This movie was very racist


Should be banned

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It was made in 1939. Of course it's wrong now. But it's a representation of earlier times. You can't erase history because it's wrong now.

If it were a new film just about to be released I would absolutely agree with you.

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But how is it "wrong now"?

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And it was set in even earlier times (same "double nostalgia" as with "Song of the South", and the non-rqcist "Wizard of Oz", same studio (MGM), same year (1939) as GWTW. After all, a LOT of period piece films were done way back when..Heck, Birth of a NBoriton itself, and aside from race, Disney fairy tales were already throwbacks, either way, just enjoy it for the product of eras, same with long gone pop culture references like old time radio, trolleys,etc.,etc.,etc.

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"Of course it's wrong now"

Of course it's not wrong now, and wasn't wrong in 1939. It depicts black people who were slaves, and who were also good people. It depicts white people who owned slaves, who were struggling with war and a traumatic change in their culture. These kinds of people and this situation actually existed.

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And it gives bad ides to kids...yeah..it was done for adultts,m and older teens

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I'm sorry, but which bad ideas?

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It gives the idea that the only decent people in this movie were black: Mammie and Pork. Can't have that..

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Frankly I think most kids would find this movie boring. They would just complain and moan that nothing interesting is happening and insist on watching something else. I cannot get my 11 year old nephew to watch a Christmas Carol much less this.

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I cannot get my 11 year old nephew to watch a Christmas Carol much less this.


Oh God, no! That is my favorite story of all time, and I have seen what I believe are every film and many stage adaptations of Christmas Carol.


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Me too. But my nephew refused to watch any version except the Real Ghostbusters episode Xmas marks the spot. He refused to even watch the Muppet version.

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The so called racist ones.

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It wasn't racist. Parts of it might have been insensitive or dated but there is no racist message in this film. It certainly shouldn't be banned.

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There is that brief part about "the time of the master and the slave" right at the beginning, that makes a lot of people today go "WTF did we just read?" You have to remember though that in 1939, many people in the South still believed that slavery had been a good thing even for the slaves. That will of course not work today though.
But other than that, this was actually a progressive movie for the time
That is very much lost on many modern viewers though, since such a long time has passed since then.
All of the black characters were played by actual black actors and not by white people in black-faces.
There was never any use of the N-word, despite what you might have expected from a movie about that era.
The KKK wasn't given a positive portrayal either, like I hear that it was in the novel.
Also, the actress who played Mamy was also the first African American to win an Oscar.
Thus, I don't believe that anybody who says that this movie is "racist" really knows a thing about it.

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OP is just trying to get a reaction, and here is one:

The movie is not very racist, if racist at all. It should not be banned. People have a choice to watch it or not.

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Watching it for the first time in about 10 years. The only negative thing I can say is the happy sounding song of Dixie is not what should play when people find out a bunch of their loved ones were lost at Gettysburg. But other than that it's good.

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Those who defend this film need to understand the film and the novel present a whitewashed, romanticized view of the old South that was far from reality and is problematic today in many ways. Yes, the story depicts, on occasion, negative behavior from some southerners (beating slaves, being incompetent, etc.). But the point of view and sympathy lie strictly on the southerners, in a "we the people will rise again" kind of way. We are made to "side" with the southerners and feel their pain and yearn for their old lifestyle to come back. That is a problematic mindset today because WHERE is the concern for black people in all this? WHERE is the depiction of barbaric behavior by the slave owners such as lynching and rape? The lifestyle so yearned for in the story would mean blacks would continue to be enslaved and without human rights, and totally at the mercy of whites. I don't know how ANYONE of you in this day and age could avoid the inescapable conclusion that such a system (and the yearning for it as depicted in GWTW) has no place in today's civilized 21st century world. Yes, I know you don't want to be called racist by association of your love for this film. But please FREE yourself from this CHARADE of calling the film and novel not a racist depiction, because it is. The sentiment expressed in it, is. The tolerance for that kind of inhumane, barbaric behavior, is. Not calling is racist, IS!

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I think many films being made today present a whitewashed, romanticized view of different scenarios or time periods that is far from reality. It’s called FICTION. Gone With the Wind is a work of fiction.

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There are some things you just can't whitewash, such as racial injustice. Yes, certain fiction can be racist too, such as Hitler's propaganda.

Those who keep on endorsing GWTW need to realize that eventually your thinking will disappear from the face of the Earth (gone with the wind indeed) because YOU DON'T LIVE FOREVER to spread that thinking. Future generations will eventually grow up in world where such thinking simply won't exist anymore. You might as well correct that thinking now and give yourself some peace.

