Reviewy Thingys

BIG-EARED ELEPHANTS ONLY

Some have called this film racist. I think they are misinterpreting. Yes there is a crow named Jim. Yes he and his gang are voiced by members of the all-black Hall Johnson Choir. No, this is not in any way racial derogation. If the fact that the crows are among the only human characters in the film (and I’m not talking anthropomorphism) isn’t enough to disprove the controversy, recall the tent-raising scene:

Dumbo, his mother, and the rest of the elephant troupe hammer stakes into the ground using their trunks. These images are intercut with African-American workers doing the same. Soon after, the circus master whips Mrs. Jumbo for crazed behavior, instigated by teasing directed at her son’s fantastically over-sized ears. The analog is obvious, and speaks volumes. Who are the slaves here? I won’t dwell on the fact that the chief bully’s own ears are quite large, but the hypocrisy is noted.

If anything this film is anti-racist. Prejudice conflicts with the film’s central theme; discovering and learning to love one’s uniqueness, to utilize one’s talents. This is a story of understanding and acceptance. To find any advocacy, let alone traces, of something so hateful, one would have to be looking, and have to be looking hard.

Dumbo is undoubtedly one of Disney’s great works, with its spectacularly simple approach (64 minutes running time, now that’s efficient storytelling) and its universal message. It is such a sadness that some adults seem to have complicated something so clear, something that any child wouldn’t give a second thought. I truly wonder who would benefit more.

IT'S ALIVE!

Now this is a film. A chilling and legitimately terrifying look at science and moral. Boris Karloff is famously tragic in an iconic performance, but the rest of the cast is no less great. Colin Clive in particular pores pathos as the mad Doctor. The expressionist photography (a wise choice, given the Easter-European setting) and gothic set-design give the film an unforgettable atmosphere. The art is moody; full of shadows and dark clouds, all seen at erratic angles. This must be how the monster perceives the world. Sure, it’s no Dr. Caligari – it’s something else. An American classic.

MUPPET MAGIC MINUS THE MUPPETS

A provoking fantasy adventure driven by Henson's puppet wizardry, here in full force. There are no human actors throughout the entire film, and the imaginative world of Thra is all the more enthralling because of it. Every expressive creature, every lush, lived-in locale was crafted by a master and physically, truthfully existed in front of a camera. The Dark Crystal will make you loathe the advent of the computer generated image.