Movies

The film CSA Confederate States of America (2004) written and directed by Kevin Willmot is a mock documentary satire that presents the history of the Confederate States of America and the truth about the racial slavery in the country. The setting started from mid-19th century when 11 southern slave states of America seceded from the United States up to the mid-20th century. It is a fictional historical account of what could have happened if events in America didnt turn out they way they did. The film primarily aims to make the viewers realize that politics is sometimes not healthy when people who are engaged in it do not have a broad understanding and value towards human rights. Additionally, the film depicts the fact that selfish interests and greed are plagues that cause conflicts and irregularities in the society and because these, the rights of the people are neglected and humanity is exploited. The aforementioned plagues are the root cause of the destruction of mankinds morality and humane nature. Even though the film is a mock documentary and satirical in nature, its impact to the social order is great and irrefutably significant. It serves as a wake up call not just for Americans but to the whole world because it mirrors the existing truth in the society  past and present. Its underlying premise is the imperialist tendency of the United States of America. It demonstrates the potential of the powerful to take advantage of its subordinates. This premise and the theme of the movie were creatively wrapped into something very interesting that the audience could not help but watch it from beginning until the end with immense anticipation. Americans and followers of history can truly relate to the film because it bluntly illustrates American culture during the century when the country was involved in several conflicts  civil and world war.

The film director, Kevin Willmot (also a film professor at University of Kansas), engaged his audience with the movie by presenting the story as if a documentary from a British broadcasting network complete with the necessary accompanying prelude. The film appears to be a documentary of American events through the eyes of the British people. The third-person perspective of the story is brilliant because it gives an impression of evenhandedness in its creation. Willmots technique is very effective because it makes the viewers extremely curious about the tale of the documentary. It gives the story a very significant front since being in a well known networks documentary means that the event is significant. In the form of words, the director of the film seems to be saying Pay attention I have something important to show you. Although there is humor in the film, as it is a satire, the idea and the message that the writerdirector wants to convey was not compromised. As a matter of fact, it made the film even more captivating. And needless to say, the technique gives the film a very good start as it indeed captures and intrigues the viewers. The initial impression of the viewers is very important because it is the stage where the premise is laid out.

Contrary to what really happened in history, the southern states emerged victorious in the American Civil War and African-American slavery was legalized. Although the said legalization of racial slavery was not constitutionally ordained, it was an unfortunate part of the tradition and majority of the members of the society accepted the situation. The inherent dramatic conflicts in the film are the racial enslavements of non-whites and the unhealthy leadership of the government as it tolerates the wrong-doings of some of its leading constituents. While the ideal foundation of the government of America was democracy and human rights, it still had its pitfalls. These are effectively conveyed in the film Confederate States of America (CSA) although in a humorous manner. The sequence of events in the film was developed in a manner that shows how the conflicts came about and the underlying possible solutions waiting to be materialized. The film may seem to be complicated because of how it attacks the core issues that it communicates however, this challenge was surpassed by the filmmakers efficiency in use of movie strategies and techniques.

The major dramatic turning point in the narrative of the film was the commissioning of the black regiment to fight in the World War II. The World War II is one of the bloodiest and biggest wars the world has seen because of the advent in technology and modernization of military tactics. The Confederate States of America (CSA) fooled the black soldiers with a promise that they would be granted freedom if they would join the war. Being so eager to regain their long lost freedom, the poor soldiers agreed. This was the point in the movie that opened the eyes of many of the protagonists. The promise was just a lie and there was no real intention of giving back the liberty of the black soldiers. There was even an issue about the black soldiers being the first line of defense of America in the war, which gained them the name Black Panthers. The war (World War II) that ended by the atomic bombing of the two major cities of Japan became a hard rock that made the protagonists think of their real situation and how they were taken advantaged of. The realization was very painful to the poor black soldiers. Their trust was betrayed and they could not bring back the fact that they were part of a conflict that could have been avoided. The event was very unfortunate and dramatic. In the war, no one emerged to be triumphant. Everyone was a victim and the pain brought forth by slavery was even more aggravated. At the end of the chaos, people from all walks of life (from civilians to politicians) had the time to assess the situation and ask themselves about the things they did and could have done to make a change.

