Song of the South
The Song of the South was a 1948 Disney movie that revolutionized the filmmaking industry through being the first ever Disney movie to combine live-action actors and animations into one movie. It was a giant step in the industry, an effect that has allowed us to create our modern entertainment. However, as proud of a technological moment it is for the film industry, it is also a reminder of our dark American past. Although the movie did present plenty of positive morals for the youth, it also expressed or pushed the image and ideal society of the former Antebellum American period, with slavery.
Racism?
Although the movie may not reference the African Americans as slaves, the movie puts them in situations where they seem to be subservient. In fact, they are the servants. They come off as ecstatic cheerful people with raggedy clothing that always offer to help the farmers or plantation owners. There is also a "tar baby" reference where a baby or doll made of tar, traps a the brer rabbit for the wolf. If you look to the image on the right you can clearly see how Uncle Remus is dressed much worse than the 2 white children pushing a slight stereotype.
Significance
These small "infractions" that we notice in our modern society may seem harmless, but pose a bigger threat than realized. A movie is a representation of societies feelings and ideologies. Even if the racism in this movie was implicit and placed there without further thought they further instill such trends into our mind. Just like star wars and such obsess our current youth. Song of the South also had the same impact back then. People were fed entertainment that represented black people in a way that prevented them from furthering social qualities. When the movie was made, segregation was in full effect, the actor for Uncle Remus, in fact, wasn't allowed into the premiere in Georgia because of his race.
Disney
Many people will argue that this is an idea is overanalyzed. And they may very likely be right. However, one thing is for sure. Disney didn't think so. Unlike several other movies produced in this era by Disney, Song of the South was never commercialized further in the 20th century, nor remade or added as a classic in peoples minds. Disney has tried to hide a past that could affect them today because of how this movie can be interpreted, whether their positive representation of the American Antebellum period was explicit or not.
I think this is a very interesting approach to how racism is present in our society because often times movies, especially before were for entertainment purposes only. As you said when analyzing this movie, it clearly shows African Americans as slaves although it is not explicitly said and I think that by having them so clearly separated from white people in the movie makes people used to seeing this separation. I think it's also very odd and almost ironic that they didn't let the actor, Uncle Remus into the movie premier but he was allowed to have a big part in the movie.
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