HBO Max Takes Down Oscar Winning Gone With The Wind From Their Library Amid George Floyd Row, Twitterati Reacts

The killing of George Floyd has taken a form of huge protests in the US. Amid the ongoing tensions, new OTT platform HBO Max has taken down Oscar-winning 1939 film Gone With The Wind from its library.

Gone With The Wind based on the Civil War, won 8 Oscars back in that time including Best Picture. It also created history when Hattie McDaniel became the first Black American to win the Academy Award for her performance in the film. However, in modern times, the film has been criticised heavily for the way it has portrayed black people.

According to foxnews.com, a spokesperson of HBO Max has given an official statement regarding the same. He has been quoted as saying, “‘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. 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.”

The statement further read as saying, “These depictions are certainly counter to WanerMedia’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 underhand our history.”

Meanwhile, social media has different reactions to the film being pulled off by HBO Max from their platform. Have a look at some of the tweets:

It makes me mad that streaming services are pulling historical pieces like Gone with the Wind due to racist content. Can't we judge for ourselves? Most of us understand that what was acceptable in those days is no longer acceptable.

— Sonia Bowditch (@Sonia_Bowditch) June 10, 2020

By pulling Gone With The Wind? Communist much? Stop lying down to liberal bullshit!!

— Andrew L Aylor (@AylorAndrew) June 10, 2020

Don’t worry. You’ll still be able to purchase/stream “Gone with the Wind” and be bored by it.

— Chris Regan (@ChrisRRegan) June 10, 2020

Gone With the Wind was the first time a black person won an Oscar – Hattie McDaniel. Canceling it would erase an actual historic achievement for Black America https://t.co/XKUZVOLJiW

— ꧂ Gionathan (@thinktankch) June 10, 2020