One of the biggest complaints lobbed at the Disney
organization nowadays - one that, I suppose, has some merit standing behind it -
is that Eisner-era Disney is so preoccupied with Political Correctness
that it has not only stifled creativity but has also supported a corporate
mindset that urinates on the legacy of Walt Disney's vast array of creativity.
To which I say: hogwash. Not about the whole "legacy urination" issue (of which
four out of five self-important, lifeless Internet nerds refer to as "raping our
childhood"), but to the assertion that the vast popular success of the Disney
organization was due to the actions of Walt alone. Don't get me wrong, the man
was a visionary and an immense creative talent who eschewed pseudo-intellectual
erudition in favor of popular wonderment, but the only reason Disney became
DISNEY!!! was because Walt had an
uncanny ability to (a) hire and retain the best creative minds in the business,
(b) remain a staunch perfectionist in every aspect of his dealings, and (c) keep
all the financial and corporate matters in the hands of his
brother Roy.
That's all well and good, and certainly a
worthwhile topic that would make for compelling reading if this weren't
a review for Disney's brand-new Davy
Crockett: 50th Anniversary Double Feature DVD.
So instead, let's return to my original issue of Political Correctness and how
it has "destroyed" not only Disney creative output, but also the honor and
respect deserving of its own legacy. Witness the zooming in Fantasia
that eliminates the buffoonish black Centaurette, what with the oversized
red lips, bulging eyes, and mammy-doll expression. Or the Yiddishe-spouting Big
Bad Wolf pretending to be a fuller-brush salesman in the classic short The
Three Little Pigs, which was subsequently removed, re-animated, and
re-dubbed in future releases. Heck, good luck trying to find a decent copy of
Song of the South if you have some kind of aversion to Japanese
subtitles.
So is Disney pissing on its own legacy? Maybe. The
fact of the matter is that the Centaurette, whether or not it presents an
offensive image (it does), presents an anachronistic and tone-shattering one
that totally destroys the entire milieu set up in The Pastoral
Symphony. The stereotypical Jew presented by the Big Bad Wolf? Meh. It's a
cheap and easy bit, but it didn't really add anything to the story; although if
you wanted to, you could make a case that it presents a sanitized image of the
grossly offensive "blood libel" charge that has plagued the Jewish community for
well over a millennium (Look out: it's the big bad Jew coming to feast on the
blood of innocent Gentile children. Granted, given that the Three Little Pigs
are quite trafe, I'm probably stretching here.)
And Song of the South sucks. I mean it
blows, and blows hard. All of you clamoring for it on DVD: have you
actually seen the film lately? It's terrible, easily the worst
Disney film to emerge from the era. Worse than Fun and Fancy Free,
even. Nothing to do with black stereotypes, either. It's just bad, boring
movie.
But here's the kicker: there was never a time -
never - that the Disney organization wasn't Politically
Correct. If there ever was anything for which Walt Disney was a stickler, it was
for not offending public sensibilities. Even in his most dazzling
deliveries of dynamic do-goodery - and there were plenty of them,
believe you me - Walt made sure that everything he presented was safe,
non-threatening, and, while zooming beyond the limits of creativity, quality,
and artistry, never going beyond the accepted boundaries of the status
quo.
So let's get back to the Davy Crockett: 50th Anniversary Double
Feature DVD, and how it relates to my thesis
here. The disc itself contains two features: Davy Crockett: King of the Wild
Frontier (1954) and Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (1956). To
give these films historical context, it is important to remember the first film
wasn't "really" a film. The Davy Crockett phenomenon began on the
"Disneyland" television show in the mid-1950s,
and was an absolute smash. Crockett-mania engulfed the nation, a feat so
grandiose and pervasive in scope that it would not be repeated until the "All
Your Base" phenomenon of 2000. Anyway, Disney created three episodes of Davy
Crockett adventures: "Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter", "Davy Crockett Goes To
Congress", and "Davy Crockett at the Alamo".
The latter of which should have been renamed "Davy Crockett Dies at the
Alamo", since that's exactly what he did, both
in reality and on the show. They then took all three episodes, re-edited them,
and released them as a single theatrical feature-film which did gangbuster
business.
