“Gone with the Wind” is an undeniable classic of cinema. The American drama comes from 1939 and is based on the well-known novel by Margaret Mitchell. Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable star in the film.
The plot of the film was set during the Civil War, hence the inevitable presence of racist threads. Although Victor Fleming’s production received as many as eight Oscars, from the beginning it was criticized mainly for its approach to presenting the situation of black people on the screen.
Gone with the Wind could have been less racist. Important scenes were removed from the film
The creators were reminded of covering up racism and romanticizing the South in the secession conflict, which significantly falsifies the history and reality of those times. In addition, the film reproduces and perpetuates many harmful stereotypes about the black community.
It is for these reasons that the production disappeared from HBO Max some time ago. In a statement, the platform explained that it understood that the film was made in a different time, but it presents racial and ethnic prejudices that should not be reproduced out of context.
These racist themes were bad then and are bad today. We felt it would be very irresponsible to keep this title without explaining and condemning such a view of those times, it would be very irresponsible.
The production returned to the streaming offer a few weeks later. It is accompanied by two clips in which there is an appropriate commentary and context presented by specialists. However, this is still not the end of the controversies brought about by the classic.
According to People, historian David Vincent Kimel has managed to acquire an original, over 300-page script that once belonged to Gone With the Wind cast director Fred Schuessler. It turned out that many important scenes contained in the script did not make it to the screen.
Deleted scenes from “Gone with the Wind” showed the terrible treatment of slaves
Kimel claims that two groups of screenwriters worked on the text. The first of them wanted to show the realism of the war, and the second opted for a romantic approach, which in effect did not reflect the real suffering and injustice experienced by black people.
What I found was that the script was a mosaic that presented many different writers’ perspectives. Most of the scenes that were cut clearly showed the level of disgraceful treatment of slaves by white plantation owners, explains the historian.
Parts of the script that didn’t make it into the film also cast a huge shadow on Scarlett O’Hara’s character. In fragments that we will not see on the screen, the heroine used threats and physical and emotional violence against the slaves.
If the creators’ choices had not been on the side of white pacification, it could have changed the history of one of the most appreciated, but also disgraced – films ever made – writes Kimel.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
