Song of the south

[brich330]

Does anyone know if Song of the
South will be part of the Netflix deal?

 

[JoannaTN7]

That's highly doubtful considering how controversial the slavery is in the movie. A lot of people think the movie was banned which isn't true, but I don't think Disney is exactly eager to get that one back out on the shelves either. It ain't Huck Finn, but slavery isn't exactly a proud aspect of American history. It's ironic that WDW's most popular ride is based on a movie you can't even purchase in the US!

 

[BrianL]

That Netflix deal was way overblown. Many outlets were reporting tha it meant that every single Disney movie ever was coming to Netflix. That is not happening. It just means that NEtflix will be the exclusive streaming home of future Disney movies. The may or may not get more added to tehir back catalog. Even if they were getting a ton of the catalog, that one wouldn't be one of them.

 

[Shanti]

That's highly doubtful considering how controversial the slavery is in the movie. A lot of people think the movie was banned which isn't true, but I don't think Disney is exactly eager to get that one back out on the shelves either. It ain't Huck Finn, but slavery isn't exactly a proud aspect of American history. It's ironic that WDW's most popular ride is based on a movie you can't even purchase in the US!

The movie is set after slavery is over. It is the late 1800's, not during slavery.

It's a great movie that is not racist. It shows African-American characters in a respectful light, while remaining realistic about their social status in the late 1800's Jim Crow South. I wish the film were in broader release. It's beautiful. Uncle Remus is a wise, heroic character.

 

[Rhie]

Actually, the setting of it is part of the debate. Its not actually clear when the movie is set. And, Slavery was still force in the late 1800s. The war didn't end til 1865. So AT MOST that move is set 10-20 years after the end of slavery, at a very tough time for African-Americans in the US. Yes, absolutely the portrayal of the Happy Sharecropper who was a slave just a decade ago is problematic. And yea I'd say its racist - even by the standards of the day in which it was made.

And its not like its all that far from the civil war now, either. 200 years isn't that long ago. I knew my great-grandmother. She died when I was 18. Her father was born during the time of slavery. He died only a few years before I was born. And I'm a relatively young adult.

Personally, if I am watching a movie involving marginalized groups in the US, I go by what that group thinks of the portrayal as I am not in a position judge. The were protests before the movie came out for exactly the same reasons that people it find racist today. So, yes. I'd say it is, since the people it's about say it is. There were protests at the time, in fact.


Movies don't happen in a cultural vacuum. There is a long history of Black characters being portrayed as simple, magical and/or happy to be servant/savior of white people to justify treating them unfairly. Uncle Remus is all three. The stories he tells are well-known to be racist in origin, a fact that is purposely ignored in the movie. Tar-baby, for instance is a racist slur against Black people.

That doesn't make it bad move, or make Walt a bad person, or make people who enjoy it bad people. It means that the portrayal of slavery and its impact is white-washed, and problematic, and we need to acknowledge that. I also find it fascinating that people get way more upset about being called racist or having something they like called racist than they are about it actually BEING racist.

 

[DantePD]

Disney will NEVER willingly release Song of the South in the US. As someone who loves film and it's history, that annoys me but I kinda understand why.

That being said, I'd like to see it get a Blu Ray release in the US. Sell it to the collector's market, trough D23, DMC, etc. Cover it in disclaimers, and include a documentary (not a little 15 minute featurette) that explores WHY the film is controversial. Discuss the history, discuss the progress made since then, etc.

With this film, James Baskett became the first African American man to win an Oscar. He doesn't deserve to have his work tossed down the memory hole.

 

[Shanti]

Disney will NEVER willingly release Song of the South in the US. As someone who loves film and it's history, that annoys me but I kinda understand why.

I also "kinda" understand, from a PR perspective, because the film is controversial, but I don't understand the need for controversy at all from a cultural or a film perspective. Gone with the Wind is still massively popular & in full-release, but it has some out-and-out racist scenes in it. I still like GWTW & overlook those unfortunate scenes, but my point is that it is a widely-accepted film, despite its flaws. So why is Song of the South shrouded in controversy like it's some sort of virulently racist film like Birth of a Nation?

Song of the South is not racist at all. The black characters are good, intelligent and caring. The film ends showing a white child & black man holding hands, followed by black and white children playing together. The scene in which the boy is hurt and the servants are singing hymns outside is absolutely beautiful and moving. Uncle Remus is the hero of the film, and his trancendant love and storytelling saved the boy and the boy's family. The white mother, who tried to order Uncle Remus around and keep her son away from him, is shown as being misguided.

The film is set after slavery, not during, and no, the black people in the film are not busy organizing protests, etc., but that was the reality of the time. They unfortunately lived in a racist society, had little power to change it, and most of the time they went on with their lives and made the best of it. Good for them- I respect and admire that.

 

[Rhie]

I definitely agree! Trying to bury a film they are ashamed of doesn't really help things. If they are sincere about addressing some past racism (and I do think Disney is) I think the best way to do it is to talk about it. Say here's the film, here's what is in it. Here's why its controversial. Compare protests when the movie came out to the worries about it now. Highlight better ways of showcasing the racial tensions in this country, and give voice to all sides. Like everything, its complicated. The detractors and the fans are each right in some ways. I'm actually both a fan of and a critic of the movie. Learning about the controversies then and now helped me learn more about the history of this country in general. That's not a bad thing! And Disney has always been about education. SO yea completely agree with the OP on this.

