A screening of "Gone with the Wind" canceled in Paris, "inadmissible" for the Minister of Culture

"France will always defend the freedom to create and distribute works. Like equality, it is the heart of our values". Culture Minister Franck Riester reacted on Saturday June 13 on Twitter to the Grand Rex's decision to cancel a screening of the film "Gone with the Wind" scheduled for ten days. 

The deprogramming of the film “Gone with the Wind” at the Grand Rex is incomprehensible and inadmissible. France will always defend the freedom to create and distribute works. Like equality, it is the heart of our values. https://t.co/CkWZWSnevP

Without giving explanations, the Parisian cinema said Friday that it was bending to the request of the American studio Warner, because of a controversy over the film. "Warner Bros. tells us that it wants to cancel the screening of 'Gone with the Wind'. Thank you for your understanding," the team at the cinema and show venue said on Twitter.

Hello,

Warner Bros. tells us that it wants to cancel the screening of "Gone with the Wind".

Thank you for your understanding.

The Grand Rex team. pic.twitter.com/JbZaUYFcmS

On its website, the Grand Rex specifies that "all people who have reserved a place" will be "automatically reimbursed". The projection of a restored copy of the film was scheduled for June 23, the day after the reopening of cinemas in France, in its large hall which can accommodate 2,700 people.

One of the biggest successes in cinema

This decision comes as the "Black Lives Matter" movement, revived after the death of George Floyd in the United States, turns the world of entertainment and culture upside down. 

Launched at the end of May, HBO Max has decided to temporarily remove Victor Fleming's multi-Oscar-winning film from his catalog with Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, on the grounds that it "depicts racist prejudices that were common in American society". The brand new platform plans to put the film back online with contextual elements.

"Gone with the Wind", which tells the story of Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler against the backdrop of the American Civil War, is considered one of the biggest successes in the history of cinema. Hattie McDanielIl, who plays the role of a servant servant in this film, became, in 1940, the first African-American interpreter to receive an Oscar by winning that of best actress in a supporting role. 

The decision of the Grand Rex provoked many reactions on social networks, in particular of moviegoers who do not understand how it is possible to deprogram this work. 

Shame on the @warnerbrosfr

You trample the memory of cinema, the memory of David O. Selznick and of @MGM_Studios https://t.co/uwqOn1S6va

With AFP

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