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Maybe it’s time to go down the line and reevaluate all works of fiction depicting different time periods in history and have them pass some politically correct litmus test.


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And maybe we WILL do that and/or future generations will. Posterity ALWAYS determines if anything and *everything* is any good, doesn't it? And their opinion simply *is*. And again, nobody is around forever to complain about it.

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You seem to forget that this movie was made in 1939 and is set in the 1860s. It is not fair att all to expect the story to be politically correct by our standards.

And what is your suggestion, really? Do you want to censor and ban every work from past decades and centuries, that is not okay with some people today?

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And maybe that's what will be done, when it needs to be done. And when that happens there is nothing you can do about that. POSTERITY always determines the worth of everything and what to do with it.

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Bullshit there isn’t anything that can be done about it. People are already fighting back against this mass censorship of anything that anyone may perceive as “racist”.

Maybe next they’ll start banning things that you like. Then you’ll change your tune really quickly about the evils of censorship. It’s obvious you don’t care about art, which is strange since you are on a movie discussion website, but censoring art (or agreeing with censorship) because you don’t like it makes you an asshole in my book. If I’m offended by something, you know what I do? I just don’t watch it. I don’t fight tooth and nail to make sure no one else can watch it either. This is a despicable chapter in American history for so many reasons, but we’ll just add this to the list.

You’re not a racist if you enjoy this film. I’m not going to spend too much time discussing this with you, because to be honest you come off as a complete high and mighty toolbag, thinking people who watch GWTW are racist, but it seems fine for you to say “soon everyone who thinks like you will be dead anyway, so it doesn’t matter.” Very compassionate of you. And guess what, plenty of younger people enjoy this film, so it isn’t going anywhere.

Have a nice day fascist. Good luck with all of the banning of things that offend you.

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Nobody has to "ban" anything to make something go away, buddy. Is GWTW being banned now? Is anyone "banning" you from watching the film? There is something called prevailing public opinion, let me educate you on that. NOBODY HAS TO DO A THING and changes in opinions will still come NATURALLY. It's almost like a Darwinian process. You're acting like someone is behind a curtain and "tells" everyone what to think. Nobody forces anyone to think this is a racist book, see. Sooner or later, the prevailing opinion pushes the needle finally over to the other side! And there isn't a damn thing anybody can do. I'm simply describing what is happening, will happen, and has always happened throughout history. It's sad sometimes you "bet on the wrong horse" in history, as it were, but sometimes you bet on the right one too. You win some, you lose some, happens to everyone. To see you people so violated as if someone just stabbed your mother when in fact this is simply HISTORY TAKING ITS NATURAL PATH, is hilarious.

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You're acting like someone is behind a curtain and "tells" everyone what to think.


Yeah, talk to the media about that one. They push what they want to push. There is more than plenty of public opinion that this is complete horseshit, but you don’t want to acknowledge a large number of people feel that way, because it’s obviously not the way you feel. Did you see GWTW shoot to the top of Amazon’s list of copies sold after people like you cheered on it being removed. You just want things banned you don’t like. You have no idea why that is wrong...so there’s not much I can say to you, but claiming moral authority and public opinion being completely on your side is dead wrong. The MEDIA is on your side.

You aren’t going to educate me on anything...so hop off your high horse. Anybody who says “let me educate you...” is a complete douche. I hate to generalize people, but you sound exactly like all the other pathetic smug progressives drinking your soy lattes who support censorship. Anyone who is for censorship of any kind will NEVER be on the right side of history, “buddy”. I’ll bet you think canceling toddler shows like “Paw Patrol” needs to happen too, right? Cops needed cancelled too, right? Yeah, that will solve racism. Nobody EVER watched GWTW and said “racism is awesome. I’m going to be racist after watching this film.”

To see you people so violated as if someone just stabbed your mother when in fact this is simply HISTORY TAKING ITS NATURAL PATH, is hilarious.


It’s not hilarious when people decide what other people are allowed to see, say, and when overly sensitive people see racism in EVERYTHING and EVERYONE, and spend all day lecturing everyone else on how they should feel or take things, when in reality they need to take a look in the mirror themselves.

Yeah, after 81 years, all of the sudden now GWTW has taken its natural path. This has nothing to do with George Floyd. It’s just pathetic virtue signaling.

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What have the media done exactly? Anyone can look up public records to see the real history of the old South! The southern states put slave ownership in their constitution! THE EVIDENCE IS IN THE PUDDING, BUDDY. If you have to talk conspiracy, the only one is where the southern states trying to downplay the role of slavery in the Civil War.

