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Tonya
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Tonya
Post Number: 5003
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 25, 2007 - 06:30 pm: | 
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Despite controversy, Disney could unlock ’Song of the South’
The Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. – Walt Disney Co.’s 1946 film “Song of the South” was historic. It was Disney’s first big live-action picture and produced one of the company’s most famous songs — the Oscar-winning “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.” It also carries the story line of the Splash Mountain rides at its theme parks.
But the movie remains hidden in the Disney archives — never released on video in the United States and criticized as racist for its depiction of Southern plantation blacks. The film’s 60th anniversary passed last year without a whisper of official rerelease, which is unusual for Disney, but President and CEO Bob Iger recently said the company was reconsidering.
The film’s reissue would surely spark debate, but it could also sell big. Nearly 115,000 people have signed an online petition urging Disney to make the movie available, and out-of-print international copies routinely sell online for $50-$90, some even more than $100.
Iger was answering a shareholder’s inquiry about the movie for the second year in a row at Disney’s annual meeting in New Orleans. This month the Disney chief made a rerelease sound more possible.
“The question of ’Song of the South’ comes up periodically, in fact it was raised at last year’s annual meeting ...” Iger said. “And since that time, we’ve decided to take a look at it again because we’ve had numerous requests about bringing it out. Our concern was that a film that was made so many decades ago being brought out today perhaps could be either misinterpreted or that it would be somewhat challenging in terms of providing the appropriate context.”
“Song of the South” was re-shown in theaters in 1956, 1972 and 1986. Both animated and live-action, it tells the story of a young white boy, Johnny, who goes to live on his grandparents’ Georgia plantation when his parents split up. Johnny is charmed by Uncle Remus — a popular black servant — and his fables of Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear and Brer Fox, which are actual black folk tales.
Remus’ stories include the famous “tar baby,” a phrase Republican presidential hopefuls John McCain and Mitt Romney were recently criticized for using to describe difficult situations. In “Song of the South,” it was a trick Brer Fox and Brer Bear used to catch the rabbit — dressing a lump of hot tar as a person to ensnare their prey. To some, it is now a derogatory term for blacks, regardless of context.
The movie doesn’t reveal whether it takes place before or after the Civil War, and never refers to blacks on the plantation as slaves. It makes clear they work for the family, living down dirt roads in wood shacks while the white characters stay in a mansion. Remus and other black characters’ dialogue is full of “ain’t nevers,” “ain’t nobodys,” “you tells,” and “dem days’s.”
“In today’s environment, ’Song of the South’ probably doesn’t have a lot of meaning, especially to the younger audiences,” said James Pappas, associate professor of African-American Studies at the University of New York at Buffalo. “Older audiences probably would have more of a connection with the stereotypes, which were considered harmless at the time.”
Pappas said it’s not clear that the movie is intentionally racist, but it inappropriately projects Remus as a happy, laughing storyteller even though he’s a plantation worker.
“Gone with the Wind,” produced seven years earlier, endured the same criticism and even shares a common actress (Hattie McDaniel, who won an Oscar for “Gone” for playing the house slave “Mammy”).
However, Pappas said he thinks the movie should be rereleased because of its historical significance. He said it should be prefaced, and closed, with present-day statements.
“I think it’s important that these images are shown today so that especially young people can understand this historical context for some of the blatant stereotyping that’s done today,” Pappas said.
From a financial standpoint, Iger acknowledged last year that Disney stood to gain from rereleasing “Song.” The company’s movies are popular with collectors, and Disney has kept sales strong by tightly controlling when they’re available.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070325/NEWS01/70 325006 |
Latina_wi
Regular Poster
Username: Latina_wi
Post Number: 299
Registered: 08-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 26, 2007 - 07:47 am: |
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I think that it should be recognised and not brushed under the carpet as it reflects America's own racial stance at one point.
Even if people to believe it is blatantly racist, shouldn't we open debate rather than pretend that it doesn't happen....? |
Chrishayden
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 3974
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 26, 2007 - 11:54 am: |
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I think we ought to unearth some of those Nazi propaganda films like "Der Judd Suss" and see how much they like it. |
Lil_ze
Veteran Poster
Username: Lil_ze
Post Number: 916
Registered: 01-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - 12:18 am: |
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personally, id like to see ALL of the racist disney (or other companies) films, cartoons, etc released for anyone who wants to buy them.
also release all of the nazi propaganda films also.
i think most of these type of "entertainment" pieces are VERY entertaining to watch.
sure they are "racist", but they also speak volumes about the way blacks were viewed at the time.
has anyone here ever seen some of the old racist or nazi "bugs bunny" cartoons?
they are funny as hell.
id buy "song of the south" if it came out. |
Toubobie
Regular Poster
Username: Toubobie
Post Number: 251
Registered: 08-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - 12:28 am: |
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release it, but give it an appropriate rating, NOT a "G" rating but "PG/PG-13" so that parents will feel more obliged to speak with their children on aspects of our wretched American history
i agree, we need discussion about these topics |
Abm
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Abm
Post Number: 9056
Registered: 04-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - 11:53 am: |
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What would be the purpose and benefit of re-releasing Song of the South. I mean, it's not like it's Roots, whereby you learn about the great pain, struggle and triumphant over slavery.
Really. WHO'S going to be entertained by this that we'd WANT to be entertained as such? |
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