Scarlett (TV miniseries)
Encyclopedia
Scarlett is a 1994 six hour miniseries
loosely based on the sequel
to Margaret Mitchell
's novel, Gone with the Wind
, written by Alexandra Ripley
. The series was filmed at 53 locations in the United States and abroad, and stars Joanne Whalley
as Scarlett O'Hara
, Timothy Dalton
as Rhett Butler
, and Sean Bean
as Lord Richard Fenton as well as many other notable British and American actors.
by Lord Richard Fenton, of whom none of her kin approve. She also faces quandaries and mixed feelings regarding physical force the Irish rebels against British rule, highlighted by comparisons of how they are being treated by the English to how the South was treated by the North.
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
loosely based on the sequel
Scarlett (novel)
Scarlett is a novel written in 1991 by Alexandra Ripley as a sequel to Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind. The book debuted on the New York Times bestsellers list, but both critics and fans of the original novel found Ripley's version to be inconsistent with the literary quality of Gone with...
to Margaret Mitchell
Margaret Mitchell
Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell was an American author and journalist. Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937 for her epic American Civil War era novel, Gone with the Wind, which was the only novel by Mitchell published during her lifetime.-Family:Margaret Mitchell was born in Atlanta,...
's novel, Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind
The slaves depicted in Gone with the Wind are primarily loyal house servants, such as Mammy, Pork and Uncle Peter, and these slaves stay on with their masters even after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 sets them free...
, written by Alexandra Ripley
Alexandra Ripley
Alexandra Ripley, née Braid 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?...
. The series was filmed at 53 locations in the United States and abroad, and stars Joanne Whalley
Joanne Whalley
-Early life:Whalley was born in Salford but brought up in Stockport where she studied at the Braeside School of Speech and Drama, Marple.Whalley first appeared as a child in How We Used To Live and bit parts in soap operas, especially Coronation Street and Emmerdale...
as Scarlett O'Hara
Scarlett O'Hara
Scarlett O' Hara is the protagonist in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and in the later film of the same name...
, Timothy Dalton
Timothy Dalton
Timothy Peter Dalton ) is a Welsh actor of film and television. He is known for portraying James Bond in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill , as well as Rhett Butler in the television miniseries Scarlett , an original sequel to Gone with the Wind...
as Rhett Butler
Rhett Butler
Rhett Butler is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.-Role:In the beginning of the novel, we first meet Rhett at the Twelve Oaks Plantation barbecue, the home of John Wilkes and his son Ashley and daughters Honey and India Wilkes...
, and Sean Bean
Sean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
as Lord Richard Fenton as well as many other notable British and American actors.
Synopsis
The series begins with Scarlett attending the funeral of Melanie Wilkes, her ex-sister-in-law and rival for Ashley Wilkes' affection, at which her estranged husband, Rhett Butler, is not present. She, heartbroken that he left her, sets out for Tara and is saddened when she learns that Mammy, her mainstay since birth, is dying. When she arrives there, she sends a telegram to notify Rhett about Mammy under the name of Will Benteen (her sister Suellen's husband), because she knows that he won't come if he suspects she is there. Before Mammy passes away she makes him swear to look after "her lamb" Miss Scarlett. He agrees, although he has no intention of honoring the request. After she dies, he and Scarlett have another snipe filled encounter, which culminates in him leaving and her returning to the Atlanta house, determined to win him back.Return to Tara
This section is practically identical to that of the book regarding Scarlett's actions at the funeral and Mammy's death bed.Going to Charleston
The major differences in Charleston are that of the attitude and demeanors of the characters, but most notably Scarlett and Anne. Scarlett is not shown struggling with her unease in society but rather is criticized when Anne sees her and Ashley go into his hotel room together, resulting in a steamy kiss. Anne is completely different from her counterpart in the novel; while she is supposed to be a clone of Melanie, she shyly, yet coyly, flirts with Rhett and does other things that neither her character in the book nor Melanie never would have done. The series continues to follow the relationship created between them after the book ceases doing so.Savannah
Scarlett continues to distance herself from the same character in the novel as her relationship with her kin is not discovering and assimilating her Irish heritage and family, as much as escaping from her grandfather's household and passing the time. Her decision to go to Ireland is also preceded by cutting off all ties to America as well as the details concerning buying her sister Carreen's share of Tara, which had been donated to the convent as a dowry when she became a nun.Ireland
Once in Ireland, Scarlett is faced with two main problems, not the source of her struggles in the novel. She is pursuedby Lord Richard Fenton, of whom none of her kin approve. She also faces quandaries and mixed feelings regarding physical force the Irish rebels against British rule, highlighted by comparisons of how they are being treated by the English to how the South was treated by the North.
