‘Gone with the Wind’ returning to HBO Max with ‘multiple historical contexts’ provided

HBO Max will reintroduce “Gone With The Wind” while providing “multiple historical contexts” around the 1939 film, which critics argue romanticized slavery in the Deep South.

The move comes after the Oscar-winning picture was pulled from HBO’s streaming platform last week following an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times by “12 Years A Slave” screenwriter John Ridley calling for its removal.

The highest-grossing movie of all time will now include an introduction on HBO Max from Jacqueline Stewart, an African American film and media studies professor at the University of Chicago, who penned an op-ed for CNN on Saturday.

“I will provide an introduction placing the film in its multiple historical contexts. For me, this is an opportunity to think about what classic films can teach us,” Stewart wrote.

“Right now, people are turning to movies for racial re-education, and the top-selling books on Amazon are about anti-racism and racial inequality. If people are really doing their homework, we may be poised to have our most informed, honest, and productive national conversations yet about Black lives on screen and off,” she added.

Stewart, who also serves as the host of Turner Classic Movies’ (TCM) “Silent Sunday Nights,” did not provide a firm date for the return of “Gone with the Wind” to HBO Max.

The Hill has reached out to HBO for comment. 

HBO, TCM and CNN are owned by AT&T under its WarnerMedia division.

“Gone With the Wind” won 10 Academy Awards, including best picture and best director. Vivien Leigh won best actress, and Hattie McDaniel captured best supporting actress, becoming the first African American woman to do so.

The film is the highest-grossing of all time when adjusted for inflation, raking in more than $3.3 billion, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

The decision to remove it from HBO Max came out after nationwide protests broke out over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis late last month. Video showed white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes during an arrest as Floyd said he could not breathe. The officer and three others have been fired and face multiple charges.

The long-running reality TV series “Cops” was also pulled by Paramount TV after 33 years on the air, and “Live PD” was canceled by A&E last week.