Song of the South

[j_dp456]

I am an African American and would not be offended if Disney released this movie. But on the other hand I know a lot of other African Americans that would be offended. The ones that would be offended are the ones that think that Disney is only family entertainment for kids and that this would somehow make their kids racist. Also someone informed me that Walt is already praised on KKK's website for "hating" Jews ( Not true by the way) so this is already dangerous ground for Walt's reputation.
BTW there are more racist undertones in the film. Another one is the representation of Brer Fox as the smart Slave owner and Brer Bear as the dumb slave.

 

[imagineer boy]

BTW there are more racist undertones in the film. Another one is the representation of Brer Fox as the smart Slave owner and Brer Bear as the dumb slave.

I don't get that at all. Brer Fox and Brer Bear are simply partners in crime and sort of a comedy duo like Bert and Ernie. None of them "own" one another. Besides, brer fox, brer bear, and brer rabbit are all voiced by black actors.

Besides, this movie is a landmark for civil rights. James Backet who played Uncle Reamus won a special acadamy award for his portrayal and was the first black male to do so. So why does the NAACP want to protest somthing that was actually a huge step in civil rights?:shrug:

 

[j_dp456]

I've never seen the whole film but that's the impression I got from clips on Youtube. But again the portrayal of African Americans in that film does not offend me. I mean I can forgive it since it was 1946. I also looked on imdb they said the NAACP currently has no comment on the film.

 

[imagineer boy]

You can see the whole thing starting with part 1 on youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrAKhHcZM-Y&feature=related

I think I can sort of see why there's the misconception that its racist because in the film it never exactly states its after the civil war (even though on the official synopsis, it says its after it), therefor giving the impression that all the happy blacks in the movie are slaves.

Still, its really not racist other than the exception of a few mild black stereotypes.

 

[HMF]

Yeah' If they had explained the context it would have been fine. I think that in the movie they depict the white characters getting along very well with the African-American characters' which for a film made in that time is astounding. I know people think that they are happy slaves but since it is after the Civil War its actually good to see how well they get along. Who knows maybe Walt was trying to make a statement against racism.

 

[heliumalias]

Yeah' If they had explained the context it would have been fine. I think that in the movie they depict the white characters getting along very well with the African-American characters' which for a film made in that time is astounding. I know people think that they are happy slaves but since it is after the Civil War its actually good to see how well they get along. Who knows maybe Walt was trying to make a statement against racism.

As I was trying to say before that's the PROBLEM people have with it, rather than the film being racist. It gives the wrong impression of inter-racial relations within a community. Imagine if Disney made a film about concentration camps and showed Nazis and Jews being all happy, happy, happy. (Yes I might be using an extreme example but it showcases the point). SotS ignores the existence of a huge chunk of American history.

 

[agent86]

How do you explain to a child that these images and portrayals are wrong?

Ah, the ever popular "How are we supposed to explain it to our kids?" argument. At what point in society did we shift from sitting kids down and explaining things to them, and instead just expecting everyone else to adapt so that we don't have to explain things to kids?? Why do the rest of us have to bend just because there are parents who don't want to communicate with their kids??

 

[yankspy]

As I was trying to say before that's the PROBLEM people have with it, rather than the film being racist. It gives the wrong impression of inter-racial relations within a community. Imagine if Disney made a film about concentration camps and showed Nazis and Jews being all happy, happy, happy. (Yes I might be using an extreme example but it showcases the point). SotS ignores the existence of a huge chunk of American history.

You may be generalizing a little here. These relationships were very different for various people. There are a couple of good books that highlight these intricacies, such as "Behind the scenes" by Lizzie keckley and "Black Confederates" by Charles Barrow, just to name a few. I am not necessarily disagreeing with you, I am simply saying that it is not so simple.

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

I like Song of the South. I never thought of it as racist. It's just a movie about a kid and the lessons learned from his friendship with an elderly man. The rest of it is a non-issue to me.

 

[agent86]

Imagine if Disney made a film about concentration camps and showed Nazis and Jews being all happy, happy, happy.

The TV show "Hogan's Heroes" was kind of like that (except that it was POW camp instead of a concentration camp).

 

[imagineer boy]

As I was trying to say before that's the PROBLEM people have with it, rather than the film being racist. It gives the wrong impression of inter-racial relations within a community. Imagine if Disney made a film about concentration camps and showed Nazis and Jews being all happy, happy, happy. (Yes I might be using an extreme example but it showcases the point). SotS ignores the existence of a huge chunk of American history.

Interesting point. But keep in mind, those blacks were free. And the reason why they probably were still working on that plantation was probably because the plantation owners were actually kind to them (as it is apparent in the film).

 

[the-reason14]

As I was trying to say before that's the PROBLEM people have with it, rather than the film being racist. It gives the wrong impression of inter-racial relations within a community. Imagine if Disney made a film about concentration camps and showed Nazis and Jews being all happy, happy, happy. (Yes I might be using an extreme example but it showcases the point). SotS ignores the existence of a huge chunk of American history.

While I agree that it is not accurate, since when have disney movies been accurate? How were they supposed to show it? Them beating and yelling at the blacks? It is a disney movie after all. While yes, it can be seen as in-accurate, it is a disney movie.

 

[slappy magoo]

Growing up having seen SotS, I always kinda saw the positive aspect to racial relations in the movie - the idea that Johnny, Ginny and Toby could be instant fast friends with no concern of color made an impression on me.

The racist undertones in the movie (aside from the more in-your-face "tar baby" moment) has a lot to do with just HOW happy the former slaves are in this movie. It take place shortly after the Civil War, and while black people were technically free, they were rarely treated as equals. Sure, the implication is that Johnny's grandma treated the former slaves so well, they opted to stay, but for a lot of sensitive viewers, the idea that these former slaves would spend so much time singing and dancing and toiling in the fields (but with a smile!) brings up the idea of being forced to act subservient, "knowing your place," puttin' on a show for the white folk...the simple fact that Johnny had a "mammy" in Aunt Tempy is more than enough to make some cry foul. I feel the movie has far more positive than negative to show for it, and if a dullard like me can see the progressive nature of the childrens' friendship, it certainly can't be lost on everyone else.

 

[HMF]

As I was trying to say before that's the PROBLEM people have with it, rather than the film being racist. It gives the wrong impression of inter-racial relations within a community. Imagine if Disney made a film about concentration camps and showed Nazis and Jews being all happy, happy, happy. (Yes I might be using an extreme example but it showcases the point). SotS ignores the existence of a huge chunk of American history.

Keep in mind this is post-slavery and I doubt every single person in the South was a racist. I just try to drop all pre-conceptions and watch it through the eyes of a child. Will they understand any of the racial stereotypes? I don't think so.

 

[epcotWSC]

I'm a little drunk right now, but all I have to say is that kids growing up without knowing the origins of Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, How Do You Do and Everybody's Got A Laughing Place is a terrible terrible thing. Best songs evar!!!! :ROFLOL:

 

[Wilt Dasney]

I just watched the whole thing online, thanks to imagineer boy's link, and liked it more than I expected to. It's a sweet, touching little story.

Could the movie have stood to be a little more honest about the plights of blacks without getting too "dark" about it? Probably. Disney shot Old Yeller, so it's not like everything was happy go lucky in every Walt film. But I don't see it as a fatal flaw.

And while it might have never been as idealized as this movie shows, I'm willing to assume that somewhere in the antebellum South, there was a piece of property where racial tensions just weren't a big issue...just like I'm willing to bet that at some point during the Holocaust, a Jewish prisoner probably formed a human bond — possibly even something like a friendship — with a Nazi guard. The world's a big place, and things happen that defy our expectations sometimes. :shrug:

I think there's a place for this kind of thing, fare that just looks at the world through more innocent eyes. Roots has its place; SotS is just something different.

So now that I've settled all this once and for all, I expect the DVD will be on shelves in Target tomorrow. :lookaroun

 

[progroupie]

At the same time, Walt Disney was not racist (although some crazy people like to claim so). Second, half the cast as well as the voices for all three animated characters were played by black actors. Also, the live version of Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear were played by white kids who were made to look dumb.

Yeah the tar baby scene could be seen as racist, but I'm sure that Disney had another reason for that (possibly satire?). Why would so many black actors and voice people sign up to do a movie that was racist against them?

People have to take into account that Disney didn't think up the tar baby story himself for the movie, it was a classic Brer Rabbit story from the original Uncle Remus stories which pre-dated the movie by quite a lot.

 

[disneychick53]

I was able to download Song of the South (since it's not available on DVD or VHS in the US) and watch it. What a great movie. I can't understand how Disney could stop producing this in the US because it's somehow racist. I didn't see any racism. Sure there may have been undertones, but to compare the time period that the movie took place in. Post Civil War America, this movie was quite tame compared to what black Americans really went though. There was never even a word spoken about race in the whole movie. In fact Uncle Remus was quite respected.

Anyway, the movie was great. I loved how they tied the stories that Uncle Remus was telling to the problems that Johnny was going through.

The stories are all great positive stories, stressing to use your mind to get through problems, to always be happy and to cope with issues and not run away from them.

I think the animated sequences with Br'er Rabbit, Fox, and Bear were fantastic and the music was phenomenal, great classic Disney songs.

Watching this movie will really gave me a new appreciation for the Splash Mountain ride. It's a shame that most younger people in the US have never and will never get to see this movie.


The music ('Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah', 'How Do You Do?', 'Everybody Has A Laughing Place'):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3fFXIUXZ-M

I have Song of the South on DVD

 

[trr1]

I like Song of the South. I never thought of it as racist. It's just a movie about a kid and the lessons learned from his friendship with an elderly man. The rest of it is a non-issue to me.

I agree with you

 

[trr1]

Keep in mind this is post-slavery and I doubt every single person in the South was a racist. I just try to drop all pre-conceptions and watch it through the eyes of a child. Will they understand any of the racial stereotypes? I don't think so.

WOW another good point here !