HBO Max brings back 'Gone with the Wind' with added context
Movie displays 'ethnic and racial prejudices'
HBO Max has returned “Gone with the Wind” with an added disclaimer and context about the film more than two weeks after it was removed from the streaming video service.
A clip of TCM host and University of Chicago cinema and media studies professor Jacqueline Stewart plays before the 1939 movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Stewart tells viewers that the movie “has been repeatedly protested” due to its depiction of the Confederacy and black stereotypes.
"Gone with the Wind" (Warner Brothers)
‘GONE WITH THE WIND’ IS AMAZON BESTSELLER AFTER HBO MAX REMOVED THE FILM
“Watching ‘Gone with the Wind’ can be uncomfortable, even painful,” Stewart says in the video, according to the Reporter. “Still, it’s important that classic Hollywood films are available to us in their original form for viewing and discussions.”
HBO Max, which is owned by AT&T, pulled the movie to add the context amid protests over systematic racism and injustices against black Americans and violent police tactics following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
"Gone with the Wind" (Warner Brothers)
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The protests have spurred a variety of cultural changes in the month since Floyd’s death. TV shows like “Cops” and “Live PD” have been canceled. NASCAR banned the Confederate battle flag from race tracks. Food brands have pledged to pull branding based on racist Jim Crow-era stereotypes.
However, the controversy over HBO Max’s move may have driven more people to watch “Gone with the Wind,” which was the winner of the 1940 Oscar for Best Picture. The movie took three of the top 10 bestseller spots for movies and television on Amazon earlier this month.