Song of the South and the Assault on Culture.

[Captain Huk]

https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/b...lt-on-culture/

Most ofus, even the youngest, have heard of the magnificent Disney film, “Song of theSouth,” originally released in 1946. And certainly we are familiar with its hitsong, “Zip-a Dee Doo Dah.” Some of ushave seen this partially animated classic, or recall seeing it years ago, eventhough it is officially unavailable at present. Disney refuses to release it tothe American market.

Well,superbly reproduced video copies can now be purchased in the United States.

Here’sthe rest of the story.In ourpolitically-correct times, various films—mostly dating from the 1940s and1950s—that are genuine cultural treasures have been or are in danger of beingbanned or removed de facto frompublic view. In particular, it has been classic films about the South and theConfederacy which have become increasingly the most notable targets of fierceand unhinged attacks, objects of efforts not only to eradicate wonderful cinematicworks of art, but extinguish their very memory and the memories they convey.

It’s acampaign that parallels the frenetic attempt to remove monuments honoringConfederate veterans, and now has expanded to censor and ban artwork andmemorials to such national figures as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson orChristopher Columbus. And that movement only increases and broadens its targetsas time passes.

It is, ofcourse, part and parcel of the multifaceted and ongoing campaign in oursociety, in fact in

all

of theremnants of Western Christian society (including Europe) to efface any symbolof our historic cultural heritage.

It is allabout the progressivist template which posits that “race” is the centralmotivating factor in history. All else pales in significance and importance:not religious belief, not shared cultural heritage, not a common history orlanguage, but race is the determinant for practically everything insociety. The historic “colonialized”peoples, black and brown (but curiously normally not Asians), according to thisnarrative, are a downtrodden underclass, oppressed historically by the Europeanwhite patriarchy who have brutally amassed their fortunes and power at theexpense of those black and brown peoples.

Thus,according to such Marxist ideologues as Frantz Fanon (in his influentialvolume,

The Wretched of the Earth

,1961) and Saul Alinsky (in his handbook for modern revolutionaries,

Rules for Radicals

, 1971), those racesmust overthrow the white European hierarchy, by whatever means necessary.

It is noteven a question of the overused totem word “equality.” For these newerrevolutionaries, although they may use that term widely (and indiscriminately),actually desire a

new

form of

inequality

, with themselves at the topof the mound heap—witness the politically enhanced campaign for “reparations,”now adopted in some form by most Democratic candidates for president.

Thistemplate of race and liberation from racism is an explosive theorization thatinevitably produces violence and social upheaval. And it fits into aNeo-Marxist revolutionary narrative which employs it as a

means

to power. Indeed, onemay question whether these new fanatical revolutionaries’ professed concern forthe underclass is really that, or rather, a classic Marxist

use

of the “proles” to advance theirreplacement of one oligarchy with another of their own making.

Interestingly,for those millions of radicalized “woke” white millennials (and cravenpoliticians who cower in fear at their latest barbarity), this meme has becomea kind of exercise in public expiation of their own sense of “white guilt,”pounded into them by poisonous academic and cultural elites who dominate oursociety and our educational system.

Like mostrevolutionary movements, in the arts and literature it initially appearedmodest in its goals: “We just want to restrict the

most

offensive [for minorities] works of art,” it declared, “suchbooks as Mark Twain’s

Adventures ofHuckleberry Finn

or Helen Bannerman’s

TheStory of Little Black Sambo

, which are perceived to be racist.” Or, “wejust want to ban such songs, like ‘Dixie,’ that produce discomfort or instillfear into minorities.”

But, ofcourse, like any revolutionary movement, book burning takes on a life and logicof its own. And its list of targets has grown as the cowardice and corruptionof the supposed opposition to it has collapsed.

This isperhaps most noticeable in the fate of classic films that portray the Old Southor Confederacy in a favorable light. Such works fail to satisfy the correctpropaganda purposes and, thus, do not further the revolution.

Back in1956 as a young boy my family and I went to see a special, tenth anniversaryscreening of Disney’s masterful semi-animated film, “Song of the South.” I canstill remember the wonderful sensation, the delightful songs, the humor andimagination, and the heartwarming story. This cinematic epic is a monumentalfilm, a true American classic with appeal to viewers of all ages, with amessage of loyalty and genuine love that transcend both the times and race.

It is about and takes place in the Old South, on a Southern plantation, one in which a

familiar and peaceful

–albeit unequal–relationship between white and black Southerners ensures a good story. But for our modern custodians of good taste and artistic virtue, this is a very big problem: “Song of the South” does not call for a race war, nor does it demonize Southerners or the Old South. Thus, today this cinematic masterpiece, comparable at the very least to anything else Disney produced (e.g.,

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

,

Fantasia

, etc.) is not commercially—officially—available in the United States.

And youknow the reason: our cultural elitists and politically-correct “woke” culturalmasters inform us that it’s “racist.”

Walt Disney passed from the scene in 1966, and his company soon fell under the control of New York cosmopolitans (e.g., Michael Eisner and Bob Iger) whose appreciation of traditional American heritage and traditions was about as great as their appreciation of Eastern North Carolina barbecue.

In otherwords, given the changing cultural and political climate in the United States,releasing “Song of the South” for American distribution was not something theywere going to do (even with the potential millions of shekels they mightamass).

