Friday, September 25, 2015

Ugly Beyond Imagining: The 2015 As God Is My Witness Gone With The Wind Hallmark Ornament!


The Good: Good balance, Good sound chip
The Bad: Very expensive, Detailing on Scarlett's face, Weak light effect, Seams on arms
The Basics: The As God Is My Witness Gone With The Wind ornament is disappointing and just ugly!


I'm not a fan of Gone With The Wind, but I try very hard to be objective with all of my reviews. Hallmark has a pretty extensive Gone With The Wind ornament line and some years they do ornaments that I recommend. Unfortunately, for 2015 the As God As My Witness ornament is not one of the ones that is going to get a recommendation.

For those unfamiliar with the film, Gone With The Wind (reviewed here!) has a climax midway through the film where Scarlett finds herself on her own and making a profound declaration about her life. It is that moment (where the original VHS split - it's a long movie) that is the subject of the As God As My Witness ornament.

It is Scarlett, standing before the sunset behind her that is the subject of the As God Is My Witness Hallmark Ornament. To add extra value to this one, Hallmark provided this ornament with a very impressive sound chip.

Basics

The As God Is My Witness ornament includes only Scarlett, standing on the hardscrabble earth with the translucent susnset backdrop, all cast in solid plastic. The ornament, released in 2015, has drastically varied executions, as it has a decent and generally accurate sculpt of the character, good detailing on costume, and the backdrop looks accurate. Unfortunately, Scarlett is filthy and her face looks oddly pitted, her arms look like they were attached after the fact (there is a noticeable seam at the shoulders) and the light effect is too weak to illuminate the backdrop noticeably.

Measuring four and three-quarters inches tall, three inches wide and two and one-quarter inches deep, the As God Is My Witness ornament is a decent-sized Hallmark ornament. Unfortunately, at the original issue price of $24.95, it is a bit expensive, especially compared to other Gone With The Wind ornaments that featured more of the scenery for the same or less money. Scarlett’s dress, while well-detailed, seems bulky and the ornament seems heavier than many of the other ones released this year.

The As God Is My Witness ornament has Scarlett looking like a rotted apple head doll of Vivien Leigh. While it makes sense that Scarlett's face would be soot-covered, given the scene, Hallmark did not quite get it right for the ornament and she just looks horribly disfigured.

This ornament remains fairly easy to find at Hallmark stores, so there is no reason (yet) to look for it in the secondary market. This ornament features a battery to power the sound effects.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, As God Is My Witness has both a sound effect and a light effect. There is a button, on the base, that activates the sounc chip and light effect when pressed. The light effect is anemic and barely illuminates the backdrop.

The sound chip actually contains a single sound clip from Gone With The Wind. The chip has several seconds of actual dialogue from the scene the ornament represents that plays with sufficient volume out the bottom of the ornament. As a result, when one depresses the button, Vivien Leigh as Scarlett makes her declaration that she will never be hungry again and the related lines.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake As God Is My Witness ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate movie nostalgia Christmas Tree, the As God Is My Witness ornament is a somewhat expensive option that looks poor beside ornaments from The Wizard Of Oz and prior Gone With The Wind ornaments. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of the backdrop. The As God Is My Witness ornament hangs level when hung properly and because it is so heavy, it hardly sways unless it is really knocked.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (click here for that review!). Within a few years, virtually every classic film franchise jumped on the bandwagon and began merchandising with Hallmark as well. Classic properties like Barbie, Disney, The Wizard Of Oz and Gone With The Wind have been made into Hallmark Keepsake Christmas ornaments. As God Is My Witness is one of the only Gone With The Wind ornaments on the market and the only one mass produced for the franchise in 2015. Fans of the book and film seem to be neutral to the As God Is My Witness ornament; it is still exceptionally easy to find in the Hallmark stores at this time. Given that only the Limited Edition Gone With The Wind ornaments have appreciated, this mass-produced ornament is not likely to be a great investment piece.

Overview

Fans of Gone With The Wind, Vivien Leigh, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to be disappointed by this ornament. The sound clip is interesting, but the light effect and overall look of the ornament are disappointing.

For other Gone With The Wind Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2014 Scarlett's White Dress
2013 Scarlett's Green Gown
2012 Scarlett Meets Her Match
2011 Almost A Kiss
2010 Scarlett O’Hara
2009 “Frankly My Dear”

4.5/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Toy And Ornament Review Index Page!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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