Gone with the Wind Removed from HBO Max Over Depiction of Slavery

The US civil war epic 'Gone with the Wind' has been taken off HBO Max following protests over its depiction of slavery, the BBC reports. 

The move followed an article in the LA Times by John Ridley, Oscar-winning scriptwriter of 12 Years a Slave, in which he described it as “a film that, when it is not ignoring the horrors of slavery, pauses only to perpetuate some of the most painful stereotypes of people of color”.

HBO Max said the 1939 film was "a product of its time" and depicted "ethnic and racial prejudices" that "were wrong then and are wrong today".

"It said the film would return to the platform at an unspecified date with a "discussion of its historical context".

"Set during and after the American Civil War, Gone with the Wind has long been attacked for its depiction of slavery," reads the publication. 

'Gone with the Wind' is a novel by American writer Margaret Mitchell, first published in 1936. The story is set in Clayton County and Atlanta, both in the US state of Georgia, during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era.

Based on the novel, it features slave characters who seem content with their lot and who remain loyal to their former owners after slavery's abolition.

By Ana Dumbadze 

Source: BBC