Gone With the Facts

Kenneth Turan’s commentary on “Gone With the Wind” (“A Real Steel Magnolia,” June 24) sadly perpetuates one of today’s more popular American myths, that the movie is racist, primarily because Prissy, a childlike black woman, is so “painful” to watch. Aunt Pittipat is an old white woman, just as ditsy as Prissy. Why isn’t she painful to watch?

“GWTW” is about a pampered, indulged girl whose life is destroyed around her and how she uses everything from drapes to deceit to keep from going hungry again. It’s happened thousands of times in countless places in every generation. The Civil War and slavery are only the incidental backdrop.

Further, an examination of Margaret Mitchell’s private life reveals that she was anything but racist. Give it a rest already.

BECKY WEISS

Los Angeles

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There are two historical errors in Turan’s “GWTW” article. Val Lewton became a producer, not a director. And David O. Selznick himself would have taken strong umbrage at Turan’s statement that the burning of Atlanta was filmed on the Metro back lot; it was actually the RKO-Pathe (now Culver City Studios) lot where Selznick was a tenant.

RICK MITCHELL

Los Angeles