 

[Lucky Rabbit]

I hope this movie sees the light of day. Heck I'll take just the Br'er Rabbit cartoons so I can show my kids what the bunny from Splash Mountain is all about.

 

[JoannaTN7]

History is and always has been extremely biased and almost all cultures only showcase the parts they're proud of. Heck, I never even heard of Japanese internment until I was in my 20's! And I think I only ended up learning about because I'm Amerasian. We all seem to understand that it's a legitimate part of American history, but it doesn't change the fact that slavery is an ugly aspect of American history and the movie is extremely "white washed." I don't think it should be buried at all, but I can understand why Disney wouldn't want to release it. It means they don't have to deal with the PR, the protestors, the explanations... It's a can of worms. Yes, it has some beauty to it, but to expose the beauty they'd also have to expose the ugly and that's never easy for anyone to do. I wish it were different, but I'll just have to content myself with a European copy for now.

 

[VolvoManiac850]

The Br'er Rabbit cartoons have been released as part of the Disney Sing Along Songs series.

I, too, would like to see Song of the South re-released. You can't hide from your history as a culture, you can only learn from it.

 

[RAPstar]

Disney needs to do what Warner Bros did with some of their older cartoons. There's screen before the cartoon that basically says "This cartoon is racist, we understand it's racist. We're not saying that it is right that it is racist, and to not show the cartoon is to say that racism never existed which is worse." This is my very general paraphrasing and the way it's worded on the actual screen is much better than what I put lol

 

[SingingMom]

I always loved this movie. The relationship between the young boy and Uncle Remus was beautiful. The color-blindness of the friendship between the young boys, as well as the sweetness of the friendship between the young boy and the poor young girl.... this is what I take away from this movie. "Unless you become like a little child, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven" is the important message of "Song of the South", as well as paying tribute to the history of the Uncle Remus stories, IMHO.

 

[Oscar Kabibbler]

Really? Has Song of the South not been released on DVD yet? I had a look and found this: http://songofthesouthdvd.weebly.com/ and I'm sure I saw one on Etsy too. Are they not official copies?

 

[OneOftheB's]

Song of the South was released a few years ago by a 3rd party. I actually have a DVD that was printed and sold locally (Marietta, GA). The indie bookstore where I bought it said that the company had purchased rights to release it. I only saw it at that store and for that one Christmas.

 

[Oscar Kabibbler]

So this could actually be an official release then? I.e. licensed?

 

[OneOftheB's]

Good question. I pulled out the DVD and case. There is absolutely no mention of Disney anywhere on the disk or case. I did a quick Google search for the company named and it doesn't hit, and the 800 phone # listed is also a dead end. Who knows, maybe I did end up with a bootleg copy (that has been digitally remastered and includes bonus footage). I might ask the ladies who own the bookstore next time I go in. Based on the dead ends and that it is no longer available it seems that it wasn't licensed.

 

[Oscar Kabibbler]

Oh...cheers for that. I see that it's out of copyright in some countries, like Japan. Could it have bee legally made there I wonder?

 

[maltdizzy]

Song of the South was released a few years ago by a 3rd party. I actually have a DVD that was printed and sold locally (Marietta, GA). The indie bookstore where I bought it said that the company had purchased rights to release it. I only saw it at that store and for that one Christmas.

So this could actually be an official release then? I.e. licensed?

Good question. I pulled out the DVD and case. There is absolutely no mention of Disney anywhere on the disk or case. I did a quick Google search for the company named and it doesn't hit, and the 800 phone # listed is also a dead end. Who knows, maybe I did end up with a bootleg copy (that has been digitally remastered and includes bonus footage). I might ask the ladies who own the bookstore next time I go in. Based on the dead ends and that it is no longer available it seems that it wasn't licensed.

Oh...cheers for that. I see that it's out of copyright in some countries, like Japan. Could it have bee legally made there I wonder?

It's Bootleg. There have been several "authored" (with menus and features) bootlegs available for about 15 years now. They all go back to the same laserdisc source that was ripped. Many feature non-Disney "banned" cartoons like Merrie Melodies Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs or similar as part of their extras.

The film's legend is a product of its own controversy, both of which are probably overblown. While not intentionally malicious, the problem with an official release is its overbundance of stereotypes that were part of mainstream culture in pre-WWII America (and still are in parts of Europe and Asia) but were derogatory in origin. These stereotypes were already becoming unacceptable before SOTS came out in 1948. I don't know if it's dismaying or encouraging that many of these stereotypes now fly over peoples heads (or always did) because they have been pretty successfully excised from modern pop culture. "Uncle Remus" himself was always consider a bit of literary blackface, a fictional stereotype narrator by an educated white author repeating oral tales (that came over from Senegal as an oral traditional between slaves) in faux Pidgin English for white readers.

They used to show the animated segments on TV, because they themselves are relatively neutral, except for their faux black-affected voice-over work (toned down significantly in Splash Mountain).

 

[Oscar Kabibbler]

Well, as it was only $9.99 I bought a copy and I loved it! Disney should just quietly release this on DVD, though I'm not moaning about the one I just got as it's a superb copy with really nice packaging.