The narrative structure of the film worked productively because it elaborated the messages that the filmmaker wanted to relay to the audience. Everything was made obvious and detailed because of the narrative structure. Since the over-all form of the film is unconventional, the chance of misunderstanding caused by misinterpretation of the viewers is high. So to avoid this from happening, the narrative structure was used for the film. This way, the ideas that were prone to misconceptions were given light and explanation. Evidently, the potential of the film to be misunderstood was balanced by the light of its narrative structure. It served as the neutralizing agent of the film. As the saying goes, The simpler, the better. Since there was no way to make the film simple because of the complexity of its issues, there should be a way to powerfully deliver the messages from the filmmaker to the audience.

The filmmakers point of view was dominant throughout the film. Nevertheless, the filmmaker must be given credit by being relatively fair to how he presented the different sides of history. He used a fictional historical event yet ironically true in many ways. The characters that represented the protagonists and antagonists in history were all given fair and just depiction. The filmmakers message was clear and undeniably striking. It seemed that the filmmaker was personally talking to his audience through his film. As a matter of fact, the filmmaker, Kevin Willmot, was brave enough to relay to the public a story that is not usually talked about and debated. What happened in the film CSA is very identical to what usually happens in reality although some issues are not dealt with, their truth cannot be denied. In this field, Kevin Willmot was brave enough to fight the battle and fortunately succeeded. His role in the academe made a great contribution to his brilliant opinions about American culture.

The filmmaker, Kevin Willmot, did a great job in being very reasonable in the presentation of what is be considered as the other side of history in the film. Evidently, he needed to consider ethical issues about the storyline of his film. He had to reflect on the fact that people may not receive the film as positively as he hoped for because the film was created in the other light that contrasted what really happened in history. Fortunately, the humor in the film created a safety net that ensures the movie will be parallel with what is ethical and fair. Certainly, Kevin Willmot expected the public to raise many questions about the film and the story it attempts to depict. Nevertheless, he did a great job in making himself and his film asynchronous to what is right and just in principle.

The films approach is subjective. As previously mentioned, the filmmakers opinion is more dominant in the film rather than the subjects. Even so, it is still justifiable. The film was created based on the opinion and analysis of a professor and a director. The film is the opposite of what actually happened in history yet the issues are the same. The film just exaggerated the issues that the maker deems to be important and valuable. The film cannot be considered as objective because of its apparent opinionated structure especially in its narrative portion

The film is entertaining from beginning until the end. Because of the many sensible materials and intriguing issues and ideas being presented, viewers cannot help but patiently wait for the next scenes hoping for enlightenment. The movie is especially great for people who love history and culture. It is something that is very intellectually stimulating. It is unconventional and a very few movie has the same unconventional format. Its structure and format is something fresh thus, viewers will be very entertained. It is safe to say that the film is a brave experiment from Kevin Willmot. Furthermore, Kevin Willmots effort paid off as the film proves to be successful and appreciated by most critiques and movie enthusiasts.

The premise and conflicts in the film had a satisfying resolution. The finale was not drastic. It came about in a series of events that prepared the audience for the resolution. There were several cues as to when and how the culmination will be. The film ends with the suicide of Senator Fauntroy V after he lost the presidential election because of a racial issue that is not true. His death serves as a message that tyranny and abuse can begin to exist at any point in time yet there is also an undeniable truth that they have an end. The film may not have the usual dramatic ending but the significance of the resolution is undoubtedly very meaningful.

As the film ends, a trail of questions and realization came into me. I began to wonder about the issues presented in the film and personally assessed their truthfulness. Firstly, I realized how difficult life was for the African-American slaves in the past. There are no words to describe their sacrifices and to relay how they must have felt during their slavery period. On the other hand, it makes me happy to see that their social stature has changed greatly overtime. This only means that the United States of America and the world had broadened their horizons and heightened their respect and belief in the equality of all.