J.D.R. Hawkins

Controversy Can Make Great Publicity

After talk of banning the movie “Gone With the Wind,” something fascinating happened. On Friday, the movie was the overall best-selling Blu-ray feature film on Amazon’s US website. It outsold new releases, including “Fifty Shades of Grey” and “American Sniper.” Not bad for a 75-year-old movie.

It appears that many people are afraid the movie will be pulled from Amazon, just like “The Dukes of Hazzard” television show. “Gone With the Wind,” which has been available in numerous editions on video since 1985, has been criticized for its romantic portrayal of slavery and the Confederacy. Warner Bros., which has owned “Gone With the Wind” since 1996, has no intention of withdrawing such a lucrative film. “Gone With the Wind” has sold more theater tickets than any other film.

Controversy about the Confederate battle flag has also dramatically affected sales. A flag company in Huntsville, Alabama refused to stop making the battle flag, otherwise known as St. Andrews Cross, after the flag was blamed for a mass shooting in South Carolina. Since then, Alabama Flag & Banner has received so many orders that they are backlogged.

“I’m not aware of another company in the United States making these flags,” said owner Belinda Kennedy. “We are getting absolutely swamped. It’s let up a little but what we’re finding is that people are still wanting the really pretty sewn, the ones that are more like a piece of art with the sewn stripes and the applique stars. Those are really labor intensive and it takes a long time. We’re still being flooded with orders for those. We’re getting tons of overseas orders. We’re going as fast as we can… Just by the outpouring of support I’ve gotten from all over the world, I know for a fact I’m doing the right thing,” she said.

Just goes to show you what a little controversy can do.