Peter Pan vs. Uncle Remus
My kids just received Disney's new edition DVD of "Peter Pan" as a gift from their grandmother. It's a good movie, but it has its problems, not the least of which is its depiction of American Indians.
Now, anyone who reads this blog knows I don't go in for political correctness. 
But I do find it ironic that Disney has banned what may be the best movie it ever produced - "Song of the South" - despite its sympathetic (if somewhat dated) portrayal of African-Americans, yet issues a new edition of a good-but-not-great "Peter Pan" despite it's racist portrayal of American Indians, including its use of the offensive terms "red man" and "Squaw".
Luckily, "Song of the South" is available from unofficial sources.
UPDATE:
Apparently, Disney is reconsidering releasing "Song of the South". If they do, it will be the best decision (at least as far as sales) Disney has ever made. Stores won't be able to keep the movie in stock. Mark my words.
That is, assuming they release the original 1946 version unedited.
posted by Pro Ecclesia 8:40 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
No chance. If Disney was skittish about showing Sunflower in FANTASIA, even in an otherwise creditable original reconstruction of a movie that had been repeatedly recut and rerecorded and whatnot ... well, I can barely see them releasing SONG OF THE SOUTH at all. And certainly not uncut.
I have a vague sense that I saw SONG in the early 70s as a boy in Britain (I can certainly sing Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, and I can't think where else I would have picked it up). But without a chance to see the film (thanks for the DVD link, Jay), I can't say for sure.
I called my father about this. He has lamented Disney's refusal to release Song of the South for years. He told me yesterday that it's ridiculous to think that people will get a negative stereotype of Blacks from Uncle Remus because, as far as he was concerned when he was a boy, Uncle Remus was just the smartest man in the movie! He went on to say that at that time, presenting Blacks as smart was unheard of, and yet this man had all of this wisdom. He wasn't a Wise Black Man. He was just a Wise Man.
And what's wrong with that?
The people who want to hold back Song of the South probably also want to prevent kids from reading Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn because they think the books are racist. In short, they are ignorant to the nth degree.
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