Again, stop acting somebody just stabbed your firstborn. Ranting because a decision doesn't go your way doesn't make you right. If you want to be right, you must convince people you are right, with persuasive ARGUMENTS. Plenty of debates have been made about this film, and the conclusion is clear: advocating a return to slavery is RACIST. Again, no censorship is happening here. The prevailing COLLECTIVE sentiment pushes the needle to where it is. If enough people are unhappy about it like you are, the needle will be coming back. But you gotta convince people! With intelligent arguments. But from what I've seen from you, you and people like you don't seem capable of that.

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And acting like a snob doesn’t make you right either. YES censorship IS happening here. Just because it isn’t against the law doesn’t mean it isn’t a form of censorship. You’re either a complete moron, or just don’t want to hear it. Persuasive arguments are subjective, as without any analytical data they are basically just opinions, so thanks for yet another lecture, but I’ll have to laugh off your supposed “wisdom.”

You don’t seem to listen to any points and just like to listen to yourself talk. Good luck with all the banning you’re looking to do in the future of anything that you may find offensive. I’m guessing you’ll wrongly call a lot of good people racist along the way.

People like you aren’t worth my time anymore. Move out to CHAZ and stay the hell away from us rational and logical people.

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A lot of things you mention are incorrect. Only a small part of the movie shows "the old South": most of it is about the post-war period. "we the people will rise again" is a misquote: you are probably referring to Scarlett's line "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again" which only refers to her own situation when she is at her lowest. But even if you were right there is no reason why the south's desire to recover shouldn't be a motif in a piece of fiction. You seem to want this movie to be something else than it is: that is kind of missing the point. Again: GWTW is a work of fiction and not a documentary. The book was meant as a romance story against the backdrop of the civil war and that is what most of the movie is also about. The movie may contain things that some people may find insensitive or "dated" but it is certainly not racist. Finally I must say that the way in which you seem to judge fans of the movie is irrelevant: everyone should make up their own mind. You have your opinion and other people have theirs. If you can't respect that then you are not going to convince anyone.

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Fiction is not just for telling a story, my friend. It expresses points of views, sentiment, ideologies, etc. You need to take some literature class to learn the how fiction works. Even something as innocuous as Pretty Woman (the 1990 movie) expresses some provocative themes about society. And THAT is the reason for the opposition of GWTW. You can admire the language, storytelling, and historical significance, etc., but you can't deny its problematic nature of its romanticization of the slavery era and the yearning for the old days to come back. That is the TRUTH whether you people choose to believe it or not. And if you don't, then you are simply out of touch with today's social mores. People simply aren't so quick to celebrate and embrace this film anymore. If we had a red carpet event for the 80th anniversary last year, YOU KNOW the first question the stars would be asked before they even got out of their limos would be, what do you think of the film's controversy?

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Some people will find racism in anything. I don't think GWTW is racist. Nor do I think it is a very good movie. In fact I think it is a steaming pile of shit.
As for asking anyone at the 80th anniversary what they thought, I'm sure the 103 year old Olivia de Haviland would probably die laughing!

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It's not that "some people find racism in everything." It's just that some find racism in something that you think that has no racism. Are you that arrogant in thinking whatever you think is right? If you find the views of others are shocking, others may also find yours shocking too.

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Are you that arrogant in thinking whatever you think is right?
^^^^
No, but appears you are.
As I said, some people think GWTW is racist...I don't.
Some people think GWTW is a masterpiece....again, I don't.
I don't find the views of others shocking. I either agree or disagree. I gave my opinion. You don't have to agree with it and I'm not ramming it down your throat. Is it right? Well a lot of people think it is a masterpiece and you seem to think it's racist. So right and wrong isn't really the issue is it. The issue is you presuming everybody else is wrong. Arrogance at its' best.

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Your arrogance comes from saying "some people find racism in everything," which is a DUMB, sweeping, negative statement that immediately takes away all your credibility, because YOU are the one making presumptions about everyone, buddy. I could easily say, "some people never find racism in anything," but I didn't. So how was I arrogant? This is why the decision against GWTW was made -- because you people can't convince anyone you're right with your poor arguments and poor argumentative skills as indicated by your posts.

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Some people do find racism in anything. Oh and by the way, 'some' isn't everyone.
I know a guy who thinks the game of snooker is racist. Not the institution, the actual game.

You could indeed say some people never find racism in anything. Guess what? You would be right, and it would not make you arrogant to say so if you knew of such people. If you didn't it wouldn't make you arrogant either...it would make you presumptuous.

How were you arrogant? You presume everybody who doesn't agree with your opinion is wrong. What you don't seem to grasp is that it is simply an opinion. Opinions are like arseholes, everybody has them.

