The iconic movie line that resulted in a $5,000 fine
The phrase ‘kill your darlings’ refers to the act of a writer removing parts of a screenplay that they might love but need to be cut since they simply don’t serve the central story. Such occurred in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, when a battle between Sauron and Aragorn was cut and in Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 movie Dr. Strangelove, when the cream pie conclusion was canned, but such didn’t happen to Gone with the Wind, with the writer paying the consequences.
Often considered one of the greatest and most influential movies in Hollywood history, Gone with the Wind earned eight Oscars upon its release, including ‘Best Picture’, earning an estimated $390million in the process, a monumental figure at the time which makes the film one of the highest-grossing of all time when adjusted for inflation. A historically important film, Gone with the Wind is also known for featuring the very first Black Oscar-winner, Hattie McDaniel.
Starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, the film tells the story of an unlikely romance that unfolds and crumbles during the end of the American Civil War. While influential, the film is today considered problematic for its racist depictions, with the poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson highlighting: “Birth of a Nation was such a barefaced lie that a moron could see through it. Gone with the Wind is such a subtle lie that it will be swallowed as truth by millions of whites and Blacks alike.”
No doubt, the film’s most iconic moment comes when the protagonist, Rhett Butler (Gable), turns to Scarlett O’Hara (Leigh) at the end of the film before uttering with cold heartlessness, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Yet, thanks to the censorship laws of the era, the line was very close to not making the final cut, with the authorities wishing screenwriter Sidney Howard to change it to “Frankly my dear, I just don’t care.”
Indeed, much has changed since the 1930s, and in today’s world, you could certainly get away with saying ‘damn’ to even the most stoney-faced police officer and expect to get away with literally nothing at all. Yet, back in the day, it was considered pretty strong, and, as a result, the producer of the movie, David O. Selznick, was fined $5,000 for including it, which totals to about $110,900 when adjusted for inflation.
It’s safe to say that nothing similar has ever happened in the world of cinema, especially as so much rides on a film getting a particular age certificate. If a movie has too much swearing, it will simply be barred from a massive demographic of audience members.
Take a look at the iconic moment from Gone with the Wind below and judge for yourself whether the language is a little too rich.
