'Gone With the Wind' screenings pulled from Memphis theater for racially 'insensitive' content

foxnews.com ^ | 8/28/17 | Sasha Savitsky

[ColdOne]

If this theater company thought their patrons wouldn't give a damn, they were wrong.

A historic Memphis, Tennessee, theater, which has shown "Gone With the Wind" screenings for 34 years, has decided to remove the classic film from its schedule due to its racially "insensitive" content.

The move comes after violence erupted at a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month. The president of the Orpheum Theatre said the decision to remove the 1939 film was not directly related to the recent

[GreyFriar]

I guess the protesters have not noticed that in the movie, as in real life, the South lost the war, slaves were freed and the plantation economy was destroyed...and Atlanta was still burned. I wonder how many of them have ever seen the movie, let alone read the novel?

[onedoug]

The president of the Orpheum Theatre is a coward.

[itsahoot]

So, you believe that you have the right to dictate what movies a privately owned theater shows?

Nope but neither do mobs.

[USNA74]

This normally would be sarcastic, but don’t be surprised when “they” start calling for the graves to be dug up to move soldiers (i.e., generals) such as Robert E. Lee. Can’t have those people buried next to “right-thinking” people. Not really a huge leap from the brouhaha about the statues.

[vetvetdoug]

The race of professional victims of Memphis are already calling for the removal of the graves of General Forrest and his wife.

[Fiji Hill]

When was the last time anyone saw Song of the South?

1958, when it played in our local movie theater.

[publius911]

And Blazing Saddles will probably be put out to pasture along side Song of the South, not to be a found again on US home video or cable or theatrical screenings.

Song of the South has been unavailable in the US for at least 15 years even from Canada where it exists but not allowed by U.S. customs, a clear case of national unconstitutional censorship; I tried several times...

Finally brought a copy back with me after a trip to Canada.

Used to know a source of a Freeper who used to give away free copies.

I guess I better get my copy of Blazing Saddles, while I can.

[Magnum44]

Seems like you can find it here pretty easily online:

https://www.bonanza.com/listings/Walt-Disney-s-Song-of-the-South-DVD-Rare-1946-Family-Film-black-case-/501227040?goog_pla=1&gpid=177431040781&keyword=&goog_pla=1&pos=1o2&ad_type=pla&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxpmv7fj61QIVDrnACh2N3gR2EAQYAiABEgLYPPD_BwE

[real saxophonist]

I'm wondering when the bulldozers will come to Andersonville. Believe it or not, we went there to have our high school band yearbook pictures taken. Historic buildings. Lot of black people in that band, none had a problem with it.

Can't do that now.

[Sam Gamgee]

I always found the film an oddity of sort. A lot of historical revisionism in the story, so it soundly deserves CRITICISM. That is what normal free nations do. They don’t ban films.

[Slyfox]

And Mammy got an Oscar from a bunch of people who descended from people who once owned slaves.

[wardamneagle]

What a shameful act to one of the top classics based on American history. This is getting out of control ridiculous. Hope the theatre goes out of business.

[dr_lew]

That’d be about when I saw it, gotta think.

[a fool in paradise]

I saw SotS in the theaters in the 1980s.

There was a Japanese laserdisc release (NTSC) and an Hong Kong laserdisc release (NTSC) and an Irish VHS release (PAL). Not sure what else.

I rented the Hong Kong disc from a store in the 1990s.

[a fool in paradise]

>>Then comes “The Godfather”. After all, a few Italians back in the day thought it unfairly portrayed them,

It was a consortium of publicists working on behalf of mobsters. Like CAIR for the Italian mafia.

[spintreebob]

racism? Have you seen the SEXISM in that movie? The male privilege?

[Verginius Rufus]

I recall reading that before the movie was released, the NAACP or some similar group "vetted" the movie and some changes were made to address their concerns.

But the opinions of people born after the end of segregation count for more than those of people who had experienced prejudice and discrimination first-hand.

[GreenHornet]

The next target will be John Wayne.

[x]

racism? Have you seen the SEXISM in that movie? The male privilege?

Frankly, my dear, ...

[LydiaLong]

Then comes “The Godfather”. After all, a few Italians back in the day thought it unfairly portrayed them, so it would not surprise me to see the same sort of controversy nowadays.
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“I don’t want it near schools. I don’t want it sold to children. In my city, we’d keep the traffic in the Dark People, the Coloreds-they’re animals anyway.”