'Gone With The Wind' taken off HBO Max, outraged fans say it's an 'important film' on American history
Along with the TV show 'Cops', 'Gone With The Wind' was pulled from HBO Max, which seems to be a sign that entertainment companies are being extremely cautious about the content that they are offering in the wake of the nationwide protests for racial justice and against police brutality. The classic film is based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell, starred Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh in the lead roles.
Hattie McDaniel, who played the role of Mammy, was the first Black woman to win an Oscar in Hollywood. The story revolves around Southern belle Scarlett O' Hara and her turbulent relationship with the handsome Rhett Butler. It takes place with the Civil War in the backdrop.
Fans are less than pleased about this decision to pull the film off HBO Max and are not holding back from expressing their angry opinions. "Pulling Gone With The Wind is stupid. First, Hattie was a black woman who won an Oscar back then, which was unthinkable. Second is that this is a total history lesson, about filming and about an era. Just dumb."
Another fan suggested that they should just put a warning ahead of the film, rather than removing it completely. "@hbomax Gone with the Wind is one of the most important movies ever made. You cannot erase it from history. How about you put a warning in front of it instead of removing it?" An angry fan wrote, "Really you are getting rid of Gone with the wind because it might offend someone. Rap music offends me, bad hygiene offends me. We going to tear down America because one person is offended. You are no better than NPR for wanting to burn 'white books'. Nazis the lot of you!"
"Gone with the Wind is an important movie. It had its flaws. Every movie does. But the performances from the actors in front of the camera as well as the drama that happened behind the scenes could be used to open up the discussions of race, gender roles & mental health — not stop it," another wrote. "Gone With The Wind is a love story that takes place at the onset and the beginning of the Civil War. It tells a story of the time. It depicts the South during the time of the war. It is a classic. Are we going to start removing everything," an angry fan wrote.
However, there are others who stood by the streaming platform's decision. "If only the racist cared as much about police brutality/injustice to Black and Brown communities as they do about @hbomax taking away the civil war movie Gone With the Wind lol And then pretend to care about the black actress who won an Oscar in it, Hatti McDaniel," one wrote.
"If you think not being able to stream Gone With the Wind is this Orwellian 1984 deal I am laughing really hard at your expense," another wrote. Another took the middle path. "Gone with the Wind is a product of its time. It suggests, within the first minute, a problematic Old South assertion that some slaves treated well & therefore happy. But it was released in 1939 and I’ve seen far more racist movies (that aren’t masterpiece) released since," they wrote.
"To be fair, it is a love letter to the slaveocracy. F**K Gone With The Wind. ....but pulling it isn't fixing the root of the matter as you point to. It's just a move to cover their shame," one fan wrote.