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Thread: What's the Deal with the Song of the South?

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    What's the Deal with the Song of the South?

    What's the Deal with the Song of the South? by Jim Korkis

    Jim looks at why the Disney film might have missed the cut for Disney+

    Read it here!


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    It's always been interesting to me that Song of the South won't be re-released. Loved your article. Even before reading your article I've always felt that this was not a slave story since Uncle Remus leaves, and definitely that the white adults in the film are the ones portrayed as the idiots and Uncle Remus is the hero of the story. Love the Splash Mountain ride, and glad I bought my copy of Song of the South from England years ago. Seems to me Disney+ is a great venue to do a documentary of sorts explaining the background on the movie, that Reconstruction time period, and how far we've come as a country since then. I'm even fine if they switch the tar baby out for honey to be PC and match the Splash Mountain ride. Thanks for a great article!


  4. #3
    The story of why Song of the South has not been re-released in the United States, and the controversy sparked by its initial release to movie theaters, is a saddening mixture of insensitivity, misunderstandings, and urban legends. It is a much more tangled "can of worms" than many people realize, and the film sparks heated emotions from its defenders, as well as it opponents.
    This. Exactly. I appreciate how you phrased it matter-of-factly, about a film that instantly touches a raw nerve for many when it's mentioned.

    Coincidentally, I watched a Behind the Scenes video on Facebook of Trevor Noah asked by an audience member what he would like to see brought from his home country of South Africa to here in America. He said in South Africa there was some mandate passed influencing people to talk about Apartheid and its history, and that dialogue has allowed them to confront and discuss its ugliness without the tension that discussion about racism and slavery in America tends to draw when it's discussed here. He said he wished how South Africans discuss Apartheid civilly is how American could similarly discuss Black American History with the same civil discourse. Similarly I wish we all could watch Song of the South to talk about it and elevate our knowledge and insight about and response to everything it references.
    "The show must…"/"Go on!" - Shakespeare in Love
     

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    I watch my bootleg DVD every couple of years. I absolutely loved the soundtrack. I first saw it during the 1972 rerelease. I immediately bought the soundtrack album. I was all of 12.


  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by carolinakid View Post
    I watch my bootleg DVD every couple of years. I absolutely loved the soundtrack. I first saw it during the 1972 rerelease. I immediately bought the soundtrack album. I was all of 12.
    I own a bootleg too. Bought it perhaps three years ago. That was the first time I saw it and man, I didn't expect to enjoy it and be charmed by it as much as I did. I rewatched it again a few months ago and still charmed by it. The tar baby scene stood out as problematic this time tho', not for me but by others who'd be challenged to not take offense by it. I understand why some people would like to bury the offensive past. But hiding sins is why folks today have a difficult time understanding and empathizing with topics like the MeToo moment, the Catholic priests sex scandals, or racism. Noting that, I suppose society today isn't ready to talk about Song of the South maturely. But hopefully one day we can.
    "The show must…"/"Go on!" - Shakespeare in Love
     

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    Funny that as a 12 year old, I didnt see the tar baby story as racist. I just figured since these were black characters telling a story, that the figure they were trying to pass off as human in order to nab Brer Rsbbit would be black also. And although his skin was black he didnt have exaggerated or stereotypical features. If I remember correctly he wore an old coat and hat, had buttons for eyes, a cork for a nose and a pipe where his mouth would be. And Im sure I am scrutinizing this now more deeply than I ever did watching the film.


  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by carolinakid View Post
    Funny that as a 12 year old, I didn’t see the tar baby story as racist. I just figured since these were black characters telling a story, that the figure they were trying to pass off as human in order to nab Brer Rsbbit would be black also. And although his “skin” was black he didn’t have exaggerated or stereotypical features. If I remember correctly he wore an old coat and hat, had buttons for eyes, a cork for a nose and a pipe where his mouth would be. And I’m sure I am scrutinizing this now more deeply than I ever did watching the film.
    Oh, I don't doubt that at all. I likely didn't see anything wrong about it when I saw it my first time too. To a degree it's ignorance, and some would argue that's not a good excuse to let it pass. Ironic, since seeing the movie and talking about it afterwards is a way to becoming more enlightened about it. But that's also why I really noticed it now, because of the current heightened sensitivity regarding the content of this movie and how some people may respond to what it depicts, and I happened to remember this time how some view "tar baby" negatively.
    "The show must…"/"Go on!" - Shakespeare in Love
     

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