I remember actually watching this once, when I was young, and I think it was on the Disney Channel in the early-mid 80s. The cable box had push buttons and A/B/C switch on it, so that tells you something. But now we've been 21 years since the last release in North America, so the next generation has no way of legally seeing it without getting a PAL VHS player or maybe finding a rare laserdisc copy of it. Yet, Disney has a whole E-ticket dedicated to the stories from this movie, and even includes them in parades! My kids would have no idea who these characters are unless they've been on the ride (not yet) or we (wife/me) tell them. But Disney still uses them. Almost as if Liberty Square had a walkaround Johnny Tremain. (It's a tall old tree and a strong old tree....) Oh well. Maybe a Song of the South summary will be included on the disc with the Osmonds and Kurt Russell visit the Haunted Mansion Disney Insider collection. Anyone else seen it?
there are copies availoable from the internet, a little pricey, and you need to make sure you have the right format i may break down and get one this year, it's odd that there is no uproar over the ride/characters but no film because it's considered racial stereotyping, just my .02 worth
Well at the 06 shareholders meeting this was brought up...it's the live action part that is the problem. Maybe a remake as a short for ABC?
Well.. my opinion is that if a company isn't actually making it possible for people to purchase copies of a particular piece of "intellectual property".. then they have no right to raise a fuss if people acquire copies through.. shall we say.. alternative means.. To tell the truth I'm not entirely happy with Disney's policy of releasing things, then pulling them off the market, only to release them again later for special promotions. Either sell the darned thing, or stop complaining when people find other ways to get a hold of it. I have not seen Song of the South, and yet Splash Mountain is as much a part of my Disney related childhood as any movie. Yes, that is kind of odd. You have to know that if the ride was less popular it would have been converted over to.. The Little Mermaid, or something, by now. I do need to acquire a copy of the movie. I'm intruiged by all the racial stereotype talk. Disney supporters argue that while it looks bad by current standards, at the time it was far better than anything else on the market, so.. taking the times into consideration it could still be considered progressive. But mainly.. I just want to learn more about Brier Rabbit and friends. I mean.. it's just weird. To me it's as much a Disney staple as.. any of the other classic Magic Kingdom rides, yet all the rest are of things that I actually know something more about. I mean I know the background behind Peter Pan.. including the rather disturbing story of the original author's psychological trauma resulting in his fixation on young boys who never age.. not that I needed to know that.. but until a few years ago I didn't even know that there was live action in Song of the South. I just thought it was a cartoon series (I assumed it was a series, I mean that's what the ride makes it look like) about a country rabbit always off on some sort of reckless adventure.
it can be obtained pretty easlily via certain download and sharing problems such as limewire, etc. i think they have it posted over at www.dc-torrents.com also. i have seen it and while it may be bad by today's societal standards (things do change over the years) i think it should be released, perhaps with some bonus materials that put it into the proper context. i certainly don't think that the movie was intended to be racially offensive by any means and would be a true loss for cinema in general if the 'embargo' on it were to continue.
This is where I agree....there were some positive things about this film - and I can understand some negative things..What they should do is remake the live action in a better context to tell the stories that are included in the film and dedicate the film/TV show to the memory of James Baskett. http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0059934/bio
i can't verify this for certain, the parties involved never issue any kind of public statement to my knowledge, BUT HERE IT IS, song of the south in it's original state, no editing, no makeover of any kind, is freely available on dvd in europe, you can find it on the web, it's usually available and labeled as a us compatible format, and usually runs around $100 with shipping the rumor is that bill cosby was so offended by the uncle remus character that he tried to purchase the rights in entirety, however disney would only offer the us rights for what he would or could pay, thus only us citizens are denied viewing if anyone can tell me what to look for on the package i'l be in barcelona for 3 days next may, if i get a chance to pick up 1 that will work in us dvd i'll get it and if i can bootleg copies i will for anyone on this forum that wants one frankly imho, i'd respect bill a little more if he worried a little less about an old folk tale and more about why so many former female associates seem to be filiong sexual harrassment lawsuits once again, just my .02 worth gary
Oh yes it's widely available outside North America NTSC. If you have a PAL TV, VCR, etc. you can get it very quickly from ebay.
If you need region-code breaking or PAL to NTSC conversion, let me know. Hubby and my buddy runs a mastering studio, they can help you guys do that. Cheers, Kelly. PS: I used to own SotS on LaserDisc (until it was eaten by Laser Rot) and I personally feel that although the movie is FAR from offensive, the greatness of the movie is overrated. IMHO, of course.
Laser rot? That reminds me I need to check out my ol' Beauty and Beast Work in Progress LD. I heard that one also suffered from rot. House came with a LD player so now I have two. Don't need it anymore now that Disney actually includes stuff with their DVDs now.
Yup! A lot of our LD were eaten by laser-rot such as The Little Mermaid, Song of the South, most of the sing-a-long LDs. Our Beauty and the Beast Work in Progress also suffers from laser-rot. I think only about 20 to 30 (out of several hundred titles) in our collection that are still in perfect as-new condition (such as the original Star Wars Trilogy - the ones with big heads on the covers)
I just saw that in the garage. CAV version - a lucky find. Star Wars - I think my brother got our trilogy widescreen. Before the Empire, er Director corrected his "vision"
I'd like to see it.. but.. frankly I'm sure I could get a copy at any time if I put my mind to it. To a resourceful net denizen all things are available. Still, good luck on the hunt. I kind of like the idea of a secret mission to foreign lands to acquire forbidden property.. Or else I've just been watching too many James Bond movies lately.
