Published 20:37 IST, June 15th 2020
HBO Max will re-release 'Gone With The Wind' with new introduction by Jacqueline Stewart
HBO Max will re-release Gone With The Wind very soon after it had been pulled down on June 10, 2020. A new introduction will be added in the description. Read
The Black Lives Matter protests have gained momentum all around the globe, especially in America. During such a time, after being embroiled in a controversy, HBO Max had decided to pull down the American movie, Gone With the Wind due to its depiction of slavery. However, according to recent reports, the movie will be back on the OTT platform with a new introduction by scholar Jacqueline Stewart.
HBO Max will re-release Gone With The Wind with a new introduction
HBO Max has recently announced that they are going to re-release the American movie, Gone With The Wind which was pulled down on June 10 because of its content on slavery. A new introduction has been added by scholar and television host Jacqueline Stewart. In a statement given by Stewart, she said that in the current situation, many people are turning towards classic movies for an introduction on "racial re-education". So if the people are "really doing their homework", they should be armed with honest, productive and informed conversations about the African-American community.
HBO Max had pulled down the 1939 movie, Gone With The Wind after facing controversy because of its content portraying slavery. A statement followed this action by HBO Max saying that Gone With The Wind is a "product of its time". Thus, some of the ethnic and racial prejudices prevalent in the 1930s American society found a place in the movie. The statement further said that these racial depictions were as wrong then as they are now. So, HBO Max felt that an explanation is required both for the title and for their denouncement of the practices.
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In an interview with a daily portal, WarnerMedia's chairman Bob Greenblatt said that they had earlier not put a disclaimer to Gone With The Wind on HBO Max. This further adds to the issues that the movie brings up. HBO Max has taken off the movie and he does not regret the decision and they are going to bring Gone With The Wind back with a "proper context". He regrets the fact that this had not been done earlier.
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This decision was taken by HBO Max after the novelist, screenwriter, and director John Ridley wrote an article for a daily portal pointing out the problematic depiction of African-American slavery in Gone With The Wind. Ridley's article seems to be inspired from the Black Lives Matter protests which are calling for the end of racial injustice following George Floyd's death. The latter was murdered on the streets of Minneapolis by a police officer who kneeled on Floyd's neck choking him to death.
Updated 20:37 IST, June 15th 2020