Gone With the Wind soars on Amazon after temporary pull from HBO Max

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Does absence make the heart grow fonder? In the case of GONE WITH THE WIND, that might very well be the case. After being pulled from HBO Max, albeit temporarily, GONE WITH THE WIND has soared on Amazon as questions about its content in this state of current affairs are being questioned.

The 1939 cinematic classic rose to the top of Amazon’s movies and tv bestsellers list overnight and by Wednesday the film occupied the number 1 slot, the number 8 slot, and the number 9 slot. As of this writing, the film sits in the top three spots on the list. GONE WITH THE WIND also accomplished this feat in three different iterations that include DVD, Blu-ray, and the 70th Anniversary Edition. From what can be seen, the movie has sold out in every format, although there is a pretty pricey $334.01 Blu-Ray copy still being offered. 

GONE WITH THE WIND, which is still available to rent or own via Amazon’s digital Prime Video service, became the poster child of reassessing art and other content overnight after HBO Max announced temporarily pulling the film from their service so they may add "a discussion of its historical context.” The argument being made is that the film is not aging well in an era of protests against police brutality and racial injustice. The horrors of slavery are played down and it portrays slaves as mostly happy with their circumstances and loyal to their owners. Director John Ridley took issue with the film Monday and called for the film to be pulled from HBO Max and with the ongoing protests and focus on racial inequality, it seems as if HBO Max felt they couldn't just have the film on their platform without having that discussion about its historical context. The film itself will be untouched because if any changes are made, it will seem as if they're trying to rewrite history and pretend as if slavery didn't exist.

I didn't speak on this when I wrote the HBO Max piece yesterday but I will today. I think this begins a very slippery slope when it comes to art and content moving forward. I personally don't think the film should've been pulled and I also think if HBO Max chose to do so to add some sort disclaimer ahead of the movie, they didn't need to make a public announcement. GONE WITH THE WIND is a product of its time and once we start trying to pull various forms of art because it's not pretty by today's standards, it's going to open it up to putting all art on the chopping block. Where do we draw the line on this? Going after GONE WITH THE WIND isn't going to change what's going on in the world. It has been a part of the cinematic framework for years and I think most of us are astute enough to realize that it's a product of its time.