>>113621203I love racial curiousity and issues with film.
Before I post this I don't defend nor attack Disney's movies, only observe them. I.E. I have absolutely no problem with Dumbo's "When I see an Elephant Fly" song, although I will admit naming the lead crow Jim Crow was a bad move, I still support it and despise how the only band of characters to actually support Dumbo and encourage him were omitted from the remake.
Okay so, Song of the South.
What it does show is pretty good surface level. Whites and blacks getting along. No hatred, no disunity, just a real Disney Fairytale get-a-long.
And behind the scenes? The black actors were treated fabulously, the actor who played Uncle Remus was the first African American to recieve an Oscar, and when actors were asked if they disliked being on the movie some even laughed in the interviewer's face saying they loved it. Walt Disney himself worked to make sure the African Americans were respected, well paid, well treated, and received the awards (like Oscars) for their performance.
But they royally fucked up in one area, which sounds small but it snowballed into a shit storm.
They had originally planned to make it -very- clear the movies and stories take place during Reconstruction. Post-emancipation. There was supposed to be an opening statement in the movie stating the YEAR of the movie.
>They Never Put That InSo a lot of folks saw the movie and automatically assume it's pre-emancipation. That the African Americans were all slaves and that the movie showed an unrealistic, disrespectful culture of benevolent Master-Slave relationship.
Now I'm a history teacher and other historians can easily tell by the culture or things in the background that it was Reconstruction Era. But most people have trouble remembering what the fucking difference is between wars, like World War 1 and World War Fucking 2. So the general population goes knee-jerk.
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