HBO Max temporarily removes Gone with the Wind to add "discussion of its historical context"

Deadline

In wake of the George Floyd protests and reckoning with racism, HBO Max has opted to temporarily pull the 1939 Southern-set Civil War epic that portrays slaves as mostly happy while downplaying the horrors of slavery. "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," HBO Max said in a statement. "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. 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."