25 August, 2013

Rethinking a classic | Ordinary Times

Rethinking a classic | Ordinary Times: While I still haven’t seen the whole thing from start to finish, I’ve seen pretty much the whole thing piecemeal. I’ve certainly seen enough to be staggered by its overt racism and (somewhat) subtler sexism. I’d never seen either discussed before, and wouldn’t have thought to investigate before I bought the movie for my kid.

Midway through the film the plot involves the kidnapping of Tiger Lily, an Indian princess. This is revealed by the character of her father, the Indian chief. He speaks in the most horrifyingly hackneyed stereotypical fake Native American patois I have ever heard, complete with intermittent “um” suffixes. It was painful to listen to, as was the charming ditty “What Makes the Red Man Red?“.