The Lost Cause advocates did a great disservice to U. S. history and did much to perpetuate segregation for another century after the 13th Amendment was ratified. Margaret Mitchell's novel was more of this same crap, essentially a Romance Novel for the racists in the Great Unwashed. The film's production values were ahead of its time, and it had an memorable cast, outstanding cinematography, and Max Steiner's best remembered score. But that is far outweighed by the portrayal of slaves as happy working for their benevolent Massa, lazy, stupid, and incapable of telling the truth. I can't imagine how mortified any African American must have felt when they saw Butterfly McQueen's character on the screen. The premiere was in Atlanta and strictly segregated -- so McQueen and Hattie McDaniel couldn't even attend. When McDaniel won the Best Supporting Actress, she wasn't allowed to sit with the rest of the cast and had to sit at the fringe of the audience because the Coconut Grove where the ceremonies were held was segregated -- the Coconut Grove was in LOS ANGELES, for chrissakes!
Review of Gone with the Wind
