Turner Classic Movies Labels List of 18 Iconic Movies As ‘Troubling and Problematic’
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has deemed Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and Rope ‘troubling and problematic’ along with other iconic classics like Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Gone With the Wind
TCM recently launched a series called “Reframed: Classic Films in the Rearview Mirror” where they screen beloved classics even though parts of the films are “troubling and problematic.”
TCM added that they were looking, “at a collection of such movies and we’ll explore their history, consider their cultural context and discuss how these movies can be reframed so that future generations will keep their legacy alive.”
The series has brought negative attention towards Turner Classic Movies on both sides of the political spectrum. Left-wing social justice advocates are upset the network is airing the movies at all, while conservatives are upset the movies are being analyzed through a modern lens.
The movies they are screening and analyzing include:
The Jazz Singer (1927)
Swing Time (1936)
Stagecoach (1939)
Gunga Din (1939)
The Four Feathers (1939)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Woman of the Year (1942)
Dragon Seed (1944)
Sinbad, the Sailor (1947)
Rope (1948)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
The Searchers (1956)
Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959)
Psycho (1960)
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
The Children’s Hour (1961)
My Fair Lady (1964)
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
TCM claims in The Searchers, a classic western directed by John Ford which stars John Wayne includes, “the characterization of Indigenous people” in a “both stereotypical and underdeveloped” manner.
They also analyze the iconic 1961 Breakfast at Tiffany’s movie saying many feel, “the film is marred by Mickey Rooney’s supporting role as a Japanese neighbor who is played for exaggerated comic effect, with exaggerated makeup and offensive dialect.”
One of the most common victims of cancel culture, Gone With The Wind, will also be featured in the Turner Classic Movies’ series.
The movie won a record number of Oscars and continues to be watched on a regular basis however TCM claims, “controversy has surrounded the film since its inception due to its pleasant view of slavery in addition to stereotypes surrounding the portrayal of Black characters in particular.”
Do you think Turner Classic Movies is taking a stand against cancel culture by playing the movies on their network? Or do you believe TCM is caving to political correctness for labeling aspects of the movies to be troubling and problematic? Comment your thoughts below!