Photo/Illutration In this Dec. 19, 1939, file photo, a crowd gathers outside the Astor Theater on Broadway during the premiere of "Gone with the Wind" in New York. (AP Photo)

The 1939 U.S. film "Gone with the Wind" has a cast of many memorable characters, one of whom is Mammy, a large African-American maid of protagonist Scarlett O'Hara.

Hattie McDaniel (1895-1952), who played the role of Mammy, won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1940.

At the time, racial segregation was mandated by law in the United States, and McDaniel had to obtain special permission to go into the hotel where the awards ceremony was being held. But she was not allowed to sit at the same table as her co-stars.

Even though the film made her the first African-American to win an Oscar, how she was treated at the hotel revealed the stark reality of racism in America.

The film is still popular today as a masterpiece that depicted the American Civil War from the standpoint of the South. However, its portrayal of race relations has been criticized for years.

Black people are characterized as obedient or slow-witted, and there are scenes where slavery is fondly recalled.

Amid the mounting popular outrage today against police brutality targeting black people, a major U.S. video streaming service on June 9 pulled "Gone with the Wind" from its library of films.

No movie is ever free from the prejudices of the era in which it is made. I personally feel it is going too far to simply remove it from circulation.

That said, I can appreciate America's dilemma, in that racism is not yet a thing of the past.

How best to confront vile history? What happened earlier this week in Britain caught my interest.

In a series of Black Lives Matter protests in Bristol, a group of demonstrators toppled the statue of a 17th-century slave trader and threw it into the harbor. The statue will be recovered by local authorities and displayed at a museum, together with protest signs and placards, according to a British daily.

With "Gone with the Wind," I understand that the streaming service will add historical context to the film before restarting to play it.

Be it a film or literary work, a true masterpiece will stand the test of history and continue to shine.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 12

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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