Hattie McDaniel's Mammy is the moral center of Gone With the Wind; she is the wisest and most mature character in the movie. Even Rhett Butler understands how important it is for him to win Mammy's respect if he is to have any chance of winning Scarlett's heart.
Even before the death of Ellen O'Hara, it's clear that in a very real sense, Mammy is far more of a mother to Scarlett. It is Mammy who scolds Scarlett when she misbehaves, who worries that Scarlett will damage the family's reputation, who warns Scarlett against "acting like poor white trash children." Mrs. O'Hara may have taught Scarlett religion, but it is Mammy who has taught her -- or has tried to teach her -- morality.
It's not an easy task, and Scarlett never does quite get the hang of it; Mammy has to keep reminding Scarlett of what is right ("He's her husband, ain't he?" she says when Scarlett wants to butt in on Melanie's reunion with Ashley), and she insists on going with Scarlett to Atlanta, knowing that adult supervision and guidance are still required.
But for all of her wisdom and moral virtue, Mammy (unlike Melanie) is a human being. She's very sly and capable of great humor; she can be a little bit vain (her scene with Rhett and the red petticoat is a delight). Watch Mammy and Melanie as they climb the staircase after Bonnie's accident -- Mammy is grieving, Melanie is performing grief because it is expected of her.
It is much to McDaniel's credit that Mammy feels so real; while she is the best written of the movie's slave characters, she's still not drawn in a fully three-dimensional way. McDaniel brings to Mammy more than is in the script, giving her a sharp comic edge and a warmth that do wonders to make Mammy more than just an uncomfortably nostalgic portrayal of the happy slave. It's an intelligent performance, and in a movie which is painfully bloated, McDaniel's every appearance helps to make the time go by a little faster.
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