In the spirit of the election this last week, which I'm still reeling from, I've got to be honest, I want to share my most favorite political film of all time. And yes, the above pictured Walt Disney 1968 "The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band" is that movie.
It seems innocent, doesn't it? It's a musical in the grand ol' Sherman Brother style. And it's a film filled with family values. But there are a lot of political themes, because this family is split, with some being Republicans, and a few being Democrats. The main conflict of the story is that of the 1888 Presidential elections and splitting Dakota into two states (North and South), so that the Republicans could send 4 Senators to the Senate instead of just two.
The election was between Benjamin Harrison, our 23rd President, and Grover Cleveland, our 22nd and 24th President, our only President to serve two non-connected terms. I think it's okay to state that there's a huge party in which the room is magically split in support between the two nominies, and during song and dance, voting results are rushed in and written on a chalk board . . . one canidate wins the popular vote, and the other the electoral vote . . . . and a giant brawl starts on account of a pie in the face and flaring tempers. I watched that scene two days ago, and it always makes me laugh. Nothing has changed! It's sad but funny.
So if you want a family film that's fun, musical, and a little educational (if you want to explain the voting process that is), this is a great movie.
Sarah
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