ohthehugemanateeWhat classic movie musicals can I watch with my kids, that DON'T contain casual racism, casual sexism, or generally sexual assaulty relationship models?
Sean BalaDAMN. This question is far, far harder than it should be. So sad because I love the music in so many of them. Was going to say "Oliver!" but Fagin is a bit...much.
"Little Shop" would teach them good horticultural techniques and "Willy Wonka" the dangers of trusting rich chocolate oligarchs - LOL
But in all seriousness, the new "Matilda" is awesome. "Fiddler" is pretty good depending on the age." Any of the Muppet Musicals but especially "The Muppet Christmas Carol."
@seanbala yeah I was choked to realize that music man doesn't count.
I know. Some of those shows are so good. Rodgers and Hammerstein shows are fantastic - and progressive in so many ways for their time - but all of them have one or two things that are deeply jarring. Many of the positive things they added were controversial for their time. For example, southern cinema halls threatened to boycott "South Pacific" because of the song "Carefully Taught." They demanded it be removed the song and R+H refused.
1/2
The ones that really get me from Rodgers and Hammerstein are "Carousel" and "The King and I." I think "Carousel" is an absolute work of art and would remain so if not for the line "Sometimes you can be hit real hard and it can feel like a kiss."
And "The King and I" has a great script and some of Rodgers' best, most experimental music. But I really, really can't sit through it anymore. I've tried to allegorize it but nope - just can't do it.
2/2
camicalm@ohthehugemanatee The Sound of Music, State Fair, Meet Me in St. Louis, Mary Poppins, Fiddler on the Roof. Oliver has a certain appeal or kids, but the Bill Sikes / Nancy abusive relationship may take it out of contention.
@camicalm it's harder than you think. SoM is about traditional gender roles, child abuse, and some religious extremism and literal Nazis. Meet me in St Louis is an all white cast with only tradwives and a clear lesson that women need a man to be happy. MP is a spoonful of class struggle to help the British colonial empire and patriarchy go down. FoTR is about racial persecution as a way of life... and again those traditional female gender roles. I love those shows but they are complicated today.
@ohthehugemanatee Absolutely, nearly all art of the past is going to rest on the values of the past. But doesn't that provide an opportunity to talk to your kids about what was wrong with the values of the past?
@camicalm oh sure. But that's beside the point of the challenge. 😃