PLOT:
Uncle Remus draws upon his tales of Brer Rabbit to help little Johnny deal his confusion over his parents’ separation as well as his new life on the plantation. The tales: The Briar Patch, The Tar Baby and Brer Rabbit’s Laughing place.
REVIEW:
What did I like?
Animation. There are times when I feel like I was raised more by Disney animation than by my own parents thanks to the Disney afternoon, videos, etc. I think anyone that has seen any of the classic Disney animation will agree that there was care put into the craft…unlike the cartoons of today. Taking a gander at the animated characters and scenes in this picture and, even though this is a slight mix of animation and live action, the animation is just as gorgeous as if this were a full length animated feature.
Warmth. There is a lot of controversy surrounding Uncle Remus, which I will cover shortly, but one can’t dent that he is just a warm grandfatherly type of character. Is it any wonder little Johnny called him his best friend and immediately warmed up to him? On top of his sunny disposition, he has a rich, warm, baritone voice that puts you at ease and a way of telling stories that is just like the tales that grandpa would tell. Given the era this is set in, or that we believe it is set in, you’d think he would be beaten down, mad at the world, don’t mess with me kind of person. For some reason, I don’t think that would have worked with this film, though.
Like warm apple pie. Oscar winner Hattie McDaniel, of Gone with the Wind fame, appears as a cook of some sort. It is subtly hinted that she has an affinity for Remus, but given the era in which this was made,that obviously didn’t go anywhere, if it was meant to at all. To be honest, she isn’t much of a character, save for one scene where she’s singing and cooking. Now, maybe because I am hungry, or maybe because I can’t remember when the last time I had a good home cooked pie was, but I swear I could smell the food she was cooking! Good on the production team for staging that scene in such a way that one is craving what she’s cooking. In so many other cooking scenes of yesterday and today, the person cooking will just throw some stuff in the stove and that’s it, but with this we see the love and effort she put in.
What didn’t I like.
Music…or lack thereof. If there is one thing this film is known for, it is the ever popular “Zip-a-dee-do-dah”, and for good reason. That is an upbeat, catchy, get your hopes up kind of song. While Uncle Remus sings is, we get the first glimpses of the animated characters that will be mixing in with actual actors, so that helps to make it memorable. I believe this is the first instance of that, predating Mary Poppins and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? but I could be wrong. I have always been told this was a musical, so my expectations were to hear a few songs, some good, some…well, not so much. Other than the afore mention “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah”, the song Hattie McDaniel sings in the kitchen, and a couple of reprises, I can’t recall much about the music, though.
Controversy. So, there is this little issue people have with this film and its portrayal of slaves/servants. I don’t want to get on a soapbox about this, but it is a topic that needs to be covered, and I think it ultimately affected my enjoyment of the picture. It is true, being a slave or servant (the time period in which this takes place isn’t exactly specified, but it is assumed to be post-Civil War) was not a happy time for African Americans (and anyone else that had the unfortunate task of having to provide free labor), but leave us not forget this is a movie aimed at kids. Are we really expecting the depiction of the slaves/servants akin to those in films like Roots, 12 Years a Slave, Amistad, or even Django Unchained? I would hope not. In the same train of thought, it is apparent that there was no thought given into how that experience was to be portrayed. Should it have been done where they were all happy? Meh, you can make the case about it, but there are much worse portrayals out there, from this same era of filmmaking, than this. Much like the crows from Dumbo (how come no one talks about the slaves at the beginning of that film that set up the circus?!?), Speedy Gonzales, Mammy Two Shoes (Tom & Jerry), The Mandarin (Marvel Comics), or other racist characters, having just watched what I was lead to believe was people in blackface, shuckin’ and jivin’, only to find out its just slaves/servants smiling rather than being whipped, I can say this is just an overreaction. If you don’t like it, you can always turn it off!
Mother doesn’t know best. For the most part, this film revolves around Remus, Johnny, and the characters in the stories. When Remus’ stories begin to “affect Johnny’s behaviour”, his mother steps in and puts a stop to this. Some other stuff happens (discovering that she and the grandmother are no longer Johnny’s best friends) and it eventually results in Remus leaving. In an attempt to stop his friend from leaving, Johny runs out across a field but is attacked by a bull (probably not a good idea to run across a field when wearing a red outfit). We’re all familiar with the saying, “Mother knows best”. Well, think about how much better Johnny would have been had she not meddled in things she had no business meddling in. I guess they had to justify paying that actress for more than 2 scenes, though.
FINAL VERDICT:
What did I think of Song of the South? I actually think this is a fairly decent film. Is it as great as some of the other live action films Disney was releasing at the time? No. To be honest, the animation sequences are enjoyable, but because we don’t have as much of a connection with Br’er Rabbit, Fox, Bear, and Frog, they do nothing to raise the film’s impression on the audience. In the end, this is just a film that is mediocre. Couple that with the controversy and that may be the reason it has yet to be released to the US home market in any form. Such a shame, really. Again, I say let the audience decide. If you can find a copy of this and watch, I highly recommend you do so and form your own opinion and not be swayed by today’s critics (you know the one’s that get offended by everything).
3 1/2 out of 5 stars
Mystery Man's Musings 