Tipsheet

Is Netflix Serious With Its Description of This Classic Oscar-Winning Film?

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  July 16, 2026 8:00 AM

Imagine being a moviegoer in 1939. Not only did you get to see the incredible 'Wizard of Oz' in all its technicolor glory, but you also got to see 'Gone With the Wind,' the sweeping Civil War epic that ended up winning Best Picture and a slew of other awards. Perhaps the only person who had a better year than movie fans was Victor Fleming, who directed both pictures and won Best Director for the latter.

But because 'Gone With the Wind' hails from a different era, it's been deemed by a bunch of woke scolds as 'problematic.' Despite that, if you even have a cultural knowledge of the film, it's unlikely that the first thing that pops into your head when you hear the title is 'racism.'

Yet that's how Netflix describes the film when you do a Google search using the terms 'Netflix Gone With the Wind' the description reads: "A 1939 American Civil War epic known for its racism."

Yes, it's real. This writer looked it up herself. But it was removed by Netflix following the backlash.

Here's more:

Netflix is drawing criticism from online commentators who accuse the platform of forcing political messaging into how the epic film "Gone with the Wind" is described on the streaming service.

The resurfaced description circulated online this week, reads, "A 1939 American Civil War epic known for its racism." It also directs viewers to search for Black Lives Matter content, adding, "To learn more about Black lives in America, search 'Black Lives Matter.'"

While the 1939 film is unavailable to stream on Netflix in the United States, the title page remains live as an inactive placeholder on its website. The inclusion of the Black Lives Matter label on the public landing page has drawn criticism online, with commentators accusing Netflix of imposing modern political narratives on a classic film. It's unclear, however, who penned the description.

This is also why owning physical media is so important.

A 'problematic film.'

Yes, it was.

And it broke racial barriers.

Weird how Netflix looks over this.

Yet entirely believable and on-brand.

Now we have the ability, which explains why the Left is so eager to censor social media.

This is a level of nuance and thinking that the Left is incapable of achieving.