To mark the 75th anniversary of the world premiere of the classic film "Gone with the Wind," Emory's Department of Film and Media Studies presents a talk by faculty member and department chair Matthew Bernstein on Dec. 1 and a screening of the film on Dec. 6.

Bernstein has authored or edited six volumes on Hollywood history and criticism, including "Screening a Lynching: The Leo Frank Case on Film and TV." With Emory professor emeritus Dana F. White, he is writing a history of Atlanta moviegoing in the segregated era. His lecture will explore the December 1939 events of the Atlanta premiere and the film's meaning as a major milestone in the city's history. The lecture is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Monday in White Hall 205.

Thousands of people attended the original screening along with a parade of limousines featuring stars from the film. President Jimmy Carter would later recall it as "the biggest event to happen in the South in my lifetime." However few people know it was also the result of fretful, fearful and complex negotiations between Hollywood companies and city leaders. This lecture provides a detailed exploration, from Hollywood's point of view, of the difficulties involved in mounting this unprecedented extravaganza in a segregated southern city.

A free screening of the film will take place on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 1 p.m. in White Hall 208.