Splash/Song of the South

Ghoulish Delight · 09-25-2006, 01:46 PM

I've seen it, and the ironic thing is that the offense is that it makes post-bellum black life look too good. Its biggest problem is that it glosses over the hardships most black people faced, making an extended family of black servants in the emply of white landowners look like nothing but happy-go-lucky folks without a care in the world. At least, that's my read. Yeah, a bit ignorant of the harsh reality (what Disney movie isn't?), but it's not like there were actors in black face or anything that portrayed black Americans as inferior. If it were any other studio, it wouldn't be an issue, but Disney knows that it's under a microscope and even the slightest offense, especially at this point where it's been played up so much, can cause major headaches.

Alex · 09-25-2006, 02:42 PM

The complaint isn't so much that the movie portrays the life of the former slaves as too good but rather it portrays the former slaves as too passive and the former slaveowners as too benevolent. As if slavery were just a jolly experiment that everybody had decided to move on from.

The other important thing to remember about the controversy is that it is not a "modern" invention. The NAACP picketed and boycotted the movie when it was released in 1946, what's changed is how much Disney cares whether the NAACP is upset.

09-25-2006, 01:46 PM	#1
Ghoulish Delight I Floop the Pig Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alternative Swankstyle Posts: 19,348	I've seen it, and the ironic thing is that the offense is that it makes post-bellum black life look too good. Its biggest problem is that it glosses over the hardships most black people faced, making an extended family of black servants in the emply of white landowners look like nothing but happy-go-lucky folks without a care in the world. At least, that's my read. Yeah, a bit ignorant of the harsh reality (what Disney movie isn't?), but it's not like there were actors in black face or anything that portrayed black Americans as inferior. If it were any other studio, it wouldn't be an issue, but Disney knows that it's under a microscope and even the slightest offense, especially at this point where it's been played up so much, can cause major headaches. __________________ 'He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.' -TJ
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09-25-2006, 02:42 PM	#2
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	The complaint isn't so much that the movie portrays the life of the former slaves as too good but rather it portrays the former slaves as too passive and the former slaveowners as too benevolent. As if slavery were just a jolly experiment that everybody had decided to move on from. The other important thing to remember about the controversy is that it is not a "modern" invention. The NAACP picketed and boycotted the movie when it was released in 1946, what's changed is how much Disney cares whether the NAACP is upset.
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