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As a result of a conversation in another thread http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=137553 I recently pursued the acquisition of a copy of this film. All indications from the Disney company are that this film is NOT available on DVD in the USA. A link to the web site http://www.onlyclassicmovies.com/songofthesouth.html posted by Curt8403 showed the title available.
I risked the money and ordered it. I paid $12.50 for it and there was no freight charge.
The movie arrived in 3 days. It has a full color outer label though the disc itself is unlabeled and has a plain white side. Nothing on the label indicates an involvement by Disney in its release, but the expected copyrights are in place as are links to the disneydvd.com web site, which interestingly states plainly that this title is NOT available.
The movie is a fair copy, slightly soft but not to the extent that would indicate that this was illegally copied from another source. The format is 1.53:1 and plays well on my 16x9 Samsung, filling the screen with little apparent distortion. The DVD player is a Samsung upconverting connected via component. The sound is excellent in quality though it has not been re-recorded or enhanced.
The technical aspect of the live action with animation scenes in this film stands the test of time well. While not the level of say, Roger Rabbit, they are never the less well done and considering the movies dates from 1946, that is saying a lot.
I can not comment on the legality of this dvd. Disney plainly states on their web site that this film is not available in the USA. It is known to be available in Japan and the UK but nothing on this disc would indicate an overseas source. I would also suspect that if it were a repackaged UK copy it would be better than this. That being said, the web site I purchased it from is highly visible and searchable. I do not understand how this could not be a target of the Disney legal department, who are well known for their vigorous pursuit of infringers.
From a pure enjoyment standpoint, watching this film was wonderful. It certainly has the Disney magic and I would encourage disney to release a remastered version of the film. I would purchase it in a heartbeat as I am sure many others would as well. I also think that the film is historically significant... Disney's first live action film, a film which clearly depicts the racial mores of the time in which it was produced and as well as the time in US history that it represents.
For $12.50, this was a solid purchase... but I would pay more for a remastered copy complete with all the extras Disney would no doubt pack into it.
I risked the money and ordered it. I paid $12.50 for it and there was no freight charge.
The movie arrived in 3 days. It has a full color outer label though the disc itself is unlabeled and has a plain white side. Nothing on the label indicates an involvement by Disney in its release, but the expected copyrights are in place as are links to the disneydvd.com web site, which interestingly states plainly that this title is NOT available.
The movie is a fair copy, slightly soft but not to the extent that would indicate that this was illegally copied from another source. The format is 1.53:1 and plays well on my 16x9 Samsung, filling the screen with little apparent distortion. The DVD player is a Samsung upconverting connected via component. The sound is excellent in quality though it has not been re-recorded or enhanced.
The technical aspect of the live action with animation scenes in this film stands the test of time well. While not the level of say, Roger Rabbit, they are never the less well done and considering the movies dates from 1946, that is saying a lot.
I can not comment on the legality of this dvd. Disney plainly states on their web site that this film is not available in the USA. It is known to be available in Japan and the UK but nothing on this disc would indicate an overseas source. I would also suspect that if it were a repackaged UK copy it would be better than this. That being said, the web site I purchased it from is highly visible and searchable. I do not understand how this could not be a target of the Disney legal department, who are well known for their vigorous pursuit of infringers.
From a pure enjoyment standpoint, watching this film was wonderful. It certainly has the Disney magic and I would encourage disney to release a remastered version of the film. I would purchase it in a heartbeat as I am sure many others would as well. I also think that the film is historically significant... Disney's first live action film, a film which clearly depicts the racial mores of the time in which it was produced and as well as the time in US history that it represents.
For $12.50, this was a solid purchase... but I would pay more for a remastered copy complete with all the extras Disney would no doubt pack into it.
