How many of you have seen "Song of the South" ?

[Duck Dodgers]

In a recent trade I happened to got a very good looking copy of "Song of the South", the copy is more better than the one that many of us have sen released in a Japanese laserdisc. And no japanese subtitles at all!

I'm really busy in this period so I cannot post screenshots. Just give me a month or so and I'll make a post about the 3 animated segments of the movie.

Now return to the subject of this thread.
Ho many of you have seen this movie? which are your thoughts about it?
I love it! Even the live action are charming!
The character portrayed by James Baskett ( Uncle Remus) is marvellous.
And the animation segments are some of Disney's best works ever!

[Thad]

The animated Brer Rabbit segments are among the best things the studio ever did. The live-action segments though are disgracefully boring.

[Duck Dodgers]

Originally Posted by Thad Komorowski

The animated Brer Rabbit segments are among the best things the studio ever did. The live-action segments though are disgracefully boring.

I agree with you about the animated segments but the story itself is pretty charming too.
It is a live-action fairy tale about an old black man and a child. And the actors are first rate.
There's even space for "Gone with the Wind"'s Hattie "Mammy" McDaniel.
And James Baskett is just wonderful.
And Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten have always been my favorite child actors.
I was not bored at all by the live action segment.

[FleischerFan]

Saw it as a kid in theaters.

Saw it again at Walt Disney World in the late 70's when they used to show Disney movies nightly in one of the hotels in Lake Buena Vista (The Royal Palace).

Own a copy that I had a friend purchase in the UK and then transferred to a compatible VHS tape. Will soon be dubbing it onto a DVD disc.

I agree with Duck. The animation is absolutely great and I find the live action portion to be charming. James Baskett turns in a terrfic performance both as Uncle Remus and as all the voices in the animated segment. The "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" number remains one of the great moments in Hollywood history.

[Duck Dodgers]

Originally Posted by FleischerFan

I agree with Duck. The animation is absolutely great and I find the live action portion to be charming. James Baskett turns in a terrfic performance both as Uncle Remus and as all the voices in the animated segment. The "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" number remains one of the great moments in Hollywood history.

Baskett provided only the voice of Brer Fox.
Incidentally, in the live-action/animated part of the "Tar Baby" segment, there's a scene in which Uncle Remus, speaking with Brer Rabbit, starts laughing, and he does the same Brer Fox' wacky laugh, soon to be used for the fox character only a minute later...in the same segment!

It's a shame that there are no plans to release this movie on dvd. It's a "must" and many members of the youngest audience did not even know about its existence!

" How do you do?
Fine, how are you?
How you come on?
Pretty good, sure as you're born."

Let's all sign this!

http://www.petitiononline.com/sots19...tion-sign.html

[Ray Pointer]

I saw it in theatrical re-release in the 1970s. The interesting thing is that it was re-released by popular demand from the NAACP as the story goes. I recall the audience being restless during the live action sequences, but livening up during the animation. Considering that his was the first major live action feature that Disney did, it is interesting considering it set the pattern for many of his other live action films that would become a staple the following decade.

[Geezil]

We have a VHS copy on the shelf alongside the "official" Disney Treasures, where I personally believe it sits very well. And, I enjoy both the live-action and animated sequences about the same, as James Baskett brought a pleasant kind of magic to both (that is, the sort of magic which netted him that Oscar®).

Mrs. Geezil, however, thinks the pacing of the entire film is far too slow, and has balked once or twice at the prospect of sitting through it from start to finish. (Mind you, she's otherwise a certifiable lover of all things Disney!)

[gdX]

Saw it in the theatres upon its first release, and have had the laserdisc ever since it was made available.

I think SOTS is generally of the same quality of any of the golden age Disney features (in my book, that goes up through Sleeping Beauty)... the live-action storyline is certainly Disney-esque: generally decent people with good intentions trying to do the right things, with a couple of bad children who get their comeuppance... and yes, the Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah segment is a classic piece of film history.

Not my favorite Dis-feature... mostly because I'm such an animation junkie (I think) I'd prefer a SOTS without the live-action storyline.

I believe the scarcity of the film is what drives the interest... once it's released and the controversy dies down, it will probably settle into its place as a pretty good Disney feature, but far from the very best.
.

[Brundledan]

Have it, love it. The charges of stereotyping and racism that dog this movie are just a flat-out lie and it's a crime that it's been out of circulation for 20 years.

I actually enjoy the live-action segments more than the animated portions. James Baskett is such a joy to watch, and Uncle Remus' relationship with Johnny is charming and rings so true. Remus is one of the most human, interesting, three-dimensional black characters you're ever going to find in mainstream cinema of the 1940s, which makes the suppression of SOTS all the more absurd.

I'd love for Iger to explain exactly what "depictions" he found so disturbing, because the man seems to have watched an entirely different movie than we have. He is creating a self-fulfilling prophecy by refusing to release an inoffensive movie, giving credence to a lie.

-Dan

[sumnernor]

I agree with "Duck". I like the movie very much - both cartoon and the live portions. I am a purist - the film should be released in whole - not just the cartoons. There are also portions combining LIVE with CARTOON. It is like Beethoven's 5th - I want the whole work not just beem-beem-beem-boom. I saw Song of the South first probably, in its premiere year when I was a child on Staten Island. I have also gotten an (used) VHS PAL tape from Amazon-UK.

There was a thread in this forum about Song of the South at:

http://forums.goldenagecartoons.com/...ead.php?t=5814

Towards the end of the thread , there were various suggestions on how to release it. Various peoples thought releasing it as a Treasures AND that there be information about "the problems" as suggested by GarudaBoy!. I would certainly buy the DVD.

In that thread there was no comments by Duck Dodgers!??? ( I am hoping to visit ROMA in May- hint hint).

I am trying my bit to show people this film. From my PAL tape I have made one NTSC tape which I will send to one relative and other friends to look at. One of my friends is black and her friend has discussed it with her and there was a positive reaction about the film. It is very important that blacks see it without any preconceived opinions. From what GarudaBoy! states, many blacks don't like the movie but have not seen it!! One member of this forum indicated interest in seeing it.

I would like also to send a message concerning Song of the South to Leonard Maltin. What is the best way? From his web site :

http://www.leonardmaltin.com/about.htm

I get the email address from this site as leonard@leonardmaltin.com . One member of this forum stated he got an answer from him. On his website, it states one question per email (I don't have any questions!). I would also like to suggest that his "DVD & Video guide" be available on CD-ROM.

Might there be anything that people like Jerry Beck might be able to do to help persuade Disney? In the above thread I suggested that the stock holders should have a voice about it.