Hello, everyone. I'm DisneyManOne. I normally frequent the Imagineer section of the forums, but tonight, I've come here to address my opinions on a certain film.
A couple days ago, I was on YouTube and I had the opportunity to watch a film that I've always wanted to see. And that film was Walt Disney's "Song of the South".
"Song of the South" has become one of Disney's most infamous films, because due to controversies over its portrayal of race, it's been locked away in the Disney Vault ever since the 80's. But yet, I was able to find a copy on YouTube, and I watched it. And I must say...it was pretty good. I am not kidding. I found it really enjoyable--the songs, the characters (I didn't find them racist at all), the story--it was all a ton of fun.
For those of you who have never seen this movie, I'll give you a brief synopsis. The time is the Reconstruction Era. The place is a plantation in Georgia. The story revolves around Johnny (played by Bobby Driscoll), who moves to a plantation owned by his grandmother (Lucile Watson). There, he meets up with a wise old African-American man named Uncle Remus (played to perfection by James Baskett). Throughout the course of the film, Remus tells Bobby, as well as his new friends Ginny (Luana Patten) and Toby (Glenn Leedy), tales about Brer Rabbit (voice of Johnny Lee), and how he uses his mind--instead of his body--to thwart his enemies, Brer Fox (also Baskett) and Brer Bear (Nick Stewart).
But, however, a couple of misunderstandings arise, and his mother (Ruth Warrick) doesn't like her son hanging out with Uncle Remus. But when Johnny gets in a tragic accident, it may be up to Uncle Remus to help the boy out...
Now, let's get the elephant out of the room right off quick. Is the portrayal of African-Americans racist? Honestly, I couldn't see it. It may be my general naïveté talking, but I couldn't see anything racist about the African-Americans in the film. They aren't shown working, no one's remotely racist towards them (the mother doesn't like Johnny hanging around Remus due to the aforementioned misunderstandings) and they all seem very happy and laid back. In the end, it's pretty obvious that the moral of the story is don't be prejudice, people come together, listen to one another, so the lesson certainly isn't bad.
Now, one thing that could be considered racist is the story about the "Tar Baby". Basically, in an attempt to catch Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and Brer Bear set up a dummy made of tar on the side of the road. Brer Rabbit, angered at the dummy's lack of manners, attempts to knock some sense into it...literally. But as soon as he punches, he's stuck to the tar, and has to use reverse psychology to escape his captors. The term "tar baby" is viewed as having a negative connotation towards African Americans. But you gotta remember...this story actually goes all the way back to Africa, and was translated fairly well by Joel Chandler Harris, author of the original Brer Rabbit stories.
Now, let's discuss a major issue: was Walt Disney racist? The answer: HELL NO. Heck, Walt even knew that the movie could be viewed as insensitive, and he went as far as to hire Maurice Rapf as a screenwriter. Rapf was Jewish, and a well known liberal and was hired precisely to ameliorate any possible racism in the film. Walt apparently said to Rapf “I want you to do it because I know that you don’t think I should make the movie. You’re against Uncle Tomism, and you’re a radical.”
And you know, considering how deeply ingrained this idea is, and how many jokes have been made about Disney being racist and anti-semitic, I was actually surprised about just how little evidence there really is to support these accusations. Now, I’m not an investigative journalist, I’m just a guy with a search engine like the rest of you. But I haven’t really been able to turn up anything concrete. There is a famous Donald Duck cartoon called "Der Führer’s Face" (named after the famed Spike Jones song) depicting Donald having a nightmare about living in Nazi Germany where he squawks the words “Heil Hitler!” around forty bajillion times which has led to some claiming that Disney was a Nazi sympathizer. But the short is a quite vehemently anti-Nazi piece of propaganda (again, the short is a nightmare Donald's having, and at the end, he wakes up thankful to be living in the USA) and those are obviously people who don’t understand the concept of satire.
Was he an anti-Semite? Well, the B’nai B’rith named him Man of the Year in 1955 and a great many Jews worked in the studio during his time there so we must conclude that if he was an anti-Semite he was a very lazy one. (And we must also conclude to never trust Meryl Streep.)
Was he racist? Well his friendship with and support for James Baskett certainly doesn’t mean that he couldn’t be a racist, but it’s still compelling circumstantial evidence that he wasn’t, no? In fact, do you know how far his support went? He went to great lengths to make sure that Baskett got an honorary Academy Award for his portrayal of Uncle Remus, making him the first black man to win an Oscar (coincidentally, the first black woman to win an Oscar, Hattie McDaniel (for her portrayal of Mammy in "Gone with the Wind"), is his co-star, playing Aunt Tempe).
