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Directed by: Harve Foster, William Jackson Starring: James Baskett, Bobby Driscoll, Hattie McDaniel Song of the South was banned for distribution in North America 15 years ago because a black civil rights group decided that the history of slavery was of more use to their cause if it was glossed over completely rather than honestly depicted for the proceeding generation. On a visceral level I can see where they'd have a point--the black folks in this film are slaves on a plantation, having nightly singalongs with jugs and washboards, eating watermelon and saying "sho nuff." But I think it's important that people be exposed to images like this. It's historically valuable not just in their depictions, but in the subsequent roles black people filled in Hollywood in this era. Little Johnny (future junkie Bobby Driscoll) is upset and confused by the world around him. His father is away on business in the city while his mother and him stay on the farm. Luckily, kindly old Uncle Remus (James Baskett) helps Johnny cope by relating his problems to those of Brer Rabbit. I guess it's worth noting that Baskett won an honourary Oscar for his role, and was therefore the first black person to win the award. He's pretty good in what seems like such a silly, untouchable role nowadays and he generally comes off as if he was a nice guy born into the entirely wrong era of Hollywood. The movie, aside from the incredible (for 1946, holy crap) blue screen effects, is the same idyllic pap Disney shat from its cash-wadded anus for the middle sixty years of its existence. The voices of the characters are annoying as hell, as is Driscoll. There weren't enough feet in the world to kick this kid's rear end as much as it needed it for some of the sickeningly sweet grins and nuzzling he does in this. And the trademark feel-good song of this film, "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," gets whipped harder than a slow-picking Negro and really gets grating after a while. Song of the South without the implied "racism" would hardly register as a movie worth tracking down. But because it's such a fascinating and honest look back at both the plantation era and American films prior to the civil rights movement, I can't recommend it enough. gently caress Disney and its pussy white board of directors. RATING: 3 PROS: Awesome historical value, animation\live-action mix still blows my mind CONS: Corny and typically Disney, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038969/ NADZILLA fucked around with this message at 04:12 on Jun 4, 2004 |
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Jun 4, 2004 04:10
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I was I suppose lucky enough to see this in the theater as a child, bust sadly remember little of it. I just remember that I enjoyed the songs,a nd of course, the stories of Brair Rabbit is well known, and I know I loved tales of him as a child, even if the tar baby is amazingly racist. I do think that this should probably be released, if for no other reason than pointing out that yes, hollywood was that screwed up as to have movies full of mammies and such. Even Disney. Of course, we well know that Disney likes to hide its darker history.
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Jun 6, 2004 19:27
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