HBO Max decided to remove the Civil War film “Gone With the Wind†from its service. This decision was made in support of the protests going on worldwide against racism.Â
The decision was made after a piece in The Los Angeles Times was written. The writer of “12 Years a Slave†strongly advised HBO Max to reconsider having that particular film in their library. The reason for this is the way racism has been portrayed in the movie. In the film, racism isnâ€
What HBO Max has decided to do after consideration, is to bring the film back with a lot more context. There will be more information in regards to the history of racism, and the goal is the present it in a much better way. This will be done via an introduction from Jaqueline Stewart, who is an African-American film and media studies professor and the University of Chicago.Â
“I will provide an introduction to placing the film in its multiple historical contexts. For me, this is an opportunity to think about what classic films can teach us,†Stewart wrote in an op-ed for CNN. “Right now, people are turning to movies for racial re-education, and the top-selling books on Amazon are about anti-racism and racial inequality. If people are doing their homework, we may be poised to have our most informed, honest, and productive national conversations about Black lives on screen and off.â€
The film itself has gone right to Amazonâ€
This film was released in 1939, and it is the highest-grossing film of all time. The Guinness Book of World Records reported that the film had made over $3.3 billion since itâ€
If we look at individual platforms, success is evident. The film was on top of the Amazon sales charts and is doing very well in the US on their iTunes movie chart. The film was fifth on their charts. Films such as “The Hunt,†“Birds of Prey,†“Bad boys for Life,†and also “The Invisible Man†are the only films that they are currently behind.Â