Song of the South, Disney needs to release this film. Part 2

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Right here we go, part two. In the next scene as expected Johnny and Toby are off to see Remus who is being harassed by the Faver brothers, because they want their dog back, whilst the non-slaves are singing a song about “singing all your troubles away”, ah if only it were that easy.

So let me break it down like this, Johnny was given a dog to save its life, he then passed that dog onto Remus but never explained what the issue is, all Remus knows is that the dog belongs to Johnny and he won’t do anything with it, until Johnny tells him so.

You know Johnny, Remus has his own shit to deal with; he doesn’t need to get involved in yours, especially when he’s being harassed for doing nothing. Even though the brothers mention telling Sally…ok what is she going to do? well perhaps act like a responsible parent.

This then leads to the next Brer Rabbit scene, the Tar Baby, which is based on African folklore, here’s the wiki page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar-Baby

So the story is Brer Fox builds a tar baby, Brer Bear is still a dipshit, and Brer Rabbit is going around town, saying “How do  you do?” to everyone getting a “Fine how are you” back. As Uncle Remus is also in the story, smokes a pipe with a frog and blows a smoke square…this guy is a badass.

As Brer Fox, dumps the Tar Baby made to look like a person, and the Rabbit bounces past and doesn’t get a hello back, well he becomes pissed and decides to retaliate and punch the tar baby in the face. Ok, I know it’s an inanimate object, but Brer Rabbit is still a dick, even if Fox and Bear are delighted as Brer Rabbit gets stuck, tangled until he looks like Venom in Spider-Man.

Moral of the story: Either don’t get involved in other people’s shit or don’t threaten to punch anyone in the face, both good lessons for the ages. As the pair decides how they’re going to kill him, strangulation is mentioned, Brer Rabbit using his wits begs them “not to throw him in the briar patch”, ahh good old reverse psychology, always there when we need you.

Because the Rabbit is suggesting that the world of thorns is a torture chamber, of course, they do exactly that, so he sails through the air, lands in the thrones, over acts dead, mugs to the camera…yeah, he’s faking, being born and raised in them, he’s fine and bounces away happy. This end leads Brer Bear to knock out Brer Fox. The end.

And the repercussions of this, is later in the real world the Brother Favers reappear to get the God back, and little Johnny tells them, not to tell his mother, but defiantly “Don’t tell their mother”, in the type of voice that if he did so, would result in an instant KO! Since these boys are dipshits on the same level as Brer Bear, they do exactly that, get a whopping since their mother who maintains it’s Ginny’s dog and she can give it to whoever she wants.  Of course their pissed and want revenge, rinse and repeat, here we go again.

Next up, just because it’s a really nice scene, we have Hattie McDaniel’s singing whilst baking, which is always a plus as Remus appears to lay on the charm to get some food, guys a bachelor and got some skills. They share a nice moment until the Faver boys appear to tell on Johnny, since it’s finally revealed that the dog isn’t Johnny’s. I don’t really care at this point who the fuck Titchy belongs too.

So through no fault of his own, Remus is in the shit, Sally now knows, she isn’t happy and will not listen to him, even though she does have a wistful look in her eyes then Remus mentions Brer Rabbit. But since she wants her son to be “Brave and true” yeah the usual clichés whilst you dress him up like Little Lord Fauntleroy, so Sally in her wisdom states that she doesn’t want Johnny to hear any more stories.

In this scene though I give full Kudos to Granny, for openly calling Sally out of her bullshit, since Johnny needs friends his own age, it is telling however that she never mentions Toby in this conversation, because well I guess he’s a servant. So Johnny needs friends, so they are going to throw him a birthday party, to meet all the other white children, even if it’s clear that Sally doesn’t want Ginny there, but who cares she’s still coming. Alas, it also appears that daddy won’t be able to come, well maybe who knows.

Finally with the little sod happy, he grabs a bone from the kitchen but then learns that Remus has taken Titchy back because as I’ve said before. Remus doesn’t need this shit, even if Johnny is devastated and blames Remus for his departure, but then even though the tears tells Remus that he is his best friend, to which Remus pretty much tells him to go.

