Song of the South - Burn all Copies???

It is a somewhat delicate subject, the casual use of stereotypical slurs in the 1940s.  Whoopi Goldberg is on several DVD releases of Looney Toons from the 1940s, explaining how society had not understood the insensitivity of these stereotypes during this more innocent era.  So the viewer is encouraged to instead appreciate the artwork, and forgive the common use of black culture as source of entertainment.   Even today, artists will unintentionally step over the line of insensitivity toward another group, only because it is difficult to remember that these once common sources of entertainment have to be more culturally aware.

Another example is the use of Native American nicknames for sports teams.  Depending on the specificity of the name, it could be seen as unacceptable to continue with the name as we our society become more respectful to one another.  I decided that yes, it is unacceptable to 'make fun of' another culture ONCE we are made aware of it.  At that point, it is necessary not only to omit the use of the slur in the future, but to preserve certain instances of it from the past.  Not out of disrespect, but to make sure the truth is never erased from history.

These days it is taboo even to mention the form of entertainment known as "black face", a caricature, almost cartoon-like, of a dark skinned person.   But in the first half of the 1900s or so, audiences were entertained by performers like Al Jolson, who certainly was talented in his own right beyond the controversial song and dance.

Disney had received several warnings about "Song of the South" from concerned groups about releasing this film on DVD.  It has had numerous showings in the theatres up until 1986.  The songs are Disney classics, which are featured on numerous recordings and videos not directly related to the original movie.   I saw the film in the theatre and excerpts on TV when I was a child.  As an adult, I was not allowed to revisit those memories because of the self-imposed ban Disney put upon the film.  My reaction is:  Isn't Whoopi available?   I did not grow up a racist because I was exposed to the film as a child.   Society has made good progress in pointing out previous insensitivity when we watch or listen to old video or audio.

These days Looney Toons DVD releases no longer include Whoopi, just a quick card that sensibly separates the art from the subject matter.   The point I want to reinforce about my decision to include this film in my collection is that it is a piece of history.  No one is out to make "Song of the South 2".  No one is out to encourage anyone who watches this to embrace the stereotypes featured, as I along with our modern society know better.   This copy was originally aired in the UK.  The digital transfer that was broadcast is probably the best quality available.  

2001: A Space Odyssey - The Remix

"2001" the movie was a big influence for me, my friend Chris even re-created his own version of 2001 on video. I always took the opportunity to see it on the big screen when a revival showing was in town, including the magnificent Cooper theatre. A few years ago, I read about this controversy that a composer had scored the film, but Kubrick got married to the temp tracks he had in there. Mostly classical pieces. We will never know officially what the movie would have sounded like with the other soundtrack. One thing that struck me when watching the movie yet again, was how little of a soundtrack there was. And when there was music, it was mostly during a period in the movie where there was no dialogue or other sound effects.

The thought came to me that I could create a new soundtrack for the film, because there was only one real scene in the entire movie where music and dialogue where mixed together. I could cut out the music for the space scenes easily. Even for sections where some sound effects where available, I could dig into my large SFX library and mix them back in.

Michael Stearn's "Chronos" soundtrack fits with the "Dawn of Man" sequences. An Orb track from the excellent "Orblivion" fit well with the space travel scene. All major ambient artists have been included: Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Maurice Jarre, Peter Gabriel, and Bill Nelson. Using music with a cool drum machine beat set the precedence for more modern artists like Boards of Canada. When visiting the Monolith site on the moon, a remix of Dayvan Cowboy provided a perfect modern sound.

There was one thing iconic about the original music for this title sequence. The lone trumpet back by a full orchestra is one of the most memorable and often copied piece of music in movie history. I dawned on me (pardon the pun), that this track could easily be Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man", an equally stirring fanfare. Although it is not an ambient track, it needed to be the opener so that the viewer wouldn't lose that sense of grandeur. I added some of my own synth pads as an underscore behind this track to help make it fit.

I found a copy of the Japanese remaster of Dark Side of the Moon (the heartbeats really thump now). Mixed together with the dialogue, you can decide for yourself whether some of the synchronicity is real, or a subversive government conspiracy. You can also listen in the original black and white soundtrack as well.