HBO Max addressed concerns about housing the 1939 film Gone With The Wind in their streaming library by adding an introductory disclaimer, discussing the film’s historical context. Despite recent controversy, the film is currently being shown without disclaimers at the Orca Theater in Soldotna.
Showcasing “blockbuster films” to the people of the Kenai Peninsula keeps the staff of the Orca motivated, according to their website. Gone With The Wind is considered one of the biggest blockbusters of all-time. Despite its unparalleled commercial and critical success, racial tension across the world has reignited concerns about the content of this film. Following acts of racial violence and duress this year, a collective vigilant eye has focused on works of art that showcase racial insensitivity.
Many viewers have long taken issue with Gone With The Wind’s handling of the topic of slavery and its treatment of black characters.
Turner Classic Movies host and film scholar Jacqueline Stewart’s HBO Max introduction discusses why criticism of the film is still relevant, 80 years after its debut: “The film represents enslaved black people, in accordance with longstanding stereotypes. As servants, notable for their devotion to their white masters, or for their ineptitude. The film’s treatment of this world, through a lens of nostalgia, denies the horrors of slavery as well as its legacies of racial inequality. Watching Gone With The Wind can be uncomfortable, even painful. Still, it is important that classic Hollywood films are available to us in their original form for viewing and discussion. They reflect the social context in which they were made and invite viewers to reflect on their own values and beliefs when watching them now.”
The Orca Theater on K-Beach Road is showing the film now through Thursday, July 30, at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online.