Since Sally doesn’t want the stories, but he doesn’t want Johnny to hate his mother, he tells him just to go, effectively breaking both their hearts, sad but a very good scene. Moving forward I guess a few days later, it’s the day for the Birthday Party, and we see all the little plantation kids with Sally all happy whilst Johnny goes and gets Ginny,  whose mother has given her a crash course in manners and who is wearing a dress, a very nice one but was also her mother’s wedding dress. So how old was her mother when she got married? Or is she that good a seamstress?

One thing I am going to say about the party is that we never see Toby, he was not invited, so he is good enough to catch frogs with, and keep the master company, but not to share in cake and games…if anyone wonders why this film gets a bad reputation, this is the reason why. We also learn that Ginny has never been to a Birthday Party, wow poor thing, and it appears she spoke too soon as her brothers appear and because their nasty little bastards knock their little sister in the mud. Johnny in a nice act of chivalry fights back, they all end up in the mid as Johnny since overkill is underrated is about to be clubbed to death with some wood when Remus shows up, basically tells the boys to fuck off, because their sociopathic little shits who tried to kill a child.

Ginny is naturally devastated by all this and runs off to have a good cry whilst Johnny takes after her and in a bid to calm her down decides to tell her about Brer Rabbit, ok Johnny, you are the Padawan, let the Master of the stories take over, as Johnny tells them both, that he didn’t want a birthday unless his father was there. Little bastard, Ginny’s never been to one.

As the three morose people sit on the log, lamenting their existence Remus gets the idea for another Brer Rabbit story, the” Laughing Place”. Let me break it down to you, the hapless bunny has managed to get himself captured by Bear and Fox and is on a spittle facing the last moments of his life and being turned into Rabbit stew, until whilst his tail is roasting, begins to laugh, because he was thinking about his “Laughing place” Because if you’re going to be eaten  at least you have something funny to laugh about, Brer Fox just wants to eat him along with his own giblets, and Brer Bear is intrigued and wants to see it, because well he’s a dipshit.

End of the day, they all go on a journey, with the Rabbit singing about his “laughing place” and he leads them into a cavern of bees, well since it’s the rabbits laughing place and not theirs, at least Brer Rabbit find it funny before he escapes Cutting back to the real work the kids are happy and set off to find their laughing place, being interrupted by Sally, who is naturally miffed since Johnny missed his party and looks like he’s covered in mud, and of course is pissed at Uncle Remus even though he was the one who saved Johnny from being clubbed to death, and had no idea what was going on, but he is banned from seeing Johnny.

Screw you, Sally, Remus has never deserved any of this shit in his life, as well as being spoken to Sally like he was a child. I don’t ever condone violence towards a woman, but I just wished someone would have slapped her over the head with a copy of The Emancipation Proclamation.

Naturally since everyone is overreacting, to everything Remus pretty much has had enough and decides to leave, he had no reason to leave but he’s done and full kudos to Baskett for this scene alone. It’s just a simple monologue, but it carries the weight of the world within its words as he talks about how he would have done more if he had the time, and all he is…is a teller of stories.

That Oscar, honorary or not was deserved just for this scene. At this point Toby reappears (where the hell has he been?) learns that Remus is going to Atlanta, perhaps to ask John, the papa for help or tell him to get his ass back to the South whilst Johnny and Ginny are looking for their Laughing Place, and it turns out that Ginny’s own papa is back, so she’s got her Laughing Place and perhaps her father can beat some sense and manners into those asshole sons of his.

Seriously, why do  people forget that two little shits want to kill a dog? Johnny watches this tender scene  wistfully, until he realizes that his own “Laughing Place” is Uncle Remus place, well that was easy, so overjoyed he rushes off to tell him that only that he is gone, as Sally appears and at least I give her props for accepting some of the blame, screw that all of the blame for this.

With Remus heading off in a cart and horse, Johnny tears after it, but as he runs into the field, forgets about the bull. Johnny is wearing red, yeah you can tell how this went, even though we never see it, just Sally’s anguished scream as her one and only son is mangled god knows what and he was almost at the fence to get away, almost.

