Monthly Archives: June 2018

Dumbo “When I See an Elephant Fly” (1941)

In keeping with the unofficial theme this week of covering Disney’s non-politically correct moments, it wouldn’t do to forget the crows in Dumbo. But first, a quick recap as to how Dumbo meets these characters:

Things have been going badly for our baby elephant: first his mother his locked away in chains; then a stunt goes awry and Dumbo is turned into a circus clown; third, and most recently, his well-meaning friend Timothy Q. Mouse accidentally gets him drunk and they both hallucinate pink elephants! (It’s amazing what they could put in a film back in 1941!!) The following morning, Dumbo and Timothy wake up….in a tree!! This is where Dumbo and his friend meet the crows.

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Oh those crows…to be honest, I didn’t realize for a long time that the crows were a racist depiction. When you’re a little kid, you don’t think about those things, you just see some singing birds and that’s that. But as I got older and learned about the history of these things, I began to see these crows in a whole new light. And one thing I learned is that stereotypes can appear in disguise, for instance using black crows instead of, well, pardon the non-PC reference but using black crows instead of black humans. Another big clue? The leader of these crows is named…Jim Crow (no, seriously, check out the credits on Wikipedia!) A third clue? The birds all speak “jive,” a style of slang well-associated with African-American musicians during this time. They also sing jive too, and that’s where we get to “When I See An Elephant Fly.”

I seen a peanut stand, heard a rubber band
I seen a needle that winked its eye
But I be done seen ’bout ev’rything
When I see an elephant fly

(What d’you say, boy?)
I said when I see an elephant fly
I seen a front porch swing, heard a diamond ring
I seen a polka-dot railroad tie
But I be done seen ’bout ev’rything
When I see an elephant fly

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One thing that is fun about this song is most of the words have a double meaning; it helps if you put quotes around the words with changed meanings: so…a front porch that “swings” (dances); a diamond “ring” (like a bell), a railroad “tie” (necktie), and so on.

(I saw a clothes horse, he r’ar up and buck)
(And they tell me that a man made a vegetable truck)
(I didn’t see that, I only heard)
(But just to be sociable, I’ll take your word)

(I heard a fireside chat, I saw a baseball bat)
(And I just laughed till I thought I’d die)
But I be done seen ’bout ev’rything
When I see an elephant fly

Well I be done seen ’bout ev’rything
When I see an elephant fly
(With the wind)

When I see an elephant fly

See, initially, the crows are inclined to tease Dumbo for his ears just like everyone else has throughout the story. But then Timothy sets them all straight by recounting (briefly) all the terrible things that have happened to Dumbo. The shamed crows decide to make it up to the pair by helping Dumbo to fly for real (it’s implied that Dumbo flew to the tree while he was drunk and just doesn’t remember doing so). To help in this process, the head crow presents a feather to Dumbo, calling it a “magic” feather that will help him fly (with a knowing wink to Timothy who catches on quick). Sure enough, with the feather clutched tight, Dumbo CAN fly!! As the crows say (as Dumbo and Timothy return to the circus), “those city boys are in for a big surprise!”

What do you think about “When I See An Elephant Fly”? Were the racist elements obvious or did it also take you a while to catch on? Let me know what you think in the comments below and have a great day!

See also:

Dumbo “Look Out For Mr. Stork” (1941)

Dumbo “Pink Elephants on Parade” (1941)

Dumbo “Song of the Roustabouts” (1941)

Disney Films & Soundtracks A-Z

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Dumbo “Song of the Roustabouts” (1941)

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Forgive the pun but I decided it’s time to clear another elephant out of the room. Unfortunately, for everything good that Disney has contributed to film and animation, there are multiple examples of Disney portraying things they probably want to forget about. One example is the “Song of the Roustabouts” from Dumbo (1941). After baby Dumbo arrives on the train (via late delivery from the stork), the train pulls in to where the circus will be held the following day. As a storm breaks out, the elephants and other animals disembark to help set up the big top, accompanied by the roustabouts: these are unskilled laborers, often employed for hard labor.

It’s hard to tell given this scene takes place at night, but the roustabouts in Dumbo are all African-American, and given that this takes place in 1941 the lyrics are…interesting to say the very least. The song starts off with cries of “Hike! Ugh!” as the singers/workers establish a driving pattern to aid in driving in the tent stakes:

Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh! Hike!
We work all day, we work all night
We never learned to read or write
We’re happy-hearted roustabouts

Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh! Hike!
When other folks have gone to bed
We slave until we’re almost dead
We’re happy-hearted roustabouts

Just stop and look at these two verses alone: according to the roustabouts they can’t read or write, they work extremely hard and yet despite all this they’re “happy-hearted roustabouts”? It sounds ironic in 2018 but in 1941 they’re being quite serious.

Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh! Hike!
We don’t know when we get our pay
And when we do, we throw our pay away
We get our pay when children say
With happy hearts, “It’s circus day today”

This is the verse that disturbs me the most, it implies that when the roustabouts DO get paid, they promptly blow their money on frivolous things (keeping in line with certain stereotypes about African-Americans being lazy, etc. Remember, this was 1941 and these things were considered acceptable then).

Muscles achin’
Back near breaking
Eggs and bacon what we need (Yes, sir!)
Boss man houndin’
Keep on poundin’
For your bed and feed
There ain’t no let up
Must get set up
Pull that canvas! Drive that stake!
Want to doze off
Get them clothes off
But must keep awake

During this long section, the other animals are shown helping in the set up, mostly the elephants moving stakes and poles, but the camels are helping too. It’s funny, when I watched this movie as a young kid, I was convinced that the circus animals really did help in this way. Even Dumbo is seen doing his part alongside his mother.

Hep! Heave! Hep! Heave! Hep! Heave!
Hep! Heave! Hep! Heave! Hep! Heave!
Hep! Heave! Hep!

Swing that sledge! Sing that song!
Work and laugh the whole night long
You happy-hearted roustabouts!
Pullin’, poundin’, tryin’, groundin’
Big top roundin’ into shape
Keep on working!
Stop that shirking!
Grab that rope, you hairy ape!
Poundin’! poundin’! poundin’! poundin’!
Oh

The storm that started when the train arrived has now become a full-on thunderstorm (poor Dumbo hides in fright from the lightning). And the song does throw in one last unbelievable line with “Grab that rope, you hairy ape!” (I really won’t explain that one in further detail since it really speaks for itself). At last, despite the driving rain and winds, the big top is raised and come morning the circus is ready to begin!

It might seem strange to focus on these songs (especially given the issues going on in the country right now), but I can’t let these songs slip away unnoticed. Not writing about them is tantamount to saying they never happened, but they did. So on that note, I hope you found “Song of the Roustabouts” interesting. Let me know what you think of this song in the comments below and have a great day!

See also:

Dumbo “Look Out For Mr. Stork” (1941)

Dumbo “Pink Elephants on Parade” (1941)

Dumbo “When I See an Elephant Fly” (1941)

Disney Films & Soundtracks A-Z

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Peter Pan “What Made the Red Man Red?” (1953)

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Before I get started with talking about this song, let’s get the elephant out of the room shall we? Yes, “What Made the Red Man red?” is a highly racist, non-politically correct song that employs multiple Native American stereotypes. That being said, remember that this was 1953 and the world was a very different place from what it is now.

(also, I’m going to refer to the tribe as ‘Indians’ because that’s how they’re described in the film, I know Native American is the correct word to use)

At the start of this song, Wendy, John and Michael are celebrating the safe return of Tiger Lily with Peter Pan, the Lost Boys and the Indian tribe. In gratitude, the Chief dubs Peter “Chief Flying Eagle” and everyone celebrates. As the party gets going, the Lost Boys have three questions:

“What made the red man red?” (it should be noted that in this film the Indians, except for Tiger Lily, are almost literally red-skinned, based on the derogatory slang once used to describe them).

“When did he first say ‘ugh’?” (another stereotype, this one contends that Indians say ‘ugh’ in response to a lot of things)

“Why does he ask you ‘how’?” (another stereotype and something of a generalization: there ARE some tribes that use this as a greeting, but the stereotype makes it appear that ALL Indians use this as a greeting, which isn’t true).

The Chief and his chorus of braves set out to answer these questions, accompanied by the drums:

Why does he ask you, “How?”
Why does he ask you, “How?”
Once the Injun didn’t know
All the things that he know now
But the Injun, he sure learn a lot
And it’s all from asking, “How?”
Hana Mana Ganda
Hana Mana Ganda
We translate for you
Hana means what mana means
And ganda means that, too

This scene is also notable because it shows several characters smoking on a peace pipe. While Wendy abstains (and prevents Michael from using it too), John takes a pretty good puff and turns green as a result (in kind of the same way that Pinocchio did over a decade prior).