Looking at the current world views, Disney has every right to be aware of the movie's problematic nature. BUT...by refusing to release the film, Disney have done the exact opposite of what they intended. Instead of making people forget it ever existed, it’s now notorious. This is now “the racist Disney Movie”, which leads people to expect some kind of hate filled atrocity. Which, frankly, it’s really not. This film is simplistic and naive, and insultingly so, but it does not come from a hateful place.
Honestly, Disney shouldn't have to hide it. They should be able to share it with the world. Go all out. Release the movie on DVD with commentaries from historians and black academics. Put it in its historical context. Talk about the damn thing. Talk about the good. James Baskett won an Oscar for this. That was a huge step forward for black actors. Talk about the bad. He couldn’t go to the premiere because it was in segregated Atlanta. Have like a special introduction done by Leonard Maltin or Whoopi Goldberg or some other well know historian or black academic, where they talk about the racial insensitivities and how it wasn't right then, it's not right now; all that stuff.
But, if you still think this movie is offensive and racist there is certainly merit to your argument. However...if you think this movie is so offensive and so racist that it should be sealed away, never to be seen by human eyes again, I lay down this challenge.
I defy you to watch this movie on its own terms and honestly tell me that in it’s portrayal of it’s African-American characters it is more racist than Skids and Mudflap, or "Norbit", or "The Love Guru", or "White Chicks", or even worse..."Birth of a Nation". (Horrifying fact, folks: "Song of the South", the film that merely implies slavery is swept under the bed, while "Birth of a Nation". the film that glorifies the KKK IS AVAILABLE ON DVD!!! Think about that, would you?)
In short, take "Song of the South" for what it's worth, see if you can find a copy yourself, and draw your own "zip-a-dee-doo-dah" conclusion. I know I have.
And if you want to watch it for yourself...here it is:
Well, I guess that just about does it. And I know this is sort of gutsy, talking about Song of the South on a Disney forum. But, I really just had to talk about it upon seeing it for the first time. I found it rather enjoyable, and I'm sure there's other Disney nerds out there who like this movie. And I really wish that Disney could find a way to release this on DVD or something that would appeal to those who find it racist. Anyways, I guess that's it for now. Thanks for reading, everyone.
A couple days ago, I was on YouTube and I had the opportunity to watch a film that I've always wanted to see. And that film was Walt Disney's "Song of the South".
"Song of the South" has become one of Disney's most infamous films, because due to controversies over its portrayal of race, it's been locked away in the Disney Vault ever since the 80's. But yet, I was able to find a copy on YouTube, and I watched it. And I must say...it was pretty good. I am not kidding. I found it really enjoyable--the songs, the characters (I didn't find them racist at all), the story--it was all a ton of fun.
For those of you who have never seen this movie, I'll give you a brief synopsis. The time is the Reconstruction Era. The place is a plantation in Georgia. The story revolves around Johnny (played by Bobby Driscoll), who moves to a plantation owned by his grandmother (Lucile Watson). There, he meets up with a wise old African-American man named Uncle Remus (played to perfection by James Baskett). Throughout the course of the film, Remus tells Bobby, as well as his new friends Ginny (Luana Patten) and Toby (Glenn Leedy), tales about Brer Rabbit (voice of Johnny Lee), and how he uses his mind--instead of his body--to thwart his enemies, Brer Fox (also Baskett) and Brer Bear (Nick Stewart).
But, however, a couple of misunderstandings arise, and his mother (Ruth Warrick) doesn't like her son hanging out with Uncle Remus. But when Johnny gets in a tragic accident, it may be up to Uncle Remus to help the boy out...
Now, let's get the elephant out of the room right off quick. Is the portrayal of African-Americans racist? Honestly, I couldn't see it. It may be my general naïveté talking, but I couldn't see anything racist about the African-Americans in the film. They aren't shown working, no one's remotely racist towards them (the mother doesn't like Johnny hanging around Remus due to the aforementioned misunderstandings) and they all seem very happy and laid back. In the end, it's pretty obvious that the moral of the story is don't be prejudice, people come together, listen to one another, so the lesson certainly isn't bad.
