not, Napoleon III had plans for the world. All of the world, but some areas in particular. And it so happened that he had a most excellent plan with everything south of the United States, a plan known as the "Grand Scheme for the Americas." Don't let its name deceive you, the Grand Scheme was quite simple really. First step: France gains control of Central and South America and their resources. Second step: France rules the world. 

Napoleon saw an opening for his first step when Mexico (temporarily) ceased to pay its debts to its European creditors in 1861. France quickly made an alliance with the other wronged parties, Spain and England, launched an attack on Mexico, lost its allies on the way (they caught wind of step two and didn't like it one bit, basically),  but still managed to take control of the capital and install Maximilian of Hasburg at the head of a puppet state under French control. Most of this was accomplished because the United States had the courtesy to be otherwise engaged at the time, so yes, the French did welcome the American Civil War in this respect, as Rhett says. After the Civil War ended, the US troops and the Mexican resistance would in fact run them out of Mexico. 

But just because the Civil War suited his purposes quite fine, that doesn't mean Napoleon III didn't have a favorite in this race. He was on the side of the Confederacy, mainly because he thought the Southerners would tolerate his presence in Mexico more easily. He was quoted saying that if the North won, he would be glad, but if the South did, he would be thrilled. ("Si le Nord est victorieux, j'en serai heureux, mais si le Sud l'emporte, j'en serai enchanté!")  But despite this, he wouldn't act unwisely (for a certain value of "wisdom," where "wisdom" = "what would England do"). And England would not act, for reasons we discussed last week. So France didn't either. And the rest is, as they say, history.

Poster of the Week

We're back with a new poster for your enjoyment. This stylized French poster features  Rhett and Scarlett embracing against a fiery background...one so fiery, in fact, that Scarlett appears to be quite the redhead. 

Image from movieposterdb.com.

The Fashionable Rogue, Part 3: Rhett's Honeymoon Wardrobe

Today we bring you the third and final installment of our Fashionable Rogue mini-series, which explores the historical sartorial styles behind Rhett Butler's Gone with the Wind wardrobe. For this last edition, we're featuring two styles donned by Rhett on his honeymoon: his red silk robe from the steamboat scene and his tuxedo from the dinner scene in New Orleans. 

Quite oddly, it turns out that Rhett wouldn't have had to look very far at all to find inspiration for his red robe and tuxedo--both of the fashion plates we uncovered feature these two items, randomly enough. Perhaps a red robe and a classic tuxedo were merely wardrobe staples for the debonaire Victorian man? Either way, had Rhett been uncertain about what to pack for his honeymoon, he'd only have to look as far as his latest men's journal to  help determine the appropriate selection of clothing.

Like always, you'll find the fashion plates after the jump. Check them out and let us know what you think! 

Rue de la Paix

Lights, camera, action! It's time to watch Gone with the Wind! That's the theme of this week's collage, at least.

Gone With the Wind - Scavenger 2:1 by kugirl79 on Polyvore.com