In between the verses, everyone starts dancing, including Wendy, though she doesn’t get to enjoy herself for long. Wendy runs headlong into an Indian matriarch who proclaims “Squaw (Wendy) no dance, squaw get firewood!” Wendy is miffed that she can’t have fun like the other boys (and Tiger Lily, more on that in a moment) but she goes off to get the firewood.

When did he first say, “Ugh!”
When did he first say, “Ugh!”
In the Injun book it say
When first brave married squaw
He gave out with heap big ugh
When he saw his Mother-in-Law

Meanwhile, Wendy is returning with a load of firewood (still trying to have a good time) when she gets a look at Tiger Lily and Peter Pan:

What made the red man red?
What made the red man red?

Let’s go back a million years
To the very first Injun prince
He kissed a maid and start to blush
And we’ve all been blushin’ since

You’ve got it right from the headman
The real true story of the red man
No matter what’s been written or said
Now you know why the red man’s red!

The scene implies that Tiger Lily gave Peter a great big kiss which makes Peter blush with happiness. Wendy is furious that someone else is kissing ‘her’ Peter, and when the matriarch demands she get more firewood, Wendy retorts “Squaw NO getting firewood, squaw go home!” And she marches off to the Lost Boys home, very upset. I always felt bad for Wendy, everyone else got to have fun but her.

Political incorrectness aside, this song marks the turning point in the story for Wendy. Up until this point, she’d been having fun with Peter in Neverland (although the visit to the mermaids didn’t exactly go as planned), but now she’s beginning to realize that she doesn’t belong here, it’s time to go home (as in back to London). Also, no one yet knows that Captain Hook has taken Tinkerbell captive, as he is determined to find the Lost Boys hideout and eliminate his nemesis once and for all!

What do you think of this song? Have you seen this song before? Let me know what you think of it in the comments below, and have a great day!

See also:

Disney Films & Soundtracks A-Z

Peter Pan “You Can Fly!” (1953)

Peter Pan “Following the Leader” (1953)

Peter Pan “The Elegant Captain Hook” (1953)

My Thoughts on: Peter Pan (1953)

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Remembering James Horner: Troy (2004)

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trojan-horse troy the movie

Troy is a 2004 epic film that is a (greatly abbreviated) adaptation of the Illiad (which tells the story of the Trojan War). The film features a star-studded cast:

Brad Pitt: Achilles
Sean Bean: Odysseus
Brian Cox: Agamemnon
Peter O’Toole: King Priam
Eric Bana: Hector
Orlando Bloom: Paris
Diane Kruger: Helen

While not perfect, Troy is a good film with a remarkable score by James Horner. The music is even more remarkable when you consider that Horner put it together in the space of four weeks after Gabriel Yared’s score for the film was rejected.

For the score, Horner employed singer Tanja Carovska (who had also provided vocals for Yared’s rejected score) as well as using Eastern Mediterranean music and brass instruments to create a feeling of ancient Greece.

Troy Movie

Horner created several motifs throughout the score, a few of which I’d like to point out:

-The Greeks: The theme for the Greek army really emerges in full when they approach Troy in their thousand ships. It’s distinguished by a driving trumpet theme, highlighting the relentlessness of the Greek soldiers led by the egomaniacal Agamemnon. Most tellingly, it also re-emerges (briefly) just before the Trojan Horse is revealed onscreen for the first time, a musical hint that there are Greeks hidden inside.

The Greeks arrive at Troy

-Achilles: The theme for the legendary hero is also based on brass instruments, but it has a nobler tone than the theme assigned to the Greeks. Most notable appearance would have to be when Achilles storms the beach leading the Myrmidons. There’s also a reprise when Achilles heads off to find Briseis during the sacking of Troy.

Achilles on the beach (theme starts when Achilles jumps off the ship)

-Achilles and Briseis: The love motif for Achilles and Briseis (a Trojan princess turned priestess turned captive) forms the basis of the end credits song “Remember” as performed by Josh Groban. No matter what Achilles claims, I think throughout the story he remembers what his mother said, that if he goes to Troy he will never come home. So his love for Briseis is tempered by this knowledge, that’s why the theme is relatively sad for a love theme. A good example of hearing this theme is at the end right before Achilles dies and he tells Briseis to leave with Paris.