Even in Song of the South overkill is underrated! In the next scene and thank God we’re almost at the end, the non-slaves are keeping vigil for Johnny, and singing outside, because you know give me a film set in these times, when black people didn’t sing? No, really I want to know? Johnny, I assume is dying from internal bleeding as Toby is outside standing next to a pillar. I bet he got blamed for this, since everything is his fault!

But it’s at this point that John, the abandoning papa reappears since today, please remember is still Johnny’s birthday. But instead of the miracle of the father reappearing, and all is well, Johnny is calling for “Uncle Remus”, over and over again, who after Hattie (god i love her) addresses the crowd is actually standing there.

So did he turn round and see Johnny in the field, did he forget something…I thought he was leaving, so when did he come back? Thankfully Remus come into the house, tells the boy a story, and he wakes up but embraces his father while Remus hangs back from this. Moral of the story…don’t neglect your family asshole dad!

Interesting thing to note during this tender scene, the moment that Johnny wakes up and sees his father, he pretty much ignored Remus whilst the family of three cuddle, but once again he couldn’t get too close. Jim Crow laws and all…and I guess his job is done; he’s so magical he’s woken a boy from certain death and reunited them all .

Next scene, we have the three children, and Titchy so he lived after all singing “”Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”” (which incidentally won the Oscar for best song in 1946) going off and playing and  all is right with the world. As the three past Uncle Remus, Brer Rabbit and friend appear in the real world joining in on the adventure. Remus takes one look at this thinks “screw it with work”, and I don’t blame him for that and joins the children and cartoon characters a they all dance into the end.

Thank god

Final Thought So this is the film Disney try to pretend never existed, disowned unwanted abandoned even though Splash Mountain in all the Disney Parks has the characters. Believe me, there is nothing more awesome then hearing “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” in Japanese!

The last time I saw this was in the 1980’s and seeing this through 21^st-century eyes, yes I can see why people view this is racist.

The black people are servants; it’s set after slavery, even though apparently Walt Disney thought his audience were geniuses since it’s never mentioned so a narration card at the start of the film would have been nice. After all everyone is dressed in Victorian clothing, including Johnny.

But this film is racist including the treatment of Toby, who everyone treats like shit, and it’s just insensitive. However looking through the eyes of the 1940’s Deep South, welcome to Jim Crow and all that, this film is revolutionary. You have a black Actor, who is set up as the hero, sorts out a family’s shit, acts as a father surrogate to a child, yet never takes over the role, is kind at all times, well liked. Remus isn’t a “magical negro”.

And before I get slated for that, I didn’t come up with it…here’s the wiki page for that. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_Negro

He’s well developed, well liked and has his own thing going on away from the other characters. In truth, looking at this through both 1940’s eyes and the 21^st Century, Disney has screwed this film over, given it a reputation it doesn’t deserve and banned it from sight.

Actor wise, well Bobby Driscoll as Johnny is doing well with the source material, he comes across as a bit whiny, especially with the underused Toby, played by Glenn Leedy as this was his only film and needed to be seen a bit more, as soon as Ginny appears, played by Luana Patten, he seems to disappear from the film.

With Luana Patten, her accent comes off as a bit thick at times, but child actors in the 1940’s were normally of this type. However, she can hold a scene, well and let’s face it her family comes from such a dysfunctional background it’s no wonder she breaks down. Adult actors, you know even if I hate the context of the role I have to give Lucile Watson as the Grandmother, and Ruth Warrick as Sally some dues, even if the latter is at times reminiscent of Scarlett O’Hara!

They look stunning, and even though Sally seems happy to ignore what is going on, never for a second do you get the feeling she never loves her son. It’s brief, but it’s nice. Also, her reaction, when Johnny is gored by the bull, will stay with you The other actors, oh come on its Hattie McDaniel’s, as Tempy what more can I say? She’s fantastic because she always is, I did read on her wiki page that the NAACP was upset with her taking roles as the servant all the time, forgetting that she was a jobbing actress and needed to work. Academy Award or not.

She’s great in this role, it’s something she has played dozens of times before, but she’s working her ass off in the role However the real star of the film is James Baskett as Uncle Remus, he’s fantastic. From the first word out of his mouth about his stories, you just believe him.

