OK, grammatically incomplete post above.
Yes, IF Uncle Remus had given any kind of realistic explanation-- hell, maybe he did and it got cut by the censors.
Oh, there is no subject.
–Rowan
Shopping is still cheaper than therapy. --my Aunt Franny
Elsewhere under General Questions is a thread about “Another Urband Legend?” This has a linke to website that will tell you all about SONG OF THE SOUTH.
Basically, at one time there was some official objection to the film, but now the only thing holding up the video release is Disney reticence over past objections.
Despite the attempt to portray Uncle Remus in a positive light, the film garners objections because in the world the film portrays, the former slaves’ biggest concerns are for the welfare of the white child of the plantation owner–not for their own well being or that of their own children. Sure, Uncle Remus is supposed to be a “good” character, but what makes him good in the film is that he’s so concerned about the white kid. Meanwhile, the white kid hangs out with a young black companion who receives no attention from Uncle Remus or another other black character, and when the white kid has a birthday party, he doesn’t bother to invite this black friend. In other words, it’s okay to go fishing with him but not to bring him into the plantation house; is this so very far from saying that blacks are fine as long as they stay “in their place”?
There are far more egregious examples of cinematic racism, and what’s wrong with SONG OF THE SOUTH probably doesn’t justify its continued absence from video. But the people objecting are not just “ultra-senstivie” types looking for something–anything–to compalin about. There are legitimate grounds from criticising some aspects of this film.
Papa Bear mentioned that he believed that the objections to “Song of the South” had to do with the Brer Rabbit stories themselves–that they were really stories of a white man pretending to recount black folklore. I think most of the objections to the film are directed at the depiction of Uncle Remus, not the Brer Rabbit stories. Indeed, many people believe that the Brer Rabbit stories do derive from African-American folklore. Julius Lester has written a award-winning compilation of the Brer Rabbit stories, and Straight Dope readers may want to check them out.
By the way, what do you think of “Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs”?
OK; I checked out the snopes URBAN LEGENDS page, [www.snopes.simplenet.com] and yes, the NAACP originally objected to the way the film dealt with the black child Toby, and not so much Uncle Remus per se, except that he ignores Toby, and pays so much attention to the white child.
After reading this page, I’m getting my memory back-- it’s been at least 12 years since I last saw the film. The site confirms what i remember-- there was a release when I was a freshman in college, in 1986.
The NAACP is now not taking a stand on the film at all. It is not being release because of a decision from inside Disney.
It is true that there are much more dangerously racist films, but this film has three things that make it particularly insidious:
–Rowan
Shopping is still cheaper than therapy. --my Aunt Franny
Well that was then; as I said before, we’ve had lots of films since about slavery and the way things were. Anyone - children included - watching it today is not going to suddenly become a racist as a result. There is, after all, something to be learned from history - the good and the bad. I learned something new (and ugly) about slavery from watching Amistad – and I was appalled; if anything, it made me more sensitive to the issue. Just as with any potentially controversial film or t.v. show, they are springboards for enlightment and discussion.
However, there is one brief scene in Beethoven’s “Pastoral,” the part with the centaurs and pegasuses, that shows the old boozer on the donkey (Bacchus? Dionysus? Silaenus? well, not Bacchus because he’s not old and fat…) being attended by two fan-waving African centaurs (human parts black, equine parts zebra). I’d consider this just as subservient as a shoe-shining gig, and maybe worse.
Live a Lush Life
Da Chef
In response to the original post, I got Song of the South, already converted to VHS, on Ebay for about $30.
I know it’s been re-released in theatres since the 70’s because I was born in '82, and I saw it in the theatre with my parents when I was very very young. I also had the books with the little red cassette that told you when you turn the page. Remember those? (ahh, memories…moving on)
Anything that deals with slave issues in less than a reverent-to-the-African-American-race in America is going to have some backlash simply because people still get worked up about this issue. The same can be said for the term, “concentration camp.” A lot of people don’t know that we had camps for Japanese people living in the States during WWII, but we called them “work camps” or something of that nature because “concentration camp” = Hitler, and Hitler = badness and evil.
My Political Science professor last semester showed us “Education for Death” (“marching and heiling, heiling and marching”) and the Donald Duck one where he ends up looking like Hitler because he wants to go in to a club and spend his money on fun stuff in their complete versions. That was an interesting day.
You can get Song of the South at most comic book conventions and the like for about 10 or 15 bucks.
BTW - Is it possible that every single poster in this thread was a guest or is that some kind of bug?
I’ve got a copy of SoS from a friend who dubbed it from a UK tape. It looks very muxch like the theatrical version I last saw in 1982-83. Most of the resentment towards this film probably stems from its showing the post Civil War blacks as apparently happy with their lot. The portrayal of Uncle Remus is a positive one, though – he’s the Wise Old Storyteller.
If you want to see a picture of the “Aunt Jemima” centaurette from Fantasia (she actually looks like the kid who "don’t know nothin’ about birthin’ babies from GWTW), see Cartoon Confidential
They were guests at the time - this thread was resurrected from June 1999! :eek:
A friend of mine works in Legal Clearance at Disney and receives requests all the time for Song of the South; she has to turn them all down. The policy there is that the film contains racially offensive material, and she says the company is afraid of getting into hot water over it if they release it officially.
I noticed the weird “guest” thing in this thread right now…What the hey???
Here is something interesting that I remember. Although I do not have it with me, there is a book about Disney Films called Mouse Under Glass, by David Koeing I believe. In it, it gives a plot summary of the movie, and also lists some of the reactions that people had. Also it may or may not contain re-release dates for the theatres and also for VHS release. From what I remember, I doubt that Song of the South will ever be re-released again.