Song of the South

[JeansG]

I know the video it's up in Youtube. Just type in "The Song of the South" and you'll see it there fully. It's the only way I managed to see it. Couldn't find it anywhere else. I really do hope Disney releases it on video.

Good Luck!

 

[palavra]

Not sure I'd show it to a 4-year-old. A teen, maybe, for the purposes of discussion; but not a 4-year-old. It's incredibly racist.

Maybe the back story of why the stories were written in the first place would help it seem less racist.

I live in the town where Joel Chandler Harris was born and raised. In other words, the place that is the origin of the Uncle Remus stories. Harris felt a duty to write the stories down that he heard from former slaves that were working on his parent's property when he was growing up. He thought the stories were too good to be lost to history. So he wrote them down. Uncle Remus was not a real man; he is a compilation of several real people that Harris knew and cared great deal for. I never knew this until I visited the Uncle Remus museum in our town. We are very proud of Harris and the wonderful stories of people that are nameless but much a part of our history.

I do understand that the climate of the time was racist, but Harris was actually trying to save these great stories so that futur generations could hear them, read them, and, now, see them in movie form.

 

[jassmine12]

I think you can get it on yahoo radio music..

 

[kalvin]

It's one of my favorite song. I love to watch this song most of the time. It's really superb..!!

 

[swarlock]

My guess is that Disney is too "politically correct" to ever release the movie on their own.

Agreed.

 

[pixiewings71]

I have a copy on DVD, DBF bought it for me for Christmas a few years ago. It is one of my absolute favorites. We watched it with the kids as soon as we could after I opened it, we did not find it terribly racist or insulting. Yes it is racist Uncle Remus is a slave, but he's treated very well and the kids love his stories. I think my girls were 8 & 11 when I got it and they totally understood. They asked questions when they had them and we answered them honestly. It's a favorite movie here.
I really don't know where DBF got it but I'm sure it's a pirated copy, it does have occasional tracking lines in it, he said he only paid around $20 for it and I think he said he got it online from a place in Canada.

 

[Merry Mousketeer]

At the California State Fair this past summer there was a vendor selling copies of "Song of the South" and other movies not available in the U.S. He was British, so I am assuming all the movies he was selling were pirated copies.

For what it's worth, "Song of the South" is set in the post-Civil War period during the Reconstruction. So, Uncle Remus and the others are not slaves but are sharecroppers. However, I don't think the average viewer would know this.

 

[charliebrown]

Not racist at all, anyone who thinks it is needs to actually watch the movie.

 

[rockylook01]

Listening songs is my hobby. in my free time i often download varieties of songs as per my hobby. really this is pretty sweet and melodious songs on your website as a south music. it is really impressive and wonderful. i can get entertainment and enjoyment via listen this music.

 

[DisneyFamilyDad]

Walt Disney took special care when making this movie so it wouldn't be offensive. Messages are lost from books when made into movies and he knew this. I haven't read the books but it seemed the story was cleansed for the times (released in '46 I believe).
I think the problem nowadays is that the slaves, or sharecroppers (you can't tell from the movie if it was before or after the Civil War) are happy and jolly. Of course we all know that it wasn't that way at all.
My kids see a story about a rich privileged boy who learns some values through the friendship and stories of Uncle Remus, who won an honorary academy award for his roles in the movie.

 

[TheDisneyWorldFan]

I saw a clip from it and it seems good from that but never have seen the full movie, only a small clip.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

My guess is that Disney is too "politically correct" to ever release the movie on their own.

That is the main reason it hasn't been released after the time it was actually released on VHS. There was too much uproar from those who are politically correct to realize that it was made in a different time and could actually serve as a history lesson rather than something that was made to hurt others. It is still my favorite movie and I wish that Disney would not let so many people intimidate them.

Times have changed...and frankly it wouldn't be bad to release a movie that clearly shows that.

 

[grizelda]

They should absolutely release this movie. It was one of my favorites growing up, the music is fabulous. Times have changed and when I watched it with my kids we discussed slavery etc. They loved it and the stories. Whats the saying "Those who wont learn from history are doomed to repeat it?"

