To a large extent I agree with Steve Railton, in particular that the Burns film punted when it presented one side only of the debate on the racial dimensions of HUCK FINN. This makes two recent PBS Twain features that endorse the position associated prominently with Fishkin, Chadwick, and Bradley (three interviewees in both films). The earlier one was the BORN FOR TROUBLE section of CULTURE SHOCK, which aired exactly two years ago. Those who saw that production may recall that the three scholars I've just mentioned were filmed in sumptuous, warm, indoor settings. In what looked like an afterthought, a small gesture toward fairness, John Wallace and Julius Lester were interviewed--outdoors in the cold, for about ten seconds each. But that program was openly debating the racial issue, whereas the Burns film had no such announced goal. (But as Burns has said, race is his basic subject in all he does.) In any case, the onesidedness of the Burns film's take on HUCK may fairly be considered a lapse of its integrity and, as Railton says, "a kind of insult to the many people (mostly African American, of course, but others too) who've tried to get teachers and school systems and critics to consider the ways in which requiring *Huck* is a legitimate subject for debate." Still, the ending section of the Burns film brought me to tears, and there were lots of great moments, most of them naturually showing Clemens in a strongly positive light. But to the film's credit it didn't ignore the downsides, didn't, as others have noted, "Disneyfy" him. One scene which lingers, memorable and disturbing, was that progressive close-up on that one Angel-fish's face against Clemens's coat, with her expression that can at most kindly be called ambivalent. Without saying a negative word about Clemens's relationship with these young girls, the film subtlely suggests the possible underside. Dave Barber U. of Idaho -----Original Message----- From: Mark Twain Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Stephen Railton Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2002 6:36 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Burns and Twain Was anyone else in the Forum troubled by the one-sidedness of the way Burns' account presented the issue of race/racism in Mark Twain's works? It was obviously a central theme (in both the film and the works), but to me it's wrong to work so hard to show how Twain can be read as a critic of racism, and *Huck Finn* read as an ironic expose of racism, without giving any time to the voices that have been raised over the last 50 years complaining about the potentially racist elements in *Huck Finn.* The people who made the film are certainly allowed their own ultimate take on the issue, but simply leaving out the other side seems both slick (like a white-washing) and a kind of insult to the many people (mostly African American, of course, but others too) who've tried to get teachers and school systems and critics to consider the ways in which requiring *Huck* is a legitimate subject for debate. It was interesting (and admirable, on the whole) that the film relied so much on the original illustrations from Mark Twain's books, but they kept coming back to the one picture of Jim on the raft (after the fog) where you CAN'T SEE that caricature of a face that (with Twain's consent) Kemble gave Jim in just about all the other pictures (none of which, I think, show up in the film). And the choice of having such a recognizably black voice narrate the film seems a bit manipulative too -- if that voice is telling us that Twain was simply way ahead of his time as a critic of American racism, well, then of course we have to believe it. To me it would have been much more honest and accurate to talk about how the representation of race in Twain's works was shaped by his times and FOR his times, and how the conflicted nature of (say) the representation of Jim (part dignified human being/part minstrel show stereotype) reflects the deeply divided nature of our history -- and our contemporary society too. I found a lot of enjoy in Burns' film (not the soundtrack -- what does Betsy have to do with Clemens' life and Twain's work? the Pike county connection?). But I was really unhappy with its determination to avoid the controversy about race in Twain that can still tell us a lot, about him, our past, and so on. Steve Railton (Univ. of Virginia)