Katie Colum O'Hara
Scarlett keeps her daughter's birth a secret from Rhett to spite him, thinking that if she grows up not knowing him she will not be like Bonnie, and that she will not love him; eventually, he will meet her and realize that she does not love or even know him and Scarlett will have her revenge. Katie is barely talked about outside of this - her role as the possible manifestation of a demon is completely removed. Anne Hampton-Butler also comes to Ireland with Rhett, which never happened in the novel, and even has a lengthy conversation with Scarlett. Her death from yellow fever is also detailed.Lord Fenton
Lord Fenton is much more evil than his role in the novel. He forces a servant girl to have sex with him, and rapes Scarlett as well. The servant girl kills him when he does this, but Scarlett is blamed. This is where the plot completely veers from the one in the novel; she is put on trial and Rhett comes to her aid, finding out about Katie. It is also learned that Colum was killed by Lord Fenton for trying to get him to support the servant girl because she was pregnant with his child. She is very reluctant to confess, but after Scarlett is found guilty of murder, she does. Rhett and Scarlett decide to travel the world with Katie.Cast
- Joanne WhalleyJoanne Whalley-Early life:Whalley was born in Salford but brought up in Stockport where she studied at the Braeside School of Speech and Drama, Marple.Whalley first appeared as a child in How We Used To Live and bit parts in soap operas, especially Coronation Street and Emmerdale...
as Scarlett O'HaraScarlett O'HaraScarlett O' Hara is the protagonist in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and in the later film of the same name... - Timothy DaltonTimothy DaltonTimothy Peter Dalton ) is a Welsh actor of film and television. He is known for portraying James Bond in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill , as well as Rhett Butler in the television miniseries Scarlett , an original sequel to Gone with the Wind...
as Rhett ButlerRhett ButlerRhett Butler is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.-Role:In the beginning of the novel, we first meet Rhett at the Twelve Oaks Plantation barbecue, the home of John Wilkes and his son Ashley and daughters Honey and India Wilkes... - Stephen Collins as Ashley WilkesAshley WilkesGeorge Ashley Wilkes is a fictional character in the Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and the later film of the same name. The character also appears in the 1991 book Scarlett, a sequel to Gone with the Wind written by Alexandra Ripley, and in Rhett Butler's People by Donald...
- Sean BeanSean BeanShaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
as Lord Fenton - Esther RolleEsther RolleEsther Rolle was an American actress. She was perhaps best known for her portrayal of Florida Evans on the CBS television sitcom Maude and its spin-off series Good Times.-Biography:...
as Mammy - Colm MeaneyColm MeaneyColm J. Meaney is an Irish actor widely known for playing Miles O'Brien in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is second only to Michael Dorn in most appearances in Star Trek episodes. He has guest-starred on many TV shows from Law & Order to The Simpsons...
as Colum O'Hara - John GielgudJohn GielgudSir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
as Pierre Robillard (Scarlett's maternal grandfather) - Annabeth GishAnnabeth GishAnnabeth Gish is an American actress known for starring roles in Shag, Mystic Pizza and Double Jeopardy. She is best known for her roles as Special Agent Monica Reyes on The X-Files, Elizabeth Bartlet Westin on The West Wing and as Eileen Caffee on the Showtime drama Brotherhood.-Personal...
as Anne Hampton-Butler - Julie HarrisJulie HarrisJulia Ann "Julie" Harris is an American stage, screen, and television actress. She has won five Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award, and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1994, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. She is a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame...
as Eleanor Butler (Rhett's mother) - Jean SmartJean SmartJean E. Smart is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is known for her comedic roles, one of the best known being her role as Charlene Frazier Stillfield on the CBS sitcom Designing Women. She later gained critical acclaim for dramatic work, with her portrayal of Martha Logan on 24...
as Sally Brewton - Ray McKinnonRay McKinnon (actor)Ray McKinnon is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and producer. He was married to actress and producer Lisa Blount from 1998 until her death on October 25, 2010...
as Will Benteen (husband of Scarlett's sister Suellen) - Ann Margret as Belle Watling
- Barbara BarrieBarbara BarrieBarbara Barrie is an American actress and author of children's books.-Personal life:Barrie was born as Barbara Ann Berman in Chicago, Illinois, of Jewish heritage, the daughter of Frances Rose and Louis Berman. She was raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. She graduated from University of Texas,...
as Pauline Robillard (one of Scarlett's spinster aunts) - Paul WinfieldPaul WinfieldPaul Edward Winfield was an American television, film, and stage actor. He was known for his portrayal of a Louisiana sharecropper who struggles to support his family during the Great Depression in the landmark film Sounder which earned him an Academy Award nomination. Winfield also portrayed Dr....
as Big Sam
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | American Society of Cinematographers American Society of Cinematographers The American Society of Cinematographers is an educational, cultural, and professional organization. It is not a labor union, and it is not a guild. Membership is by invitation and is extended only to directors of photography and special effects experts with distinguished credits in the film... |
Nominated | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Mini-Series | Tony Imi Tony Imi Tony Imi BSC was a British motion picture and television cinematographer. He was born in London, England.Imi had worked continuously as a cinametographer since the late 1960s.-Credits:*Inadmissible Evidence... |
| Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... |
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Miniseries or a Special | Marit Allen (For episode 1) |
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| Won | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Special | Tricia Cameron and Linda De Andrea | ||
| Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Special | Brian Ackland-Snow, Joseph Litsch, Josie MacAvin, and Rodger Maus (For episode 1) |