Posted on 06/11/2020 6:53:36 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
HBO Max on Tuesday yanked the Civil War epic “Gone With The Wind” from its catalog amid rising racial tensions in dozens of cities across the nation.
The film immediately became the bestselling film on Amazon by early Wednesday morning, “even though both DVDs and Blu-ray discs were sold out,” Breitbart reported.
HBO’s move is the latest from the cancel culture following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died on Memorial Day while in police custody.
“’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,” said a network spokesman. “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,” the spokesman told Variety.
“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,” the spokesman said.
The classic 1939 film is based on Margaret’s Mitchell’s novel and earned 13 Academy Award nominations, winning eight, including best picture, best director, best actress, and best adapted screenplay.
The film’s removal came after a director wrote an op-ed piece on Monday in the Los Angeles Times headlined: “Hey, HBO, ‘Gone With the Wind’ romanticizes the horrors of slavery. Take it off your platform for now.”
“It is a film that glorifies the antebellum south,” wrote John Ridley, a director and screenwriter who won an Academy Award for his adapted screenplay for “12 Years a Slave.” “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.”
“Let me be real clear: I don’t believe in censorship. I don’t think ‘Gone With the Wind’ should be relegated to a vault in Burbank,” Ridley wrote. “I would just ask after a respectful amount of time has passed, that the film be re-introduced to the HBO Max platform along with other films that give a more broad-based and complete picture of what slavery and the Confederacy truly were. Or, perhaps it could be paired with conversations about narratives and why it’s important to have many voices sharing stories from different perspectives rather than merely those reinforcing the views of the prevailing culture.”
Says a lot that people will get all worked up about a single movie yet let Seattle burn to the ground and be taken over by mob rule. As many have contended, many on the right will always take the safe route. Too few have the stomach for real battles.
I think the most popular video for conservatives is the statue attacking the stoopid antifa thug. I still can’t find a more detailed video. Dang. Normally I have compassion for my enemies and I will pray for them but this is sweet. Hopefully the other thugs there will think twice about doing this again. Probably not.
Are they going to de-colorize the movie?
Cool.
FWIW, I hated the movie. Too long, too much melodrama, and although I was well-versed in the Civil War, was probably a litle too young when I first saw it. :-)
Enjouyed the Abbot and Costello skit where they were Confederates. Lou had joined the wrong army, and had to cover his blue uniform in flour to try to stay in good graces.
Here it is!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgBrjT2uLRQ
I’ve never been a fan of the movie, but I saw it at Walmart the other day (in the bargain bin), so I think I’ll go back and get it. If it irks the Left and cancel culture morons, I’m all for it.
Bkmrk
It’s not cancel culture.
It’s censorship and fascism.
I’ve always liked it, simply because I think it epitomizes Golden Age Hollywood in a way that no other film does.
It’s like being awed by a perfectly restored, mint-condition 80-year-old classic car.
Yeah, the technology and society that made it are gone, and modern cars have advancements that it doesn’t have. But you can’t take your eyes off it, either.
With the Left completely out of control and power hungry, I wonder how long it’ll be until they come after Charlie Chan movies? I have all of them in my collection and watch them often. Yes, Chan was played by white actors, but they still imbued him with character and dignity. When the movies were released several years back there was a little bit of an uproar. Wonder if it’ll get louder now?
By the way, I’m white and played Chan in my own homemade movie, Charlie Chan in Transylvania.
Or, perhaps it could be paired with conversations about narratives and why it’s important to have many voices sharing stories from different perspectives rather than merely those reinforcing the views of the prevailing culture.”
—
Yeah. Show it in a double feature with “Blackula.”
Speaking of Charlie Chan, the 1976 spoof film “Murder by Death” probably couldn’t be made today. Too many slurs used as jokes. Too bad, but it’s one of Neil Simon’s underrated efforts. The movie is kind of forgotten.
The DVD is unavailable on Amazon, too.
I always liked the Charlie Chan movies. As a practical matter the Charlie Chan movies seem to have been banned from cable movie channels, even if there was never an official announcement to that effect.
I know there have been controversies about the Chan movies. I recall seeing an interview with Keye Luke the number of years ago, in which he said the Chan movies were a positive depiction of a Chinese Detective. He called the Charlie Chan character a Chinese hero.
The Mr. Moto stories were pretty entertaining, but also too controversial today.
Yes, I remember the Mr. Moto movies, with Peter Lorre.
I haven’t seen any of them in many years. But I recall at least one Mr. Moto movie, in which Keye Luke reprised his role as Charlie Chan’s son, and helped Mr. Moto on a case.
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