ATLANTA — Tomorrow night, Turner Classic Movies begins its "Reframed: Classic Films in the Rearview Mirror" series. Every Thursday in March, TCM will screen four to five films, one after another, with hosts Ben Mankiewicz, Dave Karger, Alicia Malone, Eddie Muller and Jacqueline Stewart discussing the cultural context and history of each classic film.

Every movie being evaluated contains certain elements which can be deemed offense in contemporary society. An example of these elements is the use of blackface in 1927's "The Jazz Singer." Another example comes with the issue of transgender identity and the contentious correlation to mental illness presented in Alfred Hitchcock's horror masterpiece "Psycho" (1960).

The hosts will therefore suggest ways these classics can be "reframed." Hopefully, reframed refers solely to confab, and it doesn't actually involve editing the film prints for content. As troubling as these controversial aspects might be, reframing in this way is tantamount to censorship.

“We know millions of people love these films,” said Stewart of the approach her and the other hosts are taking in their discussions. “We’re not saying this is how you should feel about ‘Psycho’ or this is how you should feel about ‘Gone with the Wind.’ We’re just trying to model ways of having longer and deeper conversations and not just cutting it off to ‘I love this movie. I hate this movie.’ There’s so much space in between.”

“I continue to feel a sense of urgency around these topics,” Stewart ellaborated. “We’re showing films that really shaped the ways that people continue to think about race and gender and sexuality and ability. It was really important for the group to come together to think about how we can work with each other and work with our fans to deepen the conversations about these films.”

Schedule (CST):

3/4

7 p.m. "Gone with the Wind" (1939)

11 p.m. "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" (1954)

1 a.m. "Rope" (1948)

2:30 a.m. "The Four Feathers" (1939)

3/11

7 p.m. "Woman of the Year" (1942)

9:15 p.m. "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967)

11:15 p.m. "Gunga Din" (1939)

1:30 a.m. "Sinbad the Sailor" (1947)

3:45 a.m. "The Jazz Singer" (1927)

3/18

7 p.m. "The Searchers" (1956)

9:15 p.m. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961)

11:30 p.m. "Swing Time" (1936)

1:30 a.m. "Stagecoach" (1939)

3:15 a.m. "Tarzan, the Ape Man" (1959)

3/25

7 p.m. "My Fair Lady" (1964)

10 p.m. "The Children's Hour (1961)

Midnight "Psycho" (1960)

2 a.m. "Dragon Seed" (1944)

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