He steals ever scene he is, his monologue when he was leaving, broke my heart, and that Academy Award, Honorary or not was deserved. Now, the questions is aside from this film being boring, is it racist? Well yes, insensitive and racist. But at the same time, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have merit, and should be banned. So the question begs since Jezebel and Gone with the Wind are a million times racist than this but are American Classics.

The thing this film gets wrong is the setting of this film, how are we meant to know what year the film is set, ok Sally wears Victorian clothing, but we’re not geniuses are we? It needed more to the script, we needed to know what was so controversial about the newspaper. Why exactly are they leaving Atlanta…come on reasons? It feels just lazy that this is the reason he’s cast as a deadbeat dad when he clearly loves his family.

Ok, so Baskett is a great actor doing his best with a lazy film where he won an honorary Oscar and couldn’t go the premier because it was set in segregated Atlanta and he couldn’t get a hotel room. Yes, this film is insensitive, but screw it. Disney, release this film, have it digitally restored with a info card and commentary with animation historians about the time the film was set and how this was a passion project for Walt Disney, if not well just google it and watch with an open mind. Ok still in the vault, so what happens next? Well to my loyal and awesome readers, we shall see

Song of the South, the Disney film you’ve never seen. Part 1

Song of the South

Directors: Harve Foster and Wilfred Jackson

Produced by Walt Disney

Year:1946

Ok, god I can’t believe I’m covering this one, but let’s get it out of the way now so I can do something better…like Mary Poppins.

Before I begin, can I just say as a white woman from London, I’ve never experienced Racism on a level that people lived through, and I don’t get racism. I’m not going to pretend, I’m also not going to pretend that slavery doesn’t exist, that people can’t be dicks, and what was going on in America at the time this this film was set and at the time that that film was released was total bullshit.

Now before I begin let me explain what I know about American Slavery? Well, since we’re not taught it in school, since have our own history of Kings, Queens, plagues and the Commonwealth, oh yeah and World War II. American Slavery, I was never really taught and had to pick it up courtesy of books and documentaries…thank you History Channel.

I do think Racism is bullshit, and I’m not going to pretend I understand that I know what it feels like; I’ve never been segregated due to the colour of my skin. And even with my dual heritage with being descended from the first country to ban slavery and the last, yeah never understood it and never wanted too.

As humans we always feel we’re more enlightened than the previous generation when on occasions we’re no different. No matter what people are always going to be assholes to others for stupid reasons, or try to put them down and 1946, was no doubt a shitty time to be a person of colour in America.

And now we have Song of the South, now since this film is banned pretty much everywhere I did manage to finally track down a copy of it, but it was a case of watch once quickly and sadly this time no pictures with snarky quotes, a bit like the original days of the blog!

Before I do, now everyone’s heard about how racist this film is, how its shows the black people as subservient to the white folk, how it’s (insert word here), oh please think of the children!

Watching this film, I  see that the fuss is all about. The biggest problem with this film is it does have elements that to a modern day audience could be construed as racist or better still insensitive. However the biggest problem this film has, is that it’s really fucking boring!

However, this film does two things. This film was a passion project of Walt Disney, he loved the Uncle Remus stories collected by Joel Chandler Harris, who was a man who took the time to write about African American folklore in reconstruction times, and cared enough to use the original dialect so the stories and language wouldn’t die out, hence this film.

Walt Disney decided after using Live Action/Animation for the package films, to try it out here, and here it’s still a new medium but a million times better. He also hired James Baskett originally to audition to voice a butterfly (He did that as well) and gave him Remus on the spot.

So many other studios could have just hired a white actor and put him in blackface…and Breakfast at Tiffany’s is considered a classic, even though Mickey Rooney is made up to be Japanese, and that’s more offensive than this film entire. Disney didn’t, to the point he championed Baskett for an Academy Award, and he won an honorary one. Look it was 1946, this was progress. Nothing I say about this film is going to take that away because he is fantastic in this role.