Troy “The Trojan Horse”

-The Trojan Horse: I’ve covered the music for the Trojan Horse in depth before, but I have to talk about it again because it really is my favorite musical moment in the film. Even if you’re not familiar with the story of the Trojan Horse, the sheer ominousness of the music tells you that there’s something fishy with this horse. But of course no one listens to Paris’ suggestion to just burn the horse where it stands (the one time he makes a good decision in the entire film) and the horse is brought into the city. The music is triumphant and tragic all at once, because the Trojans think they’ve won but in fact they’re doomed.

Horner’s score for Troy remains one of my favorites and I highly recommend it to any fans of James Horner’s music. It’s hard to believe he’s been gone for three years already, but as long as we keep listening to his music, he’ll never really be forgotten.

This is my contribution to the Remembering James Horner Blogathon, hope you enjoy it.

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3rd Annual Remembering James Horner Blogathon: Full Recap

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It’s finally time for the 3rd Annual Remembering James Horner Blogathon. Each day I’ll be posting a recap of what everyone’s submitted for the blogathon 🙂 I can’t wait to read all of your posts as well as add my own this weekend 🙂 Thanks again for taking part in this blogathon, have fun!

Reelweegiemidget Reviews looks at: The Hand (1981)

Plain, Simple Tom takes us to old California and examines: The Mask of Zorro (1998)

MovieRob looks at a golfing legend with: Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)

My submission this year looks at James Horner’s score for: Troy (2004)

MovieRob looks at Disney’s underrated film: The Rocketeer (1991)

MovieRob looks at one of my favorites: Casper (1995)

Kim @ Tranquil Dreams looks at one of Horner’s final pieces: The 33 (2015)

Cinematic Catharsis looks at an early piece with: Krull (1983)

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My Thoughts on: Downfall (2004)

See also:

Film/TV Reviews

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My Thoughts on: Incredibles 2 (2018)

Animated Film Reviews

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My thoughts on: Hotel Artemis (2018)

See also:

Film/TV Reviews

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My thoughts on: Jurassic World (2015)

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When Jurassic World was first announced, I had no intention of seeing it. However, as time went on and more previews were released, curiosity won out and I went with a friend to view the film. My conclusion? Jurassic World is good…sort of. The story hits many good notes but also falls flat in key places.

The film, which serves as a direct sequel to Jurassic Park (and ignores the events of The Lost World and Jurassic Park III), opens with a fully realized dinosaur park operating on Isla Nublar. The park brings in a fortune every year, but profits have been slowly declining and, in order to ‘spice things up’ a new dinosaur is genetically engineered (because that always ends well).

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This new dinosaur is dubbed Indominus Rex and it is a real piece of work. A complex hybrid, it has the ability to camouflage (though for some reason this is only demonstrated once), mask its heat signature and (among other things) communicate with raptors because of its raptor DNA. The Indominus is certainly terrifying (there’s a scene where you see the reflection of its teeth in a gyrosphere before you see it properly) but certain elements aren’t used consistently. As I said before, its ability to camouflage (which is downright terrifying if you think about it) is only seen once. If you really wanted to make this movie scary, shouldn’t it have been used as often as possible?

Of course the Indominus gets loose and the park eventually descends into chaos, which was okay to watch…for the most part. I found the scene where Claire’s assistant gets killed to be very disturbing. First she’s dragged off by a Pteranadon, then dropped several times into the Mosasaurus tank before finally being eaten by the aforementioned Mosasaurus. I really felt this moment went on way too long and should have ended with the Pteranadon just carrying her away.

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The plot point I enjoyed the most was Owen’s interaction with the raptor pack and the idea that he is their ‘alpha.’ I found the arrangement dubious at first, but as the story went on I truly believed that Owen was communicating with the raptors and they obeyed him. Which is why when it came out that the Indominus had raptor DNA and was communicating with them I had the biggest “Oh SH**” moments in the theater. Truly, that scene with the Indominus and the raptors is well done.

Another moment I liked is when the kids stumbled across the remains of the original Jurassic Park center from the first film. It had a huge nostalgia factor and I’m glad they included it. One thing I did not like about Jurassic World is it was painfully obvious that they were setting up for a sequel when we last see Dr. Wu getting hustled off the island by InGen. I don’t think anybody really doubted that a sequel was coming, but they didn’t have to be so blatant about it.

jurassicworld

Having the climax come down to the Indominus vs the T-Rex from the first film was really awesome, though I have major issues with how it ended. Not only did it seem anti-climactic that the Mosasaurus finished the Indominus off just like that, I still can’t see how the beast could have jumped up and grabbed it from where they were standing.

