HBO Max removed "Gone with the Wind" from its program due to racist stereotypes. The film is now online again.
HBO Max had removed the film "Gone with the Wind" from the platform two weeks ago because of racist representations. The classic from 1939 is now available again from the streaming service – with classification warnings. This is reported, among other things, by the industry portal "Variety".
As Professor Jacqueline Stewart emphasizes in a foreword, it is important to see such a classic in the original, but with a critical reflection on history. The film, which is one of the most successful of all time, paints a wrong picture of slavery, among other things. Another clue in the new version is provided by a video about the actress Hattie McDaniel (1893-1952), who was the first African American to win an Oscar for her portrayal as a nanny in 1940. At the award ceremony, however, she had to sit in the back of the room because of her skin color.
"Most Painful Stereotypes About People of Color"
At the beginning of June, John Ridley (54), screenwriter for "12 Years a Slave", asked HBO to remove the melodrama from the program. "It's a film that spreads some of the most painful stereotypes about People of Color when it doesn't ignore the horror of slavery anyway," said Ridley in an article in the Los Angeles Times.