I have the cure for those who don’t believe in institutional racism. Watch Gone With The Wind! and discover some of its history. I watched it recently. It is an American Romance Film set in the Old South released into theaters on December 15, 1939. With adjusted monetary inflation it is the highest grossing film in history. It was awarded the Best Picture at the Oscars.
Here is what else you need to know. 300,000 people lined a 7 mile stretch to see the motorcade of actors. Hattie McDaniel, who plays a slave for a family won an Oscar for the best supporting actress. She was the first African American to win an Oscar. She was not permitted to attend the premier as it was shown in a white only theater in Atlanta. She had to sit in a separate part of the Ambassador Hotel in LA where the Oscars were held. When she died she was not permitted to be buried in the Hollywood Cemetery which was restricted to white only. She experienced racism all of her life even in her death.
Gone With The Wind is considered one of the “lost cause” movies which attempted to “erase the brutal nature of slavery and preserve a cherished way of life.” The movie is regarded as a direct descendant of DW Griffith’s, The Birth of a Nation, whose heroes are members of the KKK.
I found Gone With The Wind to be repulsive in its demeaning, dehumanized, and stereotypical images of black people. When it is shown now it has the disclaimer that “it denies the horrors of slavery”. Many would like it to be rated “O” for offensive.
It has been noted that the film should continue to be shown to show the impact of Hollywood on institutional racism for the town always presents itself as the bastion of liberal causes. We should not forget that this is part of their history as well.
Something that people are not aware of is that Hitler loved American movies. He sometimes showed two or three each evening in his screening room. Two of his favorites were Laurel and Hardy and Mickey Mouse. The movie that was thought by film experts to be his favorite was Gone With The Wind. Enough said! I will leave it to your own thoughts to speculate why!
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