From: inkblot@leland.Stanford.EDU (Thomas Calvin Cannon)
Subject: Re: How about ANIMATED Disney Movies
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 93 19:35:57 GMT

In article <4905@moscom.com> jrjj@moscom.com (Jad Jordan) writes:
>In article <1993Jan27.024753.5495@leland.Stanford.EDU> inkblot@leland.Stanford.EDU (Thomas Calvin Cannon) writes:
>>>I have heard it is because the movie portrays Uncle Remus, and other black
>>>characters, in a way that would be deemed "offensive" by today's standards.
>>>
>>
>>   That's what I thought, I just wanted to make sure before I posted this...
>>
>>   Having 20 years of experience as an African American, I can say that Song of
>>the South was a pretty 'unsettling' movie.  Sure, Uncle Remus was a good
>>guy and all, but was this the _only_ role that Disney could find for an
>>African American?  Up until recently, Disney's record on racial and gender
>>issues has been pretty shabby.  When you combine good ol' Uncle Remus with
>>those black crows from Dumbo (ug!) _and_ the portrayal of women  in
>>Cinderella and similar movies ( "let the women do the sewin' " ) , you get 
>>basically a repeating theme where women are victims and minorities are 
>>side-shows.  
>>
   [paragraph deleted]
>>
>>    At any rate, I think that a re-release of SotS would be a tragic 
>>mistake on Disney's part.  I for one know that I'd be offended if it was
>>re-released.  Heck, I saw it at a pretty young age, and even then I was able 
>>to see that it's portrayal of blacks wasn't too 'modern.'  I might feel 
>>differently if SotS was an animation masterpiece, but it just isn't.
>
>Interesting. Thomas, I have to ask you about other films containing
>other poorly portrayed black characters. What is your opinion on Gone With
>The Wind? I tried to seperate the characters from the story. While Mamie
>and Prissy are a little more than two-dimensional, the personalities still are
>not the best they could be. But the story makes it difficult to properly judge
>the characters (that is, trying to place the characters in other settings or
>time periods is difficult, since being slaves is what they are). How about
>other films, like The King and I, where the act out Uncle Tom's Cabin. I think
>films of that period reflect the society, not try to change it. (The sole
>exception is Casablanca where Sam is just as equal as any other supporting
>character.) Wasn't SotS just reflecting it's society at the time as well? Or
>the perception of society at that time?
>
Um...while I havn't seen The King and I, I mostly agree with your point, which
is why I think that SotT should _not_ be re-released.  Aspects of the film
that were acceptable (though marginally) at the time of the film's creation
just aren't acceptable to most of today's audience.  It's just like the 
discussion going on now about how well Aladdin will 'age'.  The semi-racist
tone of SotT doesn't age very well.

>Do people watch Bonanza and think Hop Sing is a typical Oriental Asian
>American? Or Basic Instinct and think Sharon Stone is a typical Bi-Sexual?
>I think anyone who has some intelligence can discern the difference between
>fiction and non-fiction. While I wouldn't support current films that depict
>modern sterotypes, and really don't support any films that depict any sterotype,
>I feel I am intelligent enough to realize when I am seeing one. Plus, seeing
>some of those old films help me to realize that society at that time was wrong
>in their portrayals of minorities. Seeing Gone With The Wind again helped to
>re-establish my support of minorities, since the characters are so blatently
>unrealisticly portayed. 
>

Hmmm...please see my other post (in response to _your_ other post =)   )
about the difference between Disney films and most other movies, T.V. series,
etc.  The thing you have to realize is that the whole _point_ of SotT was
to caricaturize southern and black culture....and not in a flattering way IMHO

>Just an idea.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Is this part of your sig? (just wondering)
>
>"Oh, Isn't this amazing?
>It's my favorite part 			   Jad R. J. Jordan
>Because, you see,			  MOSCOM Corporation.
>Here's where she meets			    jrjj@moscom.com
>Prince Charming!				()_()
>But she won't discover that it's him		 (_)
>'Til Chapter Three."


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