"Gone with the Wind" returned to theaters over the weekend in celebration of the film's 75th anniversary, and a home-video box set that includes a music box, embroidered handkerchiefs, and hours of bonus features will be released Tuesday.
Among the bonus footage is a 30-minute documentary, "Old South/New South," by filmmaker and historian Gary Leva, which explores the shortcomings of the film in relation to race and the portrayal of slavery.
According to The Associated Press, Leva and other historians discuss how the film perpetuated the myth that the South's involvement in the Civil War was all about the defense of states' rights — when it was clearly about the right to own slaves.
"But when you get right down to it, what state right are you talking about?" asks University of North Carolina history professor David Goldfield in the film. "You're talking about the right of individuals to own slaves."
On a more positive note, bonus content released with the box set discuss how the film was responsible for the first Academy Award nomination of an African American. Because of her role as Scarlett O'Hara's nanny Mammy in the film, actress Hattie McDaniel became not only the first African American to be nominated for an Oscar, but also to win for Best Supporting Actress.
Even as an Oscar-winner, however, McDaniel faced discrimination.
According to the New York Post, "McDaniel was barred from the Atlanta premiere of 'Gone with the Wind' by local organizers in the Jim Crow-ruled South — and even in progressive Hollywood, she was forced to sit at the back of the segregated Oscar ceremonies, away from Gable and Leigh (who both shook her hand afterward)."
NPR reported that while many older Americans consider "Gone with the Wind" a timeless touchstone, many young people haven't seen the film. When one reporter asked a Georgetown University film class if they'd seen the movie, most said they hadn't.
Some said they were turned off by the story, which they boiled down to being "a love story of people who own slaves."
Others who'd seen the film took issue with Scarlett waking up the morning after her husband essentially raped her and being in a wonderful mood.
Still, others praised the movie, acknowledging how important it is to film history, and how it remains a film whose central love theme resonates with multiple generations.
"I saw it because I have aunts and uncles . . . who were very affected by it when they were growing up," said student Becky Neff. "It's a way [for] us to share something together in common and they like to pass down things that were interesting for them."