Now, one thing that could be considered racist is the story about the "Tar Baby". Basically, in an attempt to catch Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and Brer Bear set up a dummy made of tar on the side of the road. Brer Rabbit, angered at the dummy's lack of manners, attempts to knock some sense into it...literally. But as soon as he punches, he's stuck to the tar, and has to use reverse psychology to escape his captors. The term "tar baby" is viewed as having a negative connotation towards African Americans. But you gotta remember...this story actually goes all the way back to Africa, and was translated fairly well by Joel Chandler Harris, author of the original Brer Rabbit stories.
Now, let's discuss a major issue: was Walt Disney racist? The answer: HELL NO. Heck, Walt even knew that the movie could be viewed as insensitive, and he went as far as to hire Maurice Rapf as a screenwriter. Rapf was Jewish, and a well known liberal and was hired precisely to ameliorate any possible racism in the film. Walt apparently said to Rapf “I want you to do it because I know that you don’t think I should make the movie. You’re against Uncle Tomism, and you’re a radical.”
And you know, considering how deeply ingrained this idea is, and how many jokes have been made about Disney being racist and anti-semitic, I was actually surprised about just how little evidence there really is to support these accusations. Now, I’m not an investigative journalist, I’m just a guy with a search engine like the rest of you. But I haven’t really been able to turn up anything concrete. There is a famous Donald Duck cartoon called "Der Führer’s Face" (named after the famed Spike Jones song) depicting Donald having a nightmare about living in Nazi Germany where he squawks the words “Heil Hitler!” around forty bajillion times which has led to some claiming that Disney was a Nazi sympathizer. But the short is a quite vehemently anti-Nazi piece of propaganda (again, the short is a nightmare Donald's having, and at the end, he wakes up thankful to be living in the USA) and those are obviously people who don’t understand the concept of satire.
Was he an anti-Semite? Well, the B’nai B’rith named him Man of the Year in 1955 and a great many Jews worked in the studio during his time there so we must conclude that if he was an anti-Semite he was a very lazy one. (And we must also conclude to never trust Meryl Streep.)
Was he racist? Well his friendship with and support for James Baskett certainly doesn’t mean that he couldn’t be a racist, but it’s still compelling circumstantial evidence that he wasn’t, no? In fact, do you know how far his support went? He went to great lengths to make sure that Baskett got an honorary Academy Award for his portrayal of Uncle Remus, making him the first black man to win an Oscar (coincidentally, the first black woman to win an Oscar, Hattie McDaniel (for her portrayal of Mammy in "Gone with the Wind"), is his co-star, playing Aunt Tempe).
Looking at the current world views, Disney has every right to be aware of the movie's problematic nature. BUT...by refusing to release the film, Disney have done the exact opposite of what they intended. Instead of making people forget it ever existed, it’s now notorious. This is now “the racist Disney Movie”, which leads people to expect some kind of hate filled atrocity. Which, frankly, it’s really not. This film is simplistic and naive, and insultingly so, but it does not come from a hateful place.
Honestly, Disney shouldn't have to hide it. They should be able to share it with the world. Go all out. Release the movie on DVD with commentaries from historians and black academics. Put it in its historical context. Talk about the damn thing. Talk about the good. James Baskett won an Oscar for this. That was a huge step forward for black actors. Talk about the bad. He couldn’t go to the premiere because it was in segregated Atlanta. Have like a special introduction done by Leonard Maltin or Whoopi Goldberg or some other well know historian or black academic, where they talk about the racial insensitivities and how it wasn't right then, it's not right now; all that stuff.
But, if you still think this movie is offensive and racist there is certainly merit to your argument. However...if you think this movie is so offensive and so racist that it should be sealed away, never to be seen by human eyes again, I lay down this challenge.
I defy you to watch this movie on its own terms and honestly tell me that in it’s portrayal of it’s African-American characters it is more racist than Skids and Mudflap, or "Norbit", or "The Love Guru", or "White Chicks", or even worse..."Birth of a Nation". (Horrifying fact, folks: "Song of the South", the film that merely implies slavery is swept under the bed, while "Birth of a Nation". the film that glorifies the KKK IS AVAILABLE ON DVD!!! Think about that, would you?)
In short, take "Song of the South" for what it's worth, see if you can find a copy yourself, and draw your own "zip-a-dee-doo-dah" conclusion. I know I have.
And if you want to watch it for yourself...here it is:
Well, I guess that just about does it. And I know this is sort of gutsy, talking about Song of the South on a Disney forum. But, I really just had to talk about it upon seeing it for the first time. I found it rather enjoyable, and I'm sure there's other Disney nerds out there who like this movie. And I really wish that Disney could find a way to release this on DVD or something that would appeal to those who find it racist. Anyways, I guess that's it for now. Thanks for reading, everyone.