First off : Congratulations, Elizabeth, on the success of "Elemental" at the Wisconsin Film Festival. As you noted, one thousand people is a huge audience to see your film, and you are certain to have made an impression on people who can offer you more opportunities. That was a great picture of you guys standing in front of the festival's promo screen, so congrats to all but especially to The SB! I will look forward to seeing your film if and when you are able to post it on your website. I know it's not the same as watching it on the big screen, but at least I'll be able to see your work. :)
Tonight I did watch a movie, Disney's "Song Of The South" (1946), which I recently bought a copy of on a bootlegged dvd. I had to buy the bootleg, which is from one of those semi-legit companies that copy hard-to-get films, because "Song Of The South" is indeed hard to get. It has never been released on dvd by Disney, which on the surface seems strange, given the fact that it was seen by every kid of my generation. I believe my first exposure to it was at school, or on a field trip. And everybody in the world knows "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah", one of the most famous and uplifting songs in the entire Disney canon. I began searching for a copy of "Song Of The South" about ten years ago when I discovered I couldn't buy it on Amazon (except for very expensive VHS tapes).
I wondered why this was, and lo and behold I discovered that there was a big controversy surrounding the movie, which began when Disney re-released it in theaters in 1986, to coincide with it's 40th Anniversary.
At that time, it was decided that the movie was racist. There were protests made against the theatrical re-release, and instead of the movie being celebrated it was trashed. Disney has never mentioned it again, and it has never had an official dvd release, which is conspicuous in it's absense when you consider that every other Disney Classic has been given the deluxe promotional treatment for dvd release publicity.
I have not done enough Googling to see who was behind the protests in 1986. The obvious guess would be the NAACP, but my Googling did reveal that they have no position on the film. They are not for, or against it. Perhaps it was a different political group who initiated the protests.
I first saw "Song Of The South" when I was maybe 6 or 7. Like all little kids, I loved the character of Uncle Remus, and I even had a book of the Uncle Remus stories of B'rer Rabbit and B'rer Wolf when I was little. I probably had the Disney version of the story, maybe the book that was connected to the movie, but I loved those stories as millions of kids did.
The story of Uncle Remus is the story of A Storyteller. In this case he is an older gentleman who has an innate connection to animals, or "critters" as he calls them. He is like Dr. Doolittle in that he can "talk to the animals", and in Uncle Remus' case he gains wisdom from them. Uncle Remus is connected to nature, and to animals, and he passes his wisdom on to children - children both black and white - and because the children have the same innate understanding of the natural world (and the way things really work), they seek out Uncle Remus because they want to hear his stories.
I suppose the protests came about because the story - which originated in a book written by Joel Chandler Harris in 1880 - takes place on a plantation in Georgia, and nowhere in the movie (nor in the book, I imagine) is there seen any hint of slavery or black hardship or torture. Okay, that much is true. I think the word "plantation" is used once, at the beginning of the film, and then it is forgotten. The setting becomes a big house and property where the white family and their black employees all seem to be on a socially equal footing. It is clear who owns the property, and who runs the show (the white folks), but beyond that, it is really Uncle Remus who runs the show, because he knows life. And he loves life, and he loves animals, and he believes in the healing power of laughter.
And the children in the movie come to him, because they know that he has all the answers, and they love his stories.
Tonight I watched the movie for the second time in my life, probably more than fifty years since I had first seen it.
I could go on an Enormous Tirade about self-righteous left-wing protests against it, but I won't, and really I think that the movie is now "under the radar". I don't think anyone is protesting against it, because Disney has shelved it for the past 32 years, out of embarrassment. and fear of being called racist if they were to give it the dvd release it deserves.
I won't go on a tirade, but I will say, very simply put :
"Song Of The South" is one of the most beautiful movies ever made, especially for children, because it promotes kindness, and life lessons, and tolerance, and co-existence, and very importantly an understanding of the power of nature and animals in out human lives, and I am sorry, but how anybody could turn something this beautiful into something negative is beyond me.
In our current society, it is just fine to continue to promote Rap Culture, which has dragged down the beautiful Black Afro-American Culture that I grew up with, and has trashed that artistic and intelligent culture and has taken it into the gutter, but God Forbid we should promote something wonderful that promotes human kindness toward one another, and toward animals. God Forbid we should promote "Song Of The South", which Walt Disney had hoped would be his masterpiece.
I teared up at the end of the movie, and I don't mind admitting it. I won't give anything away, but there is a shot, of two hands coming together, that caused me to lose it just a little bit.
"Song Of The South" is the exact opposite of what it's detractors claim. Yes, there was slavery. Yes, it was terrible, demonic even. Yes, it was a blight on the founding of our nation. And yes, we should never make light of it in any way, in history books or movies. On that I agree completely.
But "Song Of The South" isn't about that. It's about life, love, human beings, children, animals and stories, as told by Uncle Remus.
That's what it's about. If you want history, watch "Roots".
I was glad to see that the actor James Baskett was given an Honorary Academy Award for his portrayal of Uncle Remus, and for his other voice work of animated characters in the movie. He died soon after, in 1948 at age 44, and so he has been immortalised.
His character of Uncle Remus will always live on, and kids of new generations will find the movie, whether Disney ever releases it in dvd or not, and no matter who continues to protest.
Sorry, folks, but "Song Of The South" is exactly the kind of thing we need more of.
It is beautiful and it will endure. ////
See you in the morn. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
No comments:
Post a Comment