TITLE:
The “Lost Cause Myth” and Its Representation in Cinema
AUTHORS:
Colin K. Touhy
KEYWORDS:
Lost, Cause, Myth, “Lincoln”, “Gone with the Wind”, Formal, Elements, Civil, War, Adheres, Repudiates, Cinema, Film
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.12 No.3,
March
13,
2024
ABSTRACT: This paper analyzes the films “Lincoln” and “Gone with the Wind”.
“Lincoln” is a 2012 historical drama that focuses upon Abraham Lincoln and his
mission to pass the thirteenth amendment and
effectively end the Civil War. “Gone with the Wind” is a 1940 historical
romance that involves the story of Scarlett O’Hara and her journey amidst the
American Civil War. The Lost Cause mythology is a prominent narrative that
attempts to downplay the centrality of slavery in the context of the underlying
factors for the American Civil War and insert a positive outlook upon the
antebellum South. This specific topic was chosen in order to shed light upon
this comprehensive myth that has an extensive history and indeed has
contemporary impacts and relevance. Examples of such include the support of
various Confederate figures, a fundamental belief in the interconnectedness
between the Confederacy and heritage, and persistent discussions regarding the
variables that elicited the Civil War. This
paper argues that “Lincoln” repudiates this mythology, while “Gone with
the Wind” adheres to it. Through examination of formal elements including dialogue, cinematography, and commentary
within the films, this deduction is reached. The essay is partitioned
into four sections: “Intro”, “Lincoln”, “Gone
with the Wind”, and “Conclusion”. The middle sections discuss the
respective film demonstrated in the subtitle of that particular section.