But anyway, let’s get this shit storm underway

Opening up in the Reconstruction Era of the Deep South, (according to wiki that’s from January 1, 1863 to March 31, 1877) as we see Johnny, his parents and of course the black maid who is the last person to speak as they are all heading off to Johnny’s Grandmothers plantation and through the magic of exposition we learn Johnny’s father, also called John is an editor of a controversial newspaper even though we never learn what the hell is so bad about it. Let’s just say it’s one what advocates peace, rights to vote for all the population and had mentioned in an editorial of one day a black guy being President!

After a while of everyone looking miserable, everyone bonds because Johnny can hear frogs…since they don’t exist in the City and all and we also get the information that Johnny’s father was told a story about Br’er Rabbit by Uncle Remus, so five minutes into this film and he’s being set up as a folk hero even though it does the job as all the adults no longer have faces like a slapped arse.

We know get to the Plantation and meet Grandmother, whose first course of action  is to tell Johnny that it’s good to have a man in the house again and since this script needed more work, it does look like she gives him Toby, the servant for company and it’s now this little boys job to keep Johnny out of trouble, and get him out of trouble if he finds himself in trouble…oh yeah just dump him on the servant boy.

Johnny, however, wants to meet the famous Uncle Remus and while all the adults have a mini domestic, Toby and Johnny watch a clock about to strike the hour…because this was fun in the 19th century!

This scene also introduces Hattie McDaniel’s as Aunt Tempy, worth mentioning here, because she’s the first black woman to win an Academy Award for Gone with the Wind, she was a fantastic actress and because of this I’m just going to refer to her as Hattie instead of her character’s name. Her awesomeness stands out in this film, and must be respected at all times.

It turns out that Johnny’s father is leaving because of editorship, and because the script needs to get rid of him, because as reasons’ go it’s bloody stupid but Johnny and his mother are staying and of course Johnny is destroyed but his job now is to take care of the womenfolk as they act like there never going to see him ever again, as poor little Johnny breaks down as his father drives off without looking back

In the next scene we get one of those it’s board daylight but it’s made to look like night time scenes as Johnny sneaks away from the house to get to Atlanta whilst the non-slaves, are singing a song about how the leopard get his spots, and stuff like that because Uncle Remus told them all about it, song is catchy however.

It’s at this moment whilst Johnny is moping to himself sneaking past the non-slaves we finally meet the famous Uncle Remus sitting with the children telling his own story, which according to Toby “Is the best in the whole state of Georgia”, because it’s the South, after all…so we have a location now.

Remus begins to tell a story of Miss Sally when she was young. Ok, I was led to believe by the father that it was his mother’s plantation, but it’s Sally’s…unless you know Deliverance and all! Yes, I went there!

The story shows she wasn’t as uptight as she is now, which is interrupted by Hattie as she announces that Johnny is missing, so they blame Toby since he’s about ten and it’s his job. What a total bitch, (character not the actress) she is too poor Toby, how the hell is this his fault? No wonder people think this is set in slave times when you treat a child like a slave.

Remus having spotted Johnny, tells Hattie to go away off since the boy is with him, so he’s now involved (Run away now Remus) and Johnny decides to go further into the woods, but since Remus has a cane, none of them get very far before Johnny begins acting like a little pussy, as Remus reminds him that he’s running away and he has no food.

Using reverse psychology, tells the boy he’s running away with him…because why the hell not but need supplies before they get to Atlanta, so taking the boy back to his cabin he mentions to Johnny about Br’er Rabbit and it looks like Johnny goes into a trance and he just has to hear it.

So are you sitting comfortable children let’s hear the story about Br’er Rabbit, and hear the famous song…we all know it. According to the lyrics, back in the day everything was all better and nicer…I beg to differ, but I will give this scene something, for a new technique of combining animation with live action in 1946, this is amazing. Baskin is nailing it here, as from the look on his face, he believes it, so we believe it.

Basically Br’er Rabbit wants to run away from his problems, Br’er Fox wants his head and Br’er Bear is a dipshit who believes that he will get one dollar a minute. Adjusted for inflation in 2015 it means he’ll be getting $477.01. But Br’er Rabbit uses his wits, manages to escape and we all learn the moral of the story…you can’t run from your problems.