Well, Disney had a goldmine on their hands - as
well as quite the conundrum. They basically killed off the goose that
laid the golden egg! How, exactly, were they going to continue the adventures of
a dead guy? The answer: Satanic resurrection. Yes, they invoked the silent shade
of the Dark Lord himself, and brought Davy back to life in Davy Crockett and
the River Pirates, a two-part "Disneyland"
television special, which was also given a theatrical release in 1956.
Crockettmania ran as hard and as fast as ever, and Disney made a
mint.
Surely, Davy Crockett: King of the Wild
Frontier, at first glance, seems about as Politically Correct as a bachelor
party weekend in Bangkok. There's lots of talk of "redskins",
"wild injuns", and "savages". Crockett is certainly emblematic of that entire
"manifest destiny" mentality that gets thrown around with pride in history
textbooks, but which glosses over some gross injustices that historical
retrospection has brought to life in recent years. Still, I would argue that the
film is as much of a reflection of 1950s Politically Correct sensibilities as,
say, Pocahontas was so 1995. Fess Parker's performance as the
titular character is warm, charismatic, and human, all the while drenched in
two-fisted frontier bravado, but the way his character is written you'd half
expect him to grow wings and a halo, and float around the Alamo like some kind
of sacred spirit. As his buddy George Russel, Buddy Ebsen is rough-edged and
dirty-kneed, but he's basically the harmless sort. And what's up with that
floating Greek chorus that provided narrative exposition to the famed "Ballad of
Davy Crockett" theme? I understand that this song was a #1 hit, but you know a
little goes a long way.
Still, although these films are very much
ultra-sanitized products of their times, they have their own innate charms.
There's a solid and workmanlike sense of storytelling here. There's little fat,
superfluous elements, muss or fuss in these movies, and they do provide some
solid and gentle entertainment that, while easy to derisively snort at 50 years
later, display elements of enthusiasm, creativity, and general fun for the
viewer. To that end, Davy Crocket:
50th Anniversary Double Feature makes for a
sweet little diversion that should please Disney fans.
Note: The previously released Davy Crockett: The Complete
Televised Series collector's tin (now out-of-print) contained only the
televised versions of these films, while Davy Crocket: 50th Anniversary Double
Feature contains the theatrical versions.
Collectors will probably want to own both, while the casual fan will be
satisfied with one or the other.
The DVD
Video:
Davy Crocket: 50th Anniversary Double
Feature is presented in its original fullframe
aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The quality of the video, given that this film is 50
years old, is quite impressive. The image is reasonably sharp given the age of
the source material, with some noticeable softness but nothing too detrimental.
Colors are the strong point: this is a wonderful Technicolor presentation, rich
and stable with warm flesh tones and fine contrasts. There is some rather
evident grain structure, retaining the film-like appearance of the original
presentation. Compression noise is non-existent. The transfer is mostly clean,
with only some minor speckling available at times. Overall, very
impressive.
Audio:
The audio is presented in a monaural Dolby Digital
2.0 soundtrack. The delivery is centrally located in the frontstage, and dialog
sounds warm and natural without hiss or distortion. There is a little bit
of thinness in the audio which can be expected from the age of the material.
Extras:
The
only extra included on this disc is The Lone Chipmunks, an
enjoyable six-minute Chip and Dale short. They should have included the Fess
Parker interview and examination of the Davy Crockett craze, both of which are
found in the Davy Crockett limited edition tin Disney released a few
years back. Oh well.
Final
Thoughts
Definitely a product of its times, I nonetheless
was able to enjoy much of Davy Crocket: 50th
Anniversary Double Feature without too much smugness. Truth to be told,
I'd much rather enjoy Disney's sanitized retelling than a gritty, post-modern,
deconstructing character study that purported to deflate the myth and reinforce
the "reality". You know, because that worked so well in last summer's
King Arthur movie. Let's keep our heroes and legends larger than life,
bright and colorful like a Skittles commercial, and as deliciously phony as
an Ashlee Simpson performance. Disney fans and collectors owe it to themselves
to pick up this disc. Those looking for quality family entertainment from a
bygone era would also benefit from a viewing. All others might want to rent
first, depending upon their own sensibilities, but for me this is an easy
recommendation.
Buy: