Song of the South: Too Offensive to Release on DVD?

Margos · Post by **Margos** » Thu Jun 24, 2010 9:37 pm

OK, I finally caved and bought a bootleg. The site I bought it from claimed that it was taken from the highest quality transfer available.... And it does indeed look better than I thought. It's probably the best we're going to get until Disney restores it. I'd recommend the disc, and I don't feel the slightest remorse. If Disney wants my money, they'd better release this movie for real. If not, I'll just have to give it to someone else. (I'm not sure if we're allowed to talk about bootlegging or not around here, so if asked to, I'll remove this link, but if you want SotS in pretty good shape, and "The Martins and the Coys" and "Hot Choclate Soldiers" as bonus shorts.... You want to check out http://www.mayancastledvd.net )

Anyway... I showed it to my six-year-old brother, and he just ate it up like candy. He loves Uncle Remus and Br'er Rabbit sooo much now! I was so glad I got to show it to him, and sincerely hope that Disney smartens up and legitimately releases this film on DVD sometime soon. Sooner or later they're gonna be comin' around.... I'll betcha.... I'll betcha....

kbehm29 · Post by **kbehm29** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 10:19 am

I'm almost getting ready to give up and buy a bootleg as well....

So glad your brother enjoyed it. I hope my kids do too some day.

ajmrowland · Post by **ajmrowland** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:40 pm

Margos wrote:OK, I finally caved and bought a bootleg. The site I bought it from claimed that it was taken from the highest quality transfer available.... And it does indeed look better than I thought. It's probably the best we're going to get until Disney restores it. I'd recommend the disc, and I don't feel the slightest remorse. If Disney wants my money, they'd better release this movie for real. If not, I'll just have to give it to someone else. (I'm not sure if we're allowed to talk about bootlegging or not around here, so if asked to, I'll remove this link, but if you want SotS in pretty good shape, and "The Martins and the Coys" and "Hot Choclate Soldiers" as bonus shorts.... You want to check out http://www.mayancastledvd.net )

Anyway... I showed it to my six-year-old brother, and he just ate it up like candy. He loves Uncle Remus and Br'er Rabbit sooo much now! I was so glad I got to show it to him, and sincerely hope that Disney smartens up and legitimately releases this film on DVD sometime soon. Sooner or later they're gonna be comin' around.... I'll betcha.... I'll betcha....

Well, I caved and ordered. How would you rate the transfer?

Margos · Post by **Margos** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:47 pm

It doesn't look as bad as possible. It's a bit blurry, and there is some grain, artifacts, I think. It's not great, but it's better than some examples I've seen online of other bootlegs. (Note: I got the 2.0 disc, I don't know what you got. I have no idea if they're being honest or if they're just trying to make more money, but they say that the 2.0 uses a better source material, and so the transfer is better.)

Really, the sound is more annoying. It just sounds.... blurry. It's hard to describe how something can sound "blurry," it just does. But if you listen carefully, you can understand everything. It's not horrible, but it sure isn't perfect.

All in all, probably as good as it's going to get until Disney does the right thing.

jpanimation · Post by **jpanimation** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 4:53 pm

Most of the bootleg DVD copies just use the Japanese Laserdisc transfer.

ajmrowland · Post by **ajmrowland** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 5:23 pm

Margos wrote:It doesn't look as bad as possible. It's a bit blurry, and there is some grain, artifacts, I think. It's not great, but it's better than some examples I've seen online of other bootlegs. (Note: I got the 2.0 disc, I don't know what you got. I have no idea if they're being honest or if they're just trying to make more money, but they say that the 2.0 uses a better source material, and so the transfer is better.)

Really, the sound is more annoying. It just sounds.... blurry. It's hard to describe how something can sound "blurry," it just does. But if you listen carefully, you can understand everything. It's not horrible, but it sure isn't perfect.

All in all, probably as good as it's going to get until Disney does the right thing.

Actually I just ordered a couple hours ago using the link you provided, so I dont have my copy yet.

Margos · Post by **Margos** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 6:48 pm

Well, did you buy the cheap one or the more expensive one? The more expensive one is the 2.0. Plus, with the 2.0, you get to pick which easter egg bonus shorts you get, and you get 2 of them, instead of just automatically getting "Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarfs."