As back in the real world, Johnny wants to see the briar patch where the Rabbit lives and we get more reverse psychology since there leaving after all, but how this would have panned out is thankfully dashed when Toby enters thinking his master is lying dead somewhere but it’s all sorted and Remus brings the boys home, with Johnny being surprised that everyone stayed up for him…of course they would you idiot

Sally’s reaction to this, is to tell everyone that “It’s past Johnny’s bedtime” and since Master Johnny can’t be unhappy Remus takes the blame for all of this just telling her that he was with him the whole time, as the boy can’t be sad can he? This this would have worked if Toby in total ignorance hadn’t  given Johnny his bag back, Ok Toby is innocent of everything but from the look on Hattie’s McDaniel’s face, the kids heading for a beating or something  for doing nothing, but who gives a shit about Toby?

As Toby and Hattie disappear, we not get a moment between Remus and the Granny (Lucile Watson) which I will give it this, their two actors at the top of their game, but I get the negativity of this scene, as Granny tells Remus about how stubborn she is, and she’s an old woman and all that however she’s not mad at him which pleases Remus greatly, since…oh fuck it.

From their ages, and the context of the film they were alive during slavery, there I said it. Perhaps it’s me but I would have killed for a moment when Remus pointed out that she can’t do anything about it…bitch! There I also said it.

The next day, in a film which is already insensitive proves to be even more so, as Toby since it’s his job to make the Master happy, is the one who brings him water so he can wash, and Toby since Johnny wanted to see the frogs, decides to bring one up from the Frog Pond, which they play with and then Toby has to hide it in a moment of slapstick, because well the films needed something.

Then Sally walks in to tell Johnny that his other Grandmother is coming, so he can’t go the Frog Pond on the property where he lives and can go any time…my God Sally you are such a cow! Because of this Johnny has to dress like Little Lord Fauntleroy. I wasn’t going to accuse Sally of anything here, I hardly know her, and I do think she’s neglectful of Johnny by not facing up to their problems and having an honest conversation with him, but she’s human. Here, however, I am adding child cruelty.

Later on, however, Johnny is chilling with Toby playing with the frog when they get the bright idea since he must be missing him to take him back to the Frog Pond, somewhere a frog family is mourning the assumed loss of their young not knowing he’s being held at the whims of a child.

The pair go skipping down the lane, as Johnny makes a move to go into the bullpen, ok exposition it has to go somewhere the bull is dangerous, it can smell you in the “wind’s in the east, mist coming it” (couldn’t resist) and hates red, and I guess little shits with two parents.  Yeah, we all know what’s going to happen soon don’t we?

Straight after they come across the Favers family, Joe and Jake are the evil bastards in this story, but little Ginny played by Luana Patten is trying to save her puppy Titchy from being drowned,

So these little bastards first act apart from wanting to kill a puppy, is to insult Johnny’s clothes so of course he’s gutted…however I just found it funny! As the little boy blue finally gets to the Frog Pond, there is no sign of Toby after this and with the sound of the frogs filling the air, a rock thrown in the pond is enough to silence them. So did we just hear a Frog Holocaust?

However he’s pulled out of his strop fest by little Ginny, who to save her dogs life from her brothers decides to give him to Johnny, in return she gets the lace collar which will no doubt become a treasured possession and now worn by every member of her family on their wedding days, including her own.

Perhaps in the South this now means there dating, since they go on a boat ride after, I take this to mean their courting! Ah now all is good with the world, everyone is happy, even in the next scene Hattie McDaniel’s is telling Johnny to take the dog back to its owners…and certain death.

Yet Johnny since he does have a heart, decides to do the next best thing, to take it to Remus, who at the time is tending to his land and smiling to himself well until he sees Johnny and recognises the dog as belonging to the Favers, ok how?

It’s a dog and not a mangy mutt it’s clearly a pure bred, perhaps in breeding or something? Remus tells him to take it back, but Johnny guilt trips him to keeping since his mother won’t let him. Damn you Johnny, you’re good, even if it’s clear that since Remus is being brought into this, and you haven’t told him shit and lied to Remus, someone is going to suffer for this later…and it won’t be you, Johnny.

Ok at the word count, I still have to type the next part so back as soon as I can

Thanks for reading