TCM to re-examine racially charged classic films in new series: from ‘Gone with The Wind’ to ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s'

The programme aims to provide modern context to classic films

1939 movie 'Gone with The Wind,' starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, has been accused of perpetuating black stereotypes of the civil war era. Shutterstock

Prepare to see some of your favourite films in a new light.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM), a television channel dedicated to films from Hollywood's golden era, has launched a month-long campaign throwing new light on old movies.

Airing in various time slots on Thursdays throughout March, the programme, Reframed: Classic Films In The Rear-view Mirror, will feature film critics and historians taking part in roundtable discussions focusing on certain films and various issues they have raised.

"All of the films in this series are legendary classics, but when we watch them today, we’re seeing them in a different cultural context,” TCM said.

“We often see problems now that we might not have seen when they were made, whether it’s about race or gender."

Here are four films that will be put under the microscope in the series:

1. ‘Gone with the Wind’ (1939)

Based on the 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell, the epic drama is set in the American south and follows the torrid relationship between Scarlett O'Hara, the feisty daughter of a plantation owner, and businessman Rhett Butler.

Despite its classic status, the film has been continually criticised for perpetuating black stereotypes of the American Civil War and not providing commentary on slavery that was rife in the era.

2. ‘The Searchers’ (1956)

Viewed as one of Hollywood's quintessential Westerns, The Searchers stars John Wayne as a cantankerous Confederate soldier on a mission to rescue a niece kidnapped by Comanches.

The film has been tarred with accusations of racism because of the bigoted nature of Wayne's character and its primitive representations of indigenous communities.

3. 'Breakfast at Tiffany’s' (1961)

At its surface, the film is a colourful romantic comedy about a socialite (Audrey Hepburn) who falls in love with a struggling writer (George Peppard), but the film is blighted by Mickey Rooney's supporting role of Japanese neighbour I Y Yunioshi.

The exaggerated makeup (a prosthetic mouthpiece) and caricatured performance remains a source of anger for Asian-Americans.

4. 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' (1967)

This story of a young interracial couple, John Prentice and Joanna Drayton (Sidney Poitier and Katharine Houghton), meeting the latter's white liberal parents, has been marred by its unrealistic plot.

With Poitier’s character viewed as flawless and devoid of dramatic heft, critics accused the film of lacking any teeth as it shied away from discussing its central issue of interracial relationships.