Song of the South

[deegenerate]

So I just finished watching a very bad bootleg copy of Song of the South in an effort to understand what all the fuss is about. I'm more confused then ever. Taking into account other movies made in the 40's, it actually seems pretty tame. Sure there is the stereotypical "yes m'am" stuff, but that was present in almost every movie. I also found it

Comments

[smoakes777]

I haven't seen it since I was a kid, but I have been told that the problem people have is the depiction of slaves as very happy people joyfully going off to work in the fields. Which seems like the sort of thing I remember.
Makes me sad, because I loved the movie and the songs. But while I believe in the importance of seeing the history in old movies and books, I probably wouldn't be comfortable with my kids seeing that kind of revisionist history (they also wont' be watching Pocahontas).

Unless I'm wrong, and it's not in there at all.

[deegenerate]

It actually takes place during Reconstruction. Of course, it doesn't portray the the issues surrounding share cropping, but that really would be out of place in a children's movie. The main story centers around a little boy who goes to live with his grandma. His parents are splitting up and he is being sent to Atlanta to live with his father or mother (don't remember). He runs away and meets Uncle Remus who starts telling him fables about Briar Rabbit. His mother objects, oddly though his grandma who is the battle axe type Civil War plantation matron, is friend's with Uncle Remus and understands what he is doing. Anyway, little boy has problems adjusting and his mom blames the stories. Uncle Remus is fired and is sent away. The little boy gets upsets and runs after him, in the process getting injured by a bull (don't ask). Uncle Remus goes back to plantation and tells him the Laughing Place story and, wonder of wonders, the boy wakes up. The end of the movie shows the grandma and Uncle Remus smiling and saying how things are "mighty

[pastor_saturn]

When I was a kid I thought The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was just a sweet, lovely fairy tale. It was only later that I realized how veryveryveryvery Catholic it all was, and it depressed me a little to think about it in that proselytizing light.

[deegenerate]

I heard that too when the movie was coming out. If someone hadn't mentioned it, I never would have interpreted it that way even though that was obviously the author's intent. I remember thinking that Turkish Delight was opium when I was in high school. I really think that the individual's interpretations are far more important then author's, Reading about the author is a great intellectual exercise, but like most intellectual exercises it often gets in the way of what is really important, mainly what the story means to you.

[redsteve]

As I recall, the "Br'er Rabbit" stories were actually symbolic tales of resistance to slavery. Based on traditional African folktales (with the rabbit as a trickster archtype - like the Native American's Coyote), many of them show how a weaker, oppressed class (i.e. the rabbit) is able to trick/escape/humiliate the dominant "oppressor" class (wolf, bear). Telling these as childrens' stories allowed slaves to pass on lessons in resistance under the noses of their owners. This is the same technique that allowed Brazilian slaves to practice martial arts (capoeira) by disguising it as folk dancing.

Besides, expecting Disney NOT to gloss over the unpleasant parts of history - now that's just plain crazy (especially back when the film was made).

Kind of related

[ananda_]

I actually never read the books, or saw this movie (or the Gor ones, either). But I wanted to talk about letting your kids watch movies / read books / etc of questionable subject matter. I loathe Disney, particulary the princess stories. I see them as reinforcing a patriarchal paradigm. There is some princess in distress, the wonderful prince saves her. The man is a beast, but if YOU love him enough, YOU can change him. It's crap

Re: Kind of related

[redsteve]

Tanith Lee has a great book of twisted fairy tales

I think it was called Red as Blood. I remember really liking it but I lost my copy long ago and it's now out of print.

Re: Kind of related

[deegenerate]

I really believe that movies, etc have less of an influence on kids then what people think. Unless the kid is only watching tv hours on end, their social interactions are going to be a far greater influence. Adults tend to overanalyze things. I was reading messageboards about Song of the South and someone said that Cinderella was bad because Cinderella was blonde and all the sisters were brunettes. The message being that blondes are attractive and good, brunettes are evil and ugly. You have to wonder what kind of baggage that person brought to the movie.

I thought all hispanics WERE good at fixing things...... : )

Nice Peach " Atlas," The four H club must be very proud.

[johnnyslaughter]

Hey Lisa