Thanks to the poster who told the back story of the author and how he was preserving actual stories. very interesting and all the more reason to release this movie.

 

[Emme]

I know this may sound silly or even ignorant but if you find a copy of SOtS (I found several DVD's of it when I searched) is it legal to buy them? I mean I seriously would love the movie but I don't want to do something illegal to get them .

 

[hughbie]

Hey Everyone,

I'm new to Disboards.com.

Regarding getting a DVD copy of Song of the South, I suggest checking on ebay. I remember seeing the movie for sale on their. It's not available for sale in the US. It was released in Japan on Laserdisc many years ago. Hopefully soon The Disney Company will release this amazing movie. I still cry when I watch this wonderful heartwarming family film. I believe the film has so much to offer to anyone who watches it. The Song of the South film was way ahead of it's time. God bless Walt Disney and his talented team!

 

[CaptainAlex]

Considering the official Disney stance on this movie I'm still not sure how it became and still is the theme behind the Splash Mountain ride?

 

[cheshireqt]

I did buy a copy off of the internet for $10. Also will buy a new copy when Disney releases it again. It becomes public domain in 2039, so your grandchildren will definitely know who brer rabbit is! I am sure Disney will want to make their bucks on it before then. You can add your name to the request list on Amazon. At some point maybe Disney will see that they are missing some profit and quietly (as possible) release it on DVD. It is a shame that it has not been enjoyed in the US since 1986, its last release -in theaters only.

As far as racist and happy slaves...slavery and reconstruction and sharecropping (essentially still living in poverty) were a real thing and are an important lesson from our past. Sweeping things under the carpet is really not the best way to handle this subject. My children picked up right away the difference between the raggedy clothing vs the velvets and lace. Don't forget the "white trash" neighbors down the road either, they picked up on that as well. Especially the sacrifice of Jenny's mother for her to have a dress to go to the party at the grand house. Probably a fairly accurate picture of that time period in the south.

The negro spirituals gave me scalp tingle (in a good way) and the lessons that Uncle Remus taught clearly cut across race and status level, as all 3 children (the privileged white boy, the poor white girl and the black boy) learn how to use their wits to outsmart and outfox bullies, like brer rabbit does with brer fox and brer bear! You will probably want your kids to be a mature 6 or 7 before watching it so they get the non-animated parts. If they are much younger the storyline will be lost on them and they will be bored, although they will enjoy the cartoon parts.

 

[klhill]

A couple of years ago during a visit with my uncle in law (now passed away) he popped in a VHS that he had this movie on. When I got home I did a search on it and bought a copy online. It was from the UK. It is a great copy and my children loved it.
It has been said that the NAACP was in a uproar about this movie when it came out because of the portrayal of the "slaves" singing happy songs. Although "slaves" did sing during those times. Because of this I do not see this movie being released anytime soon in the US

 

[LittleKittyMarie]

Considering the official Disney stance on this movie I'm still not sure how it became and still is the theme behind the Splash Mountain ride?

It's my understanding that the aspect of the movie that Splash Mountain is based on has nothing to do with the objectionable parts of Song of the South, which I believe relate more to the live-action parts.

I would personally be interested in watching this movie, but I know it will probably difficult to find.

 

[lizabu]

The last time I saw this movie I was 7 or 8. I was curious to see if I missed something that made it racist since Disney hasn't rereleased it. I was able to find it on youtube. I found it to be a cute movie. I personally didn't think there was anything wrong with it. I'm not really sure where the controversy comes from. Uncle Remus seems like a very nice friend and neighbour to the family of the main character. They don't seem to treat him badly. All of his stories explain some moral lesson he wants to pass on to the children. I think I read somewhere that many of the stories used in this movie are based on real folktales passed down through the generations which I thought was an interesting tidbit of information. The parts with live action seem a little slow for todays kids. Maybe one day they will do a version with just all the cartoons on it.