Please don't throw me in the briar patch...
If you haven’t seen Walt Disney's Song of the South, you're really are missing out. While it is not "available" here in
the U.S. commercially, if you really want to experience it, you'll find a
way. It's a masterwork, and from a
technical perspective, it was the first feature film to combine live-action and
animation together as one.
The elephant in the room, of course, is racism...
From "tar baby" to the portrayal of "the old
Uncle", racial controversy has surrounded Uncle Remus's tales since their initial
appearance in 1881. The pattern
continues into the present. Why do you
think such a groundbreaking film is hidden away from American audiences?
These stories originate from a series of books written in
the late 19th century by Joel Harris.
Harris experienced slavery first-hand.
He worked on a plantation, dealt with Negro slaves, and was intimate
with their lives, their culture and their stories. He memorialized them into a novel of stories
called Uncle Remus: His Songs and His
Sayings. It was a hit, a bestseller,
and gave Harris national recognition.
These were stories from a slave culture that was virtually unknown
throughout much of the country. They
were derived from African parables, modified to fit in with the world of
enslavement. Harris enshrined them, gave
them meaning, worth and eternity and preserved a large slice of Americana.
If these works were racially motivated, why write them down in the first place? If they were so heinous, why did they become such bestsellers? Could it be that African-American culture was of interest to the general population in the late 19th century and beyond? Harris, in my opinion was painted with a racist brush, one that would use any means necessary to hide a tragic period in our shared history. You can't hide history, it exists, it occurred, and these stories should be exposed and enjoyed for what they are, national treasures and a distinct part of our American identity, another piece of brightly colored calico sewn into America's patchwork quilt...
If these works were racially motivated, why write them down in the first place? If they were so heinous, why did they become such bestsellers? Could it be that African-American culture was of interest to the general population in the late 19th century and beyond? Harris, in my opinion was painted with a racist brush, one that would use any means necessary to hide a tragic period in our shared history. You can't hide history, it exists, it occurred, and these stories should be exposed and enjoyed for what they are, national treasures and a distinct part of our American identity, another piece of brightly colored calico sewn into America's patchwork quilt...
Here is the first edition of the first book of stories,
without the healthy dose of secrecy and censorship: