GONE With The Wind has been removed from the HBO Max streaming service after it was blasted for “glorifying” racism.
The 1939 Hollywood classic, which won eight Oscars including Best Picture, centres on a Georgia plantation owner played by Vivien Leigh during the US Civil War.
Despite its revered place in cinema history – it is still the highest grossing movie ever if box office is adjusted for inflation – the story is being reevaluated in light of George Floyd’s death.
Critics claim that the film, which was based on a novel by author Margaret Mitchell, ignores “the horrors of slavery” during the 19 century in the south of the country.
However, the movie is responsible for the first ever African American Oscar winner after Hattie McDaniel won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the picture.
HBO’s temporary removal of the film – famed for Clarke Gable’s closing line “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” – from its streaming service follows 12 Years A Slave screenwriter John Ridley’s criticism of the classic on Monday.
Writing in the LA Times, he said: “It doesn’t just ‘fall short’ with regard to representation.
“It is a film that glorifies the antebellum south.
“It is a film that, when it is not ignoring the horrors of slavery, pauses only to perpetuate some of the most painful stereotypes of people of color.”
Those who defend Gone With The Wind claim it was “a product of its time” – pointing out that it was made during a time where segregation still existed in the US.
In fact, when Hattie McDaniel won her Oscar, she was forced to sit at the back of the room during the ceremony, away from the rest of the cast and crew, simply because of the pigment of her skin.
HBO released a statement yesterday insisting the removal was temporary.
The company said: “Gone With the Wind is a product of its time and depicts some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that have, unfortunately, been commonplace in American society.
“These racist depictions were wrong then and are wrong today, and we felt that to keep this title up without an explanation and a denouncement of those depictions would be irresponsible.
“These depictions are certainly counter to WarnerMedia’s values, so when we return the film to HBO Max, it will return with a discussion of its historical context and a denouncement of those very depictions, but will be presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.
“If we are to create a more just, equitable and inclusive future, we must first acknowledge and understand our history.”
Protests have spread across the country following George Floyd’s death last month in Minneapolis.
The African-American father passed away while being arrested by police officer Derek Chauvin who was filmed kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Video from the incident showed Floyd saying “I can’t breathe” multiple times – however Chauvin refused to move his knee.
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