In conclusion, while I did enjoy Jurassic World for the most part (the homage to John Williams original theme was a very nice touch), I’ve never felt any desire to rewatch it in the three years since, though I am planning to see Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, if only so I can see what is up with this OTHER genetically engineered dinosaur that is somehow a hundred times more scary than the Indominus Rex.

What did you think of Jurassic World? Did it live up to the hype? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and have a great day!

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Film/TV Reviews

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My thoughts on: Forbidden Planet (1956)

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If you’re looking for a list of influential science fiction films, one title that consistently turns up is Forbidden Planet. Considered one of the great science fiction films of the 1950s, the film set the bar for many films to follow. The film follows the crew of the C-57D as it travels to the distant planet Altair IV to follow up on a mission that went there and disappeared 20 years previously.

The story can be considered a loose retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, a play where sailors from a distant land encounter the sorcerer Prospero (who controls the spirit Ariel) and his beautiful daughter Miranda, who has never seen any man except for her father. In the film then, Prospero is Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), one of two survivors of a previous mission to Altair IV, Miranda is Morbius’ daughter Altaira (Anne Francis), Ariel is the ever helpful robot Robby and the sailors are Commander Adams (Leslie Nielsen) and his crew, though it could be argued that the commander is also an analogue to Ferdinand, the nobleman who ultimately marries Miranda.

The film contains a number of firsts: its the first to depict humans traveling in a faster-than-light vessel; it was the first to take place entirely on another planet besides Earth (the story opens with the C-57D in deep space); most notably the film is the first to contain an entirely electronic film score (credited as ‘electronic tonalities’). The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

From the start, you can tell there’s something fishy going on with Dr. Morbius. He’s way too eager for Commander Adams to be on his way back to Earth, and small wonder. It comes out that the first expedition discovered the ruins of an ancient civilization belonging to the Krell, an ancient super-race that accomplished everything you can imagine before mysteriously vanishing overnight. And that’s not all: there’s a giant machine 20 square miles in size located underground, introduced with a scene that almost boggles the imagination.

Weird things begin happening back at the space ship: vital equipment is sabotaged, a crew member is violently killed (literally ripped limb from limb offscreen) and strange footprints from an invisible being (in one of my favorite scenes) are spotted. I remember the first time I watched this film it drove me crazy as to what was stalking the planet. For a while I was convinced that it must be a Krell, a lone survivor as it were, attacking outsiders. But the truth is so much more terrifying. It turns out that the mysterious beast is none other than Dr. Morbius himself, or at least it’s a part of him.

See, when Commander Adams and two of his men discover the Krell ruins, Morbius gave them a tour and showed them a strange machine that had the ability to dramatically increase intelligence. Morbius used it on himself and is now arguably the smartest human alive. But what the scientist fails to realize is that boosting his intelligence gave his subconscious mind access to the large underground machine. That huge machine was the Krell’s greatest accomplishment and their undoing. Having accomplished everything else, the Krell sought to make the final accomplishment: creation by mere thought, simply imagine it and it will appear. It’s not a bad idea, if the conscious mind were all there is. But the Krell had long since forgotten about the subconscious mind, known in psychology as the Id, the reservoir of all our deepest, most primal desires. When the machine was turned on, the Id of every Krell on the planet gained access to a machine with unlimited power. Though they consciously didn’t wish to destroy or kill, their subconscious acted out their secret desires and thus the whole race was wiped out.

Morbius is unwittingly in the same predicament as the Krell, though he cannot consciously use the machine, his subconscious can and has before! Deep down, Morbius only wants to be left alone with his research and daughter, so his Id is acting on these desires and attempting to ‘eliminate’ the problem. It’s a horrifying moment, when the scientist realizes he is the monster. And speaking of the monster, the one glimpse you do get of the Id monster is the stuff of nightmares.

Robby the Robot provides several moments of humor throughout the story (he has a very dry wit), including a memorable exchange with Altaira:

Altaira: “Robby, I must have a new dress made right away!”

Robby: “Again?”

Forbidden Planet is definitely a must-see film for any fan of science fiction cinema and if you haven’t seen it before I hope you’re inspired to go check it out. If you have seen the film, what did you think about it and the revelation of the Id monster? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below 🙂

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Film/TV Reviews

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