Song Of The South (946)
Disney’s attempt to promote racial unity in the 1946 film “Song Of The South” was a complete failure. Based on post-Civil War plantation life, the story is difficult to watch, especially its portrayal of the ex-slave, Uncle Remus, who is so happy with his circumstances in the South.
Time magazine called the film “topnotch Disney.” In 2003, the Online Film Critics Society ranked the film as the 67th greatest animated film of all time. A special Academy Award was given “To James Baskett for his able and heart-warming characterization of Uncle Remus.”
Gone With The Wind (1939)
“Gone With The Wind” glorifies the South during the time of slavery by suggesting that the region was better off during that era. It features heroine Scarlett O’Hara whose husband dies fighting for the Confederate Army in the Civil War. After her loss, the film drags viewers through a series of her hardships, implying that her life was so much better before Abraham Lincoln emancipated the slaves.
Frank S. Nugent for the The New York Times found it to be an “interesting story beautifully told”.
At the 12th Academy Awards held in 1940, Gone with the Wind set a record for Academy Award wins and nominations, winning in eight of the competitive categories it was nominated in, from a total of thirteen nominations.
