Film: Gone with the Wind (1939, dir. Victor Fleming)

🎬Module 3

Decision-Making in the Real World (Representation & Ethics)

Activity

Watch Gone with the Wind (1939)

Consider the dilemma: should a university screen this film as part of a teaching programme?

Screen it without comment?

Screen it with critical context?

Ban it entirely?

Replace it with another film?

Decide what you would do, and why.

Welcome to Module 3

Critical thinking doesn’t stop at analysing films; it helps us make difficult real-world decisions.

Gone with the Wind is one of the most famous and successful films ever made. But its portrayal of race and slavery is widely criticised. This raises an ethical question: should we keep showing such films today, and if so, how?.

Some tips

When we talk about representation & ethics in film, we’re asking: what messages do films send into the world, and what responsibility do we have when we watch or show them?

Here are some tips to help you think it through:

  1. Start with the film itself

    • What does Gone with the Wind show about race, slavery, and history?

    • Does it challenge stereotypes, or reinforce them?

  2. Think about impact

    • Who might be harmed by seeing these portrayals today?

    • Who might value the film as art or history?

  3. Balance values

    • Ethics often means weighing up more than one good thing: preserving culture, respecting communities, encouraging learning, avoiding harm.

    • There’s rarely a simple right/wrong answer — the strength is in how you reason it out.

  4. Consider context

    • A film can be harmful if shown uncritically, but what if it comes with a discussion, a warning, or expert framing?

    • The way we present media can change its meaning.

  5. Make your decision, explain why

    • Imagine you had to choose: keep showing the film, stop showing it, or show it with guidance.

    • What matters most to you in making that choice?

👉 The key is: don’t rush. Read the prompts, jot down your thoughts, and ask yourself why you feel that way. Critical thinking is less about the “answer” and more about the reasoning you use.

What decision would you make if responsible for programming the university film series?

Prompts to help you

ilemma: Should a university screen this film as part of a teaching programme?

Prompt 1: Screen it without comment

  • What might students assume if the film is shown with no introduction or guidance?

  • Do we risk treating it as “just entertainment” rather than as a historical artifact with problematic ideas?

Prompt 2: Screen it with critical context

  • How could framing the film (with a lecture, reading, or discussion) help students question its portrayal of race, slavery, and gender?

  • What kinds of questions would you ask to help the audience “see the constructed world” behind the film?

Prompt 3: Ban it entirely

  • If the film is never screened, what might be lost in terms of learning about Hollywood history and cultural influence?

  • Do you think protecting students from harmful material is more important than analysing it critically? Why or why not?

Prompt 4: Replace it with another film

  • Could another film (e.g. 12 Years a Slave or Selma) cover the same themes without reproducing damaging stereotypes?

  • What might students miss if they don’t see how a “classic” film like Gone with the Wind shaped audiences for decades?

Final Prompt: Make your decision

  • If you were designing the course, which option would you choose?

  • Why does your choice make the best balance between learning, harm, and responsibility?

👉 When you’ve finished, we’ll sit together and talk through your answers, just me and you.