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Location: VHS
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Purchasers of Disney's "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," the second volume of the company's Sing Along Songs series, may discover that not everything is as "satisfactchull" as it could be with this tape--it all depends on why you're buying it. If you've sought out the video because of a sentimental devotion to the musical the title tune is taken from, Song of the South, then you're bound to be disappointed. Disney's undying efforts to make nice have spilled into this segment (the first of a nine-song package), and all is sanitized so that the original film's disconcerting depictions of then-de rigueur racial inequality cause no modern-day discomfort. But that's not to say the scene of Uncle Remis strolling a hummingbird- and butterfly-lined road and singing his song isn't a sure-fire mood-lifter, or that it doesn't succeed in its mission, which is to jog joyful childhood memories. And it is the only way to see any of the film on video; Disney has no plans to ever release the controversial film. In fact each of this collection's numbers (all ingrained collectively on a generation now raising its own kids), aims to knead adult viewers' nostalgic sides (presumably part of a strategy to perpetuate Disney die-hards). Especially effective are Cinderella's "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo," the Davy Crockett series' "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," and Snow White's "Whistle While You Work." --Tammy La Gorce |
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Not the egregious foul it seemed to be in theaters, Hercules stands up as an entertaining spritzer of an animated feature. The continual peppering of in-jokes and cultural references becomes less irksome on video. That there's no majesty or awe invested in the beloved Greek legends also seems less of an error. Also on the plus side is the bounciest Alan Menken music since Little Shop of Horrors. With Zeus's blood in his veins, young Hercules's amazing strength makes him an outcast (sorry, that still doesn't fly), so he trains with a satyr named Phil to become a hero. Along the way Herc meets Meg, a common mortal who falls hard for him. They're both against the jocular Hades, who has to destroy Hercules to take over Olympus. The hydra is the computer-animated set piece for this little number, a no-chance attempt to beat that wildebeest herd from The Lion King. --Keith Simanton |
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This soapy but highly watchable television "sequel" to Gone with the Wind, the most popular Hollywood movie ever made, has nothing to do with memories of a vanished antebellum South. But it does end up in Ireland, where the determined Scarlett O'Hara Butler (played with frosty passion by Joanne Whalley-Kilmer) turns hard times into an opportunity by buying the ancestral home of her family. Before that happens, however, Scarlett fights to win back the estranged Rhett Butler (manfully portrayed by Timothy Dalton), often seen in the company of other women, struggles for control over the homestead Tara, and gets caught in yet another compromising position with poor Ashley Wilkes (Stephen Collins). The troubles never stop (Scarlett's Ireland adventures land her in a heap of trouble from which only Rhett can save her), but this TV miniseries wisely keeps the focus on these captivating characters, their entangled histories, and the collective destiny that refuses to part them. The show also looks good: the location scenes in Ireland are particularly handsome, and there is something unaccountably satisfying about seeing Scarlett and Rhett walking through peaceful green hills. Enjoy. --Tom Keogh |
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The African Queen
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CBS/Fox VIdeo
List Price: $14.98
Lowest Price: $5.99
You can save: $8.99 (60%)
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The 1951 John Huston classic, set in Africa during World War I, garnered Humphrey Bogart an Oscar for his role as a hard-drinking riverboat captain in Africa, who provides passage for a Christian missionary spinster (Katharine Hepburn). Taking an instant, mutual dislike to one another, the two endure rough waters, the presence of German soldiers, and their own bickering to finally fall into one another's arms. This is classic Huston material--part adventure, part quest--but this time with a pair of characters who'd all but given up on happiness. Bogart (a longtime collaborator with Huston on such classics as The Maltese Falcon and Key Largo) and Hepburn have never been better, and support from frequent Huston crony Robert Morley (Beat the Devil, also featuring Bogart) adds some extra dimension and color. --Tom Keogh |
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