Escapay · Post by **Escapay** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 11:42 pm

Buying bootleg DVDs is bad! Don't waste your money on them!

Just torrent the movie for free, as it's generally the same quality anyway! Extras be damned, they're already on youtube as well.

albert

ajmrowland · Post by **ajmrowland** » Sat Jul 03, 2010 1:08 am

Margos wrote:Well, did you buy the cheap one or the more expensive one? The more expensive one is the 2.0. Plus, with the 2.0, you get to pick which easter egg bonus shorts you get, and you get 2 of them, instead of just automatically getting "Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarfs."

uhhhh........have to check.

EDIT: Sent an email requesting an upgrade to the 2.0 disc, but Im not sure if that will come with a free disc or not, like the site says.

Oh, and Albert-yes it's bad........for DVDs that have been released officially.

Margos · Post by **Margos** » Sat Jul 03, 2010 8:01 am

You have to order the free disc specifically if you want it, so if you don't know, then no, you didn't get one. I didn't get one, but that was my choice, actually.

dvdjunkie · Post by **dvdjunkie** » Sat Jul 03, 2010 9:05 am

As most of you know, I have two versions of "Song of the South" on DVD that were purchased from different sites (that were allowed to advertise on the UD site). Both of those sites have since departed, or have been busted or something that now prevents them from being available to purchase from.

The first DVD I bought was in 2000 and was a single-disc. It came complete with a beautiful cover, and the artwork on the disc was exceptional, compared to some of the Disney stuff as of late. The quality of the picture was good. It opens with the classic Mickey Mouse wand opening for a Disney feature film. The opening credits are centered on the screen with a gold border, and the sound is as good as anything I have heard from most bootleg products. The film opens pillar-boxed while the narrator is speaking and when the horse and buggy scenes begins the film fills the screen.

The only extras on this disc are the original trailers for the film and the re-release trailer. The hidden easter egg is "Coal Black and the Sebben Dwarfs", plus there is a music juke box with all the songs from the movie done by Johnny Mercer.

The second purchase I made was in 2004, and this was probably the best copy I have ever seen. It cost a bit more than any other 'bootleg' product I have ever purchased, but it claims to be a 'faithful, digital restoration of the classic Disney hit', and I believe them after watching the film. It is a two-disc set, with the fully restored original trailer opening every thing up on Disc One. Then the Menu screen comes on and offers the "original Mono" soundtrack or the "digitally mastered stereo" track.

The movie itself is fantastic and when played on my Blu-ray player it takes on a whole different life than when played on a conventional DVD player. The picture is crisp, the colors are brilliant, and there are no artifacts to distract the viewing of this classic film.

The second disc of this two-disc set offers the complete, unedited version of "Coal Black" along with some other Classic cartoons featuring Bug Bunny ("Bugs Nips the Nips") and "The Ant and the Aardvark". On the menu there are listed other cartoons in a themed setting. Click on "Disney edits" and you get "The Martins and the Coys" complete, unedited, and you get the original "Pecos Bill" from "Melody Time", totally uncensored and unedited, along with the sequence from "Fantasia" that has been so brutally censored from all the US Disney releases. And for the real collector there is a Menu button that gives you all the songs from "Song of the South" with the little bouncing ball to sing-a-long with.

These two versions of the movie will remain in my collection even if Disney releases a legiticate version, because I value their quality and "extras" that I am sure Disney will not release, if they ever do release SotS to the American buying public.

I also have the Japanese Laser-Disc version of "Song of the South", and both of these bootlegs are superior to that version - no Japanese subtitles on the left-side of the screen throughout the movie.

ajmrowland · Post by **ajmrowland** » Sat Jul 03, 2010 2:03 pm

Margos wrote:You have to order the free disc specifically if you want it, so if you don't know, then no, you didn't get one. I didn't get one, but that was my choice, actually.

yeah, kinda hard to navigate that site. That's essentially why I resorted to email to change my order.

merlinjones · Post by **merlinjones** » Sat Jul 03, 2010 2:12 pm

Someone has posted "A Tribute to Joel Chandler Harris" on YouTube.

