C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America

Had one failed diplomatic initiative during the Civil War succeeded, could it have changed all of history? Perhaps. Kevin Willmott's chilling and somewhat plausible alternate history of America was so well produced that even its exceedingly unlikely and prejudiced retelling of the 20th century passes with a bit of artistic license. It assumes, wrongly, that America is a country completely without any virtue, a view to be rejected outright. Assumptions about a Confederate Empire, chattel slavery spread unimpeded and unchallenged throughout the Americas, a ridiculous notion of a "Cotton Curtain" cold war with Canada just don't add up. It could not have evolved that way. Nonetheless, the alternate 19th century history is utterly fascinating. Had Confederate Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin succeeded in getting European powers to fight for the Confederacy, what would America look like today?

Even with its terribly cynical and often unfair view of America, I admit I couldn't stop thinking about this film.

C.S.A.: THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA is a blistering satire / nightmare vision of an alternate America, in which the south won the Civil War. Presented as a "documentary", CSA uses the same, basic structure as a Ken Burns production to great effect. The "history" is shown through "interviews" with "experts", "archival" footage, and "re-enactments".

Intentionally offensive and anything but politically correct, this movie hearkens back to the acidic humor of the NATIONAL LAMPOON magazine, during its early 1970's heyday. The main feature is interrupted by "commercials", reminiscent of films like THE KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE, THE GROOVE TUBE, or TUNNEL VISION (also from the '70's). The products / services advertised are extremely racist by design, many being explained at the end of the film.

At once hilarious and jaw-dropping, due to its sledgehammer approach, it's obviously not meant to be taken seriously, not even remotely. In spite of this, the message is clear and direct. Recommended for lovers of controversial comedy, this movie gets extra points for audacity!...

I was able to catch CSA at the TRUE/FALSE Film Festival in Columbia, MO (great fest, kudos to all involved). The Producer and Director of CSA were there to briefly discuss the film. Sadly, it was held at the Blue Note, which is a fantastic venue for watching bands, but not for screening films. Anyway, on to the review.

Told like a Ken Burns Civil War documentary, CSA really gives a great look at what "might have been." From Jefferson Davis as the President of the United States and his exile of Abraham Lincoln to Canada, to The President meeting with Chancellor Hitler to discuss enslaving the Jewish race as opposed to destroying it to JFK's assasination because of his wanting to end slavery, the film touched on many of the United States' milestone moments told through this alternate universe. The span of American history is so vast that, unfortunately the film raises more questions than could possibly be answered.

The director spoke after the film and said he made this film to bring the subject of race to the forfront and to open discussion about it. As far as a spark for discussion, it works well. I just wish it could have delved deeper into the social, economical and political issues it raises (would there be protests toward slavery as now there are protests against the Bush administration's unilateral attack on Iraq? Interesting topic...).

The one thing that completely blew me away was that all the products advertised in the "commercial breaks" were real. I knew of one or two, but not all of them. That was a very interesting twist that stood out in a film filled with interesting and satirical twists.

This is an extremely thought-provoking, humorous and sometimes disturbing movie. The performances of some of the actors could be better and the low budget sometimes shows through, but it is such a unique idea and the discussions it causes are so enlightening, that the filmmaker should be given an award just for bravery. I don't know what the nay-sayers were thinking when they wrote some of these comments. They must have seen a different film, this is not Saturday night live satire, it is much darker. Think Dr. Strangelove in blackface!

The fact that it is all based on real plans of the confederacy and real products that have existed in the united states makes it even more frightening. I strongly recommend it.

-Peter

This movie danced along the edge of impropriety, but brilliantly. The premise is good and the execution is genius. Depicting this as a standard 'Ken Burns style' documentary is the perfect way to convey the sweep of history in a short time. The interviews, voice overs, and lingering camera shots of a still photograph were all spot-on.

My favorite part was the multiple level satire of films from the early 20th century showing events from the 19th: a silent movie about Lincoln's capture, a 50s school educational film about the superiority of whites, and a Hollywood war epic about the CSA's wars in South America. Depicting the fictional events through a lens of contemporary attitudes of what would have been the 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s... it made my head swim.

The commercials that another reviewer mentioned were humorous breaks in the action, but they didn't go much further than any normal commercial parody. The note at the end from the movie creators about the sources for some of these (I won't give it away) made me twinge with guilt for laughing, which I think is the response they wanted.

Overall, if you are a student of history, a lover of satire, a thinking person, or (god forbid) all 3 - you should see this move.