Gone With the Wind

I have been researching the Kentucky Theatre for over a month now, and in my early research I came upon a fact that continues to stick with me.  The Kentucky Theatre website said that in 1940 they showed Gone With the Wind for two weeks straight and it was sold out every time.  This amazes me.  That is thousands of people seeing one movie.  To me this is just a minor way to show the impact Gone With the Wind had on film history.   Soon, the film will celebrate its seventy fifth-year anniversary since the premier.  To honor this, the University of Texas will host a temporary exhibit that contains items such as the iconic dress the character Scarlett O’ Hara wore in the movie.

In addition to announcing the exhibit, this article discusses the controversy that went into the making of the film.  Given that the book is loaded with many overly racist attributes, was the film going to include these?  In the end it did end up cutting several racist aspects.  Selznick removed any use of the “N-word”, as well as references to the Ku Klux Klan.  While Selznick had no desire to produce an anti-black film, race is certainly a huge part of it.  His judgment in what to include from the novel and what to exclude is perhaps the only reason this film is not just another embarrassment from America’s race centered past. 

Overall, I found this article rather interesting.  I have never personally seen or read Gone With the Wind, but this article makes me think I should.  Any film that can have this much impact nearly seventy-five years after its release deserves further attention in my opinion.  Being that the Kentucky Theatre is also a part of film history, it seems only fitting that it showed Gone With the Wind in its prime.  By further researching the impact this film had on the United States, it contributes to the impact of this film on Lexington, and in particular, the racial issues that surround it.    

Sources:  

"The History of the Kentucky Theater." Web log post. The Kentucky Theatre RSS. The Kentucky Theater, 2008-2014. Web. 14 Sept. 2014. <http://www.kentuckytheater.com/about/the-history-of-the-kentucky-theater/>.

Smith, Lee.  "'Gone With the Wind' exhibit: Frankly, we still give a damn."  Cable News Network.  Turner Broadcasting System, 9 Sept. 2014.  Web. 20 Oct. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/09/travel/gone-with-the-wind-exhibit-75th-anniversary/>