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Csa: The Confederate States Of America

2006, Movie, NR, 91 mins

Csa: The Confederate States Of America: Review

CSA: THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA
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Cleverly produced to look exactly like a real-life television broadcast that one might catch on PBS or the History Channel, this provocative, deeply unsettling mockumentary from filmmaker Kevin Willmott offers an alternate history of America based on a terrifying what-if scenario: What if the South had won the Civil War and slavery were never abolished? Entitled "C.S.A." and broadcast on Confederate Television Channel 6 in San Francisco, the film-within-the-film purports to be a controversial British documentary detailing the post-Civil War history of the Confederate States of America. The victory of the Confederacy over the Union, it turns out, hinged upon the intervention of French and British troops. The Confederate Army is able to capture the White House, Abraham Lincoln is deposed and Jefferson Davis becomes president of the newly formed C.S.A. Desperate, Lincoln dons blackface and, with the help of Harriet Tubman, makes an unsuccessful attempt to escape into Canada through the Underground Railroad. He's captured and convicted of war crimes committed during the "War of Northern Aggression." A draconian pro-slavery effort eventually brings the North into the "Southern way of life," and over the course of the next century, the C.S.A. pursues an expansionist policy by invading Central America and creating an apartheid-type society, plays host to Adolph Hitler while maintaining an isolationist position towards his conquest of Europe, and engages staunchly antislavery Canada in a cold war. Along the way, all non-Christian religions are outlawed, Chinese immigrants are declared to be slaves, and Canada, which becomes home to runaway slaves and abolitionists alike, develops a thriving culture rich in literature, athletics, and rock and roll. Interspersed throughout the film are commercial breaks advertising an insurance agency committed to protecting your life and property (a smiling black face is prominently featured in the background); a popular Hazel-type series entitled "Leave It to Beulah"; and such products as "The Shackle," an electronic bracelet that will help keep your "slippery buck" from running too far from home. What's really chilling, however, is how close the mocked-up films the "producers" of "C.S.A." use come to the real deal: "The Capture of Dishonest Abe," D.W. Griffith's re-creation of Lincoln's humiliating capture at Lake St. Clair; "Northern Wind," a Reconstruction play that could have been written by Margaret Mitchell; and "I Married an Abolitionist," a lurid, cold-war-type B picture. The real shock, however, comes just before the credits roll when the truth about much of what we've just seen is revealed. It's a disorienting, unforgettable moment that will leave you wondering exactly where satire ends and American history begins. leave a comment --Ken Fox
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