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Reading Moviemadness´s comments reminds me a saying by 16th century philosopher Spinoza:

"A man´s deepest desire is to force everyone to like what he likes, and to forbid everyone to like what he dislikes."

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So very true

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Well said.

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👍👌☝️

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But seriously! You make it sound like you want a dictatorship, where people can't even choose which movies to watch in their own homes. How is that an improvement of society in any possible way?
And you also don't seem to want anybody to know anything about history, that people had different values in different eras.

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This decision made against GWTW was not the result of any "dictatorship," but of PUBLIC OPINION which already FACTORED IN opinions like yours. In other words, this was already a DEMOCRATIC decision. But there just aren't enough people like you to cause the outcome that you desire, see. Maybe 20, 30, 50 years ago, there were. Public opinion changes over time, always has, always will.

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It seems to me that most people in this thread disagree with you though.

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This forum is TINY part of society as a whole. The movie industry is a BUSINESS that caters to a MUCH LARGER GROUP than those that admire GWTW! Businesses look at bottom lines and HAVE to be mindful of the social mores. I hate to break it to most of you, but people today aren't ready to embrace this film as much anymore. And it has reached a tipping point. Yeah, having "most people" agree with you here doesn't do much for any you, does it?

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And yet, you seem to be unable to stand if we don't agree with you.

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And you seem to be out of ammo in this debate when you have to bring up a totally irrelevant topic. When you are out of arguments, it is commonly known as LOSING an argument in a debate.

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You must be very young in thinking that your opinion is the "truth". Or to think that no one but you has thought about certain subjects. The "2020-perspective" of a movie is not the only way to look at a movie, and for a movie made in the late 30's it is certainly the least relevant way to look at a movie. Not sure you will ever get that though. Actually, I am beginning to doubt whether you ever saw this movie in the first place.

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A movie can be looked at in WHICHEVER way any person wants to look at it. This is why art exists. Nobody "owns" an art or how to think about it. It's REALLY ironic the way you people object to certain ways of judging this movie when in fact you are doing the exact same thing: judging it in a certain way, while not allowing it to be judged differently. You are allowed to judge it any way you want (just like the last 80 years), but you gotta to CONVINCE those who disagree with you that your judgment is better. But as time goes on, your way of thinking has been deemed outdated, and that's why this decision was made.

Btw, being young has the same danger as being old, my friend -- the danger of not being able to learn new insights and ideas. Some of you people have the stereotypical "you young punks, get off my lawn" kind of attitude. Why do old people have to conform to this stereotype?

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Lol! You think your ideas are new? Think again. Every idea has already been thought of before and it is the arrogance of youth to think that this isn't the case. The events of the past few weeks have reminded me a lot of this: seeing millennials discover racism and thinking that they invented the fight against this. Lack of nuance and censorship is also nothing new: the tyrants of history already invented that. I hope you will enjoy re-reading your comments in a couple of decades time and not be too embarrassed about them. I learned quite a few years ago and in due course hopefully so will you.

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Everyone needs to realize a little thing called compromise. We can realize that this movie is both A) A wonderfully made movie for its time and an enthralling story with a great cast and amazing sets, and B) Horribly racist in both how it depicted black people as well as how the black people (and likely other minorities) involved in the production were treated.

Because both are true. Neither can or does cancel the other out. I personally love this movie and am against censorship. And, I'm sorry because I know this sounds like a cliche, but I have a friend who is black and considers this among her favorite movies, and yes of course she's aware of the controversy and how she *should* feel.

So, it's fine to watch this movie and enjoy it, but it's important to put it in its context, and have conversations about it, especially if you know someone is new to the film.

Besides, ultimately, isn't sparking conversation about the most important thing a film can aspire to?

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"horribly racist" is way too strong a description. "dated" and "insensitive" are much better descriptions. People use the word "racist" too much. Because of it there is the risk of not getting any response to it because the most minor things are deemed "racist". That wouldn't be good if you ask me.

Anyway: it is clear that a movie like this wouldn't be made this way in this day and age.

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Actually, the movie was progressive when it comes to racial issues when it was made back in 1939.
I explained it in more detail in a previous post.

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Whether it was deemed progressive back then no longer matters. The social mores at that time was only relevant to the people ALIVE at that time. The people alive now determine what the social mores is, always has, always will.

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Except, that is not true. Even if you don't care about history, lots of people do.

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But there are many different kinds of history. The only kind that matters is scientific history, because science is built on objective truths, and new discoveries don't negate past discoveries. History that is built on "beliefs" is always subject to change.

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But surely, one part of the science of History is to study the beliefs of the previous generations?
That won't be possible if older works aren't allowed to survive.

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This year is the worst!

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Not racist at all.

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