Here iswhat the Wikipedia tells us:

“The Walt Disney Company has yet to release a complete version of the film in the United States on home video given the film’s controversial reputation…. From 1984-2005, Disney CEO Michael Eisner stated that the film would never receive a home video release in the U.S.A., due to not wanting to have to hire a viewing disclaimer. However he favored its release in Europe and Asia where “slavery is a lesser controversial subject”.… In March 2010, new Disney CEO Bob Iger stated that there are currently no plans at this time to release the movie on DVD yet, calling the film “antiquated” and “fairly offensive”…. Film critic Roger Ebert, who normally disdained any attempt to keep films from any audience, supported the non-release position, claiming that most Disney films become a part of the consciousness of American children, who take films more literally than do adults…. The full-length film has been released in its entirety on VHS and LaserDisc in various European and Asian countries. In the UK, it was released on [the European, non-American video format] PAL VHS first in 1983, then in 1991, 1992, and 1996, and again in 2000. In Japan it appeared on NTSC [American format] VHS, and LaserDisc in 1990 with Japanese subtitles during the songs (additionally, under Japanese copyright law, the film is now in the public domain). An NTSC DVD was released in Taiwan for the rental market by “”Classic Reels”.”

Even inEngland it is now listed by Amazon.co.uk as “no longer available” and extremelydifficult to find. My first copy came from Taiwan, replete with Taiwanesesubtitles that I could not, unfortunately, shut off.

Therehave been private copies circulating, and over the years I’ve purchased severalof them, with varying degrees of success as to film reproduction quality,color, and sound.

But now,

just recently I discovered an American source for an excellent video reproduction of the film

, in glorious Technicolor and, even more attractive, at an excellent price. And I’d like to share it with you.

I recommend it without hesitation. The quality of the video reproduction is superb in every way, color, sound, contrast, sharpness. And the price (INCLUDING FIRST CLASS POSTAGE AND HANDLING) is only $11.99. Additionally, this seller will include a second and largely forgotten Disney classic, “So Dear to My Heart” (194, as a second DVD, for only $16.99 for both. I ordered my copies on a Saturday, and the order came priority mail the next Tuesday, that is, in record time, in a nice DVD package with cover art.

In short,this is a self-recommending purchase, and an opportunity to fully appreciate,enjoy, and participate in the richness of our cinematic cultural inheritance.


Given theunhinged and frenetic attempts to censor and eradicate our heritage, I don’tknow for how long this fine copy of an American and Southern classic will beavailable before the PC police denounce the site and demand it cease offeringcopies to purchasers.
As forme, I plan to get several additional copies for my own archive and for possibleChristmas gifts.
And myadvice is for you to do the same.

[CaryC]

Doing some research on an uncle who served in the Civil War, and found out he was a POW and served and died in Alton Union Prison.

How is that relevant to Song of the South? Read last paragraph:

The Alton prison opened in 1833 as the first Illinois State Penitentiary and was closed in 1860, when the last prisoners were moved to a new facility at Joliet. By late in 1861 an urgent need arose to relieve the overcrowding at 2 St. Louis prisons. On December 31, 1861, Major General Henry Halleck, Commander of the Department of the Missouri, ordered Lieutenant-Colonel James B. McPherson to Alton for an inspection of the closed penitentiary. Colonel McPherson reported that the prison could be made into a military prison and house up to 1,750 prisoners with improvements estimated to cost $2,415. The first prisoners arrived at the Alton Federal Military Prison on February 9, 1862 and members of the 13 th U.S. Infantry were assigned as guards, with Colonel Sidney Burbank commanding. During the next three years over 11,764 Confederate prisoners would pass through the gates of the Alton Prison. Of the four different classes of prisoners housed at Alton, Confederate soldiers made up most of the population. Citizens, including several women, were imprisoned here for treasonable actions, making anti-Union statements, aiding an escaped Confederate, etc. Others, classified as bushwhackers or guerillas, were imprisoned for acts against the government such as bridge burning and railroad vandalism.
Click on photo for larger image	Conditions in the prison were harsh and the mortality rate was above average for a Union prison. Hot, humid summers and cold Midwestern winters took a heavy toll on prisoners already weakened by poor nourishment and inadequate clothing. The prison was overcrowded much of the time and sanitary facilities were inadequate. Pneumonia and dysentery were common killers but contagious diseases such as smallpox and rubella were the most feared. When smallpox infection became alarmingly high in the winter of 1862 and spring of 1863, a quarantine hospital was located on an island across the Mississippi River from the prison.
Up to 300 prisoners and soldiers died and are buried on the island, now under water. A cemetery in North Alton that belonged to the State of Illinois was used for most that died. A monument there lists 1,534 names of Confederate soldiers that are known to have died. An additional number of civilians and Union soldiers were victims of disease and illness.
During the war several different units were assigned to serve as guards at Alton. The Thirteenth U.S. Infantry was followed by the Seventy-seventh Ohio Infantry, the Thirty-seventh Iowa Infantry, the Tenth Kansas Infantry and the One Hundred Forty-fourth Illinois Infantry. Formed at Alton specifically to serve as prison guards, the Illinois 144th was almost completely made up of Alton area residents. The prison closed July 7, 1865 when the last prisoners were released or sent to St. Louis. The buildings were torn down over the next decades and the land was eventually used by the city as a park named after the Joel Chandler Harris character, "Uncle Remus," from Song of the South. Stone from the prison buildings is found in walls and other structures all over the Alton area.

[Captain Huk]

Excellent.