This is the 1956 episode of "Disneyland" that promoted the first re-issue of "Song of the South" - - hosted by Walt and starring David Stollery (of "Spin and Marty"), the story is about young Joel and how he was inspired to become a writer and his inspirations for the "Uncle Remus" stories.

This should be one of the legitimate extras on a proper Disney DVD set (when and if that day comes to pass).

5 parts starting with:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rCIb6e5pok

ajmrowland · Post by **ajmrowland** » Sat Jul 03, 2010 2:33 pm

Nice find!

as for the cartoons, Im totally gonna look into them

Elladorine · Post by **Elladorine** » Sat Jul 03, 2010 8:07 pm

Just stepping in to mention that Roger Ebert just tweeted a comment about the film: There is nothing in "Song of the South" remotely as offensive as the images that bombard kids from TV every day.

http://twitter.com/ebertchicago/status/17689839110

What's interesting to me about the comment is that (if I recall correctly) he's not in favor of Disney giving it a wide release.

pap64 · Post by **pap64** » Sat Jul 03, 2010 8:30 pm

enigmawing wrote:Just stepping in to mention that Roger Ebert just tweeted a comment about the film: There is nothing in "Song of the South" remotely as offensive as the images that bombard kids from TV every day.

http://twitter.com/ebertchicago/status/17689839110

What's interesting to me about the comment is that (if I recall correctly) he's not in favor of Disney giving it a wide release.

Yeah, Ebert was in favor of Disney not releasing this movie simply because Disney is so integrated into society that the movie would create a false idea of American history (or something like that).

Weird he would be saying that, though, but I agree. There are far worse images of African American people on TV right now. I mean, in The Boondocks the "N" word is shouted like it turns coal into money every time you say it. And it might be on an adult network, but I am sure some kids will sneak some episodes in.

ajmrowland · Post by **ajmrowland** » Sat Jul 03, 2010 8:33 pm

I'm guessing he doesnt have a progressive view of the images on tv.

jpanimation · Post by **jpanimation** » Sat Jul 03, 2010 9:40 pm

pap64 wrote:Weird he would be saying that, though, but I agree. There are far worse images of African American people on TV right now. I mean, in The Boondocks the "N" word is shouted like it turns coal into money every time you say it. And it might be on an adult network, but I am sure some kids will sneak some episodes in.

I also agree with Ebert on this one (I don't agree with him on much anymore). As far as The Boondocks, I think one of the main things the show has been doing is addressing the self-destructive nature of an African American culture that would idealize gangsters and thuggish rappers and would call each other a derogatory term (the "N" word) as a sign of respect and would portray women (bitches) in such a demeaning way (as represented by Riley). The show's first season was amazing political and social satire with some heart felt episodes, the second season started out strong but lost it's way, and the third season has been a waste of time (OK, the Stinkmeaner episode had some amazing fight scenes). In all seriousness, it's absolutely ridiculous for the NAACP and other organizations like them to announce a vendetta against Uncle Remus but not Uncle Ruckus (seriously, there is a BIG difference in offensiveness).

estefan · Post by **estefan** » Sun Jul 04, 2010 6:20 am

The funny thing is, if you think about it, if there was no boycott and Disney wasn't afraid of releasing Song of the South, I would not be surprised if it was one of those titles they didn't really promote much or have much familiarity with the public (like Rascal or Bedknobs & Broomsticks, rather than a Mary Poppins).

At least, that's what I think. This "forbidden fruit" air about the film has only made it more well-known.

merlinjones · Post by **merlinjones** » Sun Jul 04, 2010 11:40 am

>>This "forbidden fruit" air about the film has only made it more well-known.<<

The film was reissued three times during the 1970s and 80's (post Civil Rights era) and it was simply considered another of the perennial Walt Disney classics - - there was very little controversy of note. The animation was always highly praised and the film was always extremely popular on reissue (the 1972 reissue was Disney's highest grossing re-release ever at the time).

This whole "forbidden fruit" (as you say) aspect was created by the Eisner and post-Eisner management at Disney who internally banned the movie for lack of political correctness -- that absence from public view has taken on a life of its own and created monsters in the shadows where there are none. It's dated to be sure, but not racist in intent or theme.

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Song of the South: Too Offensive to Release on DVD?