Will you hear "Song of the South"?

In Oriole news, Jaret Wright pitched well before leaving the game with a familiar-sounding shoulder injury, but got no help at all from his offense in a 3-1 loss to the Tigers. And now, bring on the Kansas City Royals! But, in more important matters ...

With support growing from multiple corners of the Disney empire, it seems an official DVD release of "Song of the South" may finally be in the works. And long overdue, in my humble opinion.

The controversy surrounding the 1946 movie is obviously nothing new. The portrayal of Uncle Remus, for which James Baskett received a honorary Academy Award, has never sat very well with a lot of people, and I can certainly see why. Though some erroneously place the movie as being in pre-Civil War days, it actually takes place in the Reconstructionist South. That said, I can see why people object to Baskett's portrayal of Uncle Remus as an old man who is happy with his life as a plantation laborer, whistling as he works for the man.

That is, I can see it now. As a kid, when I first saw it in the theater (or so my mom tells me; I can't quite remember everything from 1972, when I was 2 years old), I saw it a lot differently. Though I have the power of denial now, there have even been reports of me dancing in the aisles to its still very good songs.

According to the fine folks at Film Buff Online, the most recent push for a DVD release came this week from Roy E. Disney, the nephew of Walt and son of Disney co-founder Roy O. Disney. Speaking at the 16th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival, where he was receiving the fest’s Inspiration Award, Disney stated that a home video release of the film is overdue.

“I’ve got a bunch of cohorts working with me to convince the powers that be that it’s the smart thing to do,” Disney said. Disney’s remarks come on the heels of a statement made by current Disney President and CEO Bob Iger at the company’s annual shareholder’s meeting last month in New York City that the company was reviewing the film for a possible release.

For a movie that had as many animation innovations as it did solidly entertaining moments, "Song of the South" certainly has had a tortured past. Although Disney announced in a 1970 Variety article that it was “retiring” the movie, it did receive additional theatrical re-releases in 1972, 1981 and 1986. Home video, however, has thus far remained taboo, with an illegal bootleg of a 1980s Japanese laserdisc release of the film converted to DVD being the only means of acquiring it.

Which is a real shame. Along with the Oscar for Baskett, the movie also took home the Best Original Song prize for “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” (and I defy you to now get through the day without at least humming a few bars of that little ditty in your head.) It also featured a pioneering style of filmmaking, becoming the first (I think) movie to combine animation with live action.

And, as an adult, I can understand that the subject matter is a bit troublesome, but consider the way it looked to the little kid that still lives in me. Baskett's Uncle Remus was a charming old man who just happened to be black. He told little Johnny and Sally fascinating stories about Brer Rabbit and Joel Chandler Harris' other creations that helped them deal with their parents' separation and their new life on the plantation.

There may be more to it than that, but that's what I saw back then. I'd love to have the opportunity to watch it again as an adult, to see if there's some context I missed, but for that to happen Disney will have to open the vault for this little gem. It's definitely about time.

Henry Hill speaks

James Choi over at ifilm.com is constantly sending me e-mails about their latest videos (not a complaint, mind you.) A lot of it is not up my alley, but from time to time something does peak my interest, like this that came in yesterday.

It seems there's a documentary coming out titled "Henry Hill: Confessions of a Gangster." Now, in case anyone has forgotten, Mr. Hill is the mobster-turned-government-witness portrayed by Ray Liotta in "Goodfellas."

I was unable to find out any information about when this movie might actually come out, and the title is definitely a little misleading. To me, "confessions" would imply at least a bit of remorse, but instead it's more than a little chilling to listen to Mr. Hill recount details from his days in organized crime. Here's a video sample of what he has to say. Peace out, and have an entirely bearable Wednesday.