ATLANTA — A recently discovered early script version of the 1939 film "Gone With the Wind" reveals a much darker depiction of slavery than what made it onscreen. David Vincent Kimel, a historian completing his Ph.D. at Yale University and a self-proclaimed "Gone With the Wind" obsessive, purchased the script for $15,000 after finding it on an online bookstore site three years ago. The script highlights the negotiations between producer David Selznick and the writers who had differing opinions on how to portray slavery in the film. In the early script, the character of Mammy is portrayed as a cruel overseer of the slaves, and scenes of slave auctions, beatings, and other forms of abuse are depicted. In the end, however, Selznick opted for a more sanitized version of slavery, with Mammy as a beloved figure and no explicit references to the violence and oppression of the era. Kimel believes the script is a valuable resource for understanding the history of slavery in the United States. "This script is a window into a time when the truth of slavery was still too painful and uncomfortable to be portrayed in mainstream films," he said. "It's a reminder of how far we've come in terms of our understanding of this dark chapter of our history." The script is currently on display at the Atlanta History Center, where it will remain until the end of the year.