'Gone With the Wind' back on HBO Max but with disclaimer
Jun 25, 2020
Washington DC [USA], June 25 : The classic movie 'Gone With the Wind' has been restored to the libraries of HBO Max, however, with an introductory disclaimer that discusses the historical context of 1939 released epic, reported Variety.
It was two weeks before that the Oscar-winning movie was temporarily removed from playing in the streaming service, in line with the ongoing protests racism, and hence citing the need to address its 'racist depictions.'
Now that movie is made available for viewing, there is an introduction video, wherein, Turner Classic Movies host and film scholar Jacqueline Stewart discusses "why this 1939 epic drama should be viewed in its original form, contextualized and discussed."
A second video provided with the title is a one-hour recording of a panel discussion, "The Complicated Legacy of 'Gone With the Wind,'" from the TCM Classic Film Festival in April 2019, moderated by author and historian Donald Bogle.
"Producer David O. Selznick was well aware that Black audiences were deeply concerned about the film's handling of the topic of slavery and its treatment of Black characters," said Stewart.
"Watching 'Gone With the Wind' can be uncomfortable, even painful. Still, it is important that classic Hollywood films are available to us in their original form for viewing and discussion," Variety quoted Stewart as saying.
'Gone With the Wind' has an ensemble cast of actors including Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Hattie McDaniel, and Olivia de Havilland.
The film, adapted from the 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell, is set during the Civil War and the Reconstruction era and follows the story of Scarlett O'Hara, the daughter of a Georgia cotton plantation owner.
