Confederate was a planned american alternate history drama television series developed for the network hbo by david benioff and d. The confederate states of america dvd, 2006 for sale. The announcement of confederate was followed by anger and criticism on social media with some. Confederate states of america, chiraq looks at inner city violence in chicago. Csa the confederate states of america 2001 spike lee.
Through the eyes of a british documentary, this film takes a satirically humorous, and sometimes frightening. The confederate states of america film the guardian. Its a great shame that this movie can be safely recommended to so few people these days, despite spike lees name prominently in the credits. S pike lee presents and mentors this counterfactual satire on american racism, directed by kevin willmott. The confederate states of america movieguide movie. The refusal of lee to support the plan prevented a practical attempt at its realization.
The confederate states of america have found a remarkably accommodating. As a southerner, i found the film pretty offensive. Its a fictional tongueincheek account of an alternate. The confederate states of america became a nation teeming with racism and misogyny. Written and directed by kevin wilmott, presented by ifc films and spike lee, the focus of this film is not to merely ask that question. Aug 10, 2018 spike lees new movie about the black klansman in the 1970s is intended to draw a line from the rise of david duke to the altright in charlottesville.
A satiric rebuke to the prevailing historical stance that the civil war was fought not over slavery but, rather, over the more encompassing issue of states rights, kevin willmotts c. Amazon studios first original movie, chiraq from spike lee, is now available for streaming to prime members at no extra cost. Professor willmott is a cowriter and producer of spike lee s film chiraq as well as the recent film destination planet negro. The confederate states of america marries the simplest of premises with the most familiar of formats.
A the confederate states of america is a 2004 american mockumentary that is directed by kevin willmott. After its premiere at the sundance film festival, ifc films purchased the film for domestic theatrical distribution. This is an extremely bigoted, untrue view of christianity, by. Amazon debuts spike lees chiraq to mixed user ratings. And this is exactly what director kevin willmott and producer spike lee want you to. Hbos new confederate series sounds eerily similar to film by kus. The confederacy was originally formed by seven secessionist slaveholding statessouth carolina, mississippi, florida, alabama, georgia, louisiana, and texasin the lower south region of the united states, whose economy was.
Spike lee was born shelton jackson lee on march 20, 1957, in atlanta, georgia. Chiraq was shot entirely in chicago and wrapped last week. The confederate states of america dvd, 2006 at the best online prices at ebay. Presented as a mockumentary, this film through the use of fabricated movie segments and actual footage, attempts to sheds light on what america would be. A the confederate states of america is a 2004 mockumentary.
Tuesday, march 17, 2020 style weekly karen newton kevin willmott is that rare professor of film who got to share an oscar with iconic filmmaker spike lee. A the confederate states of america, made in 2004 and returning to ifc this weekend, presents a boldly premonitory vision of political horrors. A new pseudodocumentary examines what contemporary america would have looked like had the south won the civil war. The remaining confederate forces surrendered by the end of june, as the u. Activist filmmaker cover story style weekly richmond. Jul 20, 2017 that premise sounds similar to the plot of c. The confederate flag in dispute flew over the forces of the confederate states of america, not the confederate states of the south. It is a fictional tongueincheek account of an alternate history in which the confederates won the american civil war and established control over all of the united states.
Grant captured its capitol of richmond, virginia and robert e. Charlottesville, like blackkklansman, reminds us that there. The confederate states of america effectively collapsed after ulysses s. The confederate states of america was a collection of 11 states that seceded from the united states in 1860 following the election of president. The series was to be set in a timeline where the american civil war ended in a stalemate. The movie creates a history where the confederates get win the war of northern aggression. Written by filmmaker spike lee do the right thing and writerdirector kevin willmott c. A the confederate states of america civil war wiki. So when he had heard about the film, he wanted to see it. The confederate states of america 2 5 stars 2 out of 5 stars. Kevin willmott wrote and directed the critically acclaimed feature film c. Through the eyes of a british documentary, this film takes a satirically humorous, and sometimes frightening, look at the history of an america where the south won the civil war.
The result is the story of a racist nation fighting with traditional allies, aligning itself with nazi causes. Confederates werent patriots, they were traitors our. Not only does this movie posit a rewritten history of american slavery, it also imagines a future in which the. The official trailer for the new spike lee film chiraq. A the confederate states of america, a faux documentary. The confederate states of america 2004 editor shes gotta have it 1986 editor. If so, it was intended as a mockumentary making fun of the south.
Shot in lawrence, and featuring several local actors as well as nonactors, c. See more ideas about confederate states of america, confederate, confederate states. The confederate states of america, and together they relocated this brash update on the ancient. Csa starts with a quote form george bernard shaw that if youre going to tell the truth you better do it with humor or people wont listen. Community couldnt get six seasons and a movie, but these guys did. Amazon confirms spike lees chiraq to be first original movie. Lee on april 9, 1864 exactly a year before the date of lees actual surrender. It perpetuates the myth that racism is a uniquely southern commodity and that the south is the birth place of ignorance.
A the confederate states of america is presented as if it were a british. Confederates werent patriots, they were traitors our human. The confederacy was originally formed by seven secessionist slaveholding states south carolina, mississippi, florida, alabama, georgia, louisiana, and texasin the lower south region of the united states, whose economy was. Aug 09, 2018 spike lee is a subversive walking advertisement for both spike lee and his new film, blackkklansman, out aug. Also i got pissed that the movie had us whites as not having advanced beyond country music wo freedmen help ie. Writers and historians have been penning whatif scenarios predicated on the war between the states going the other way for decades. This viewpoint is used to satirize subsequent issues and events in american culture.
Willmott, when reached by text thursday, told the star, all i can say is executive producer of my film, c. Jul 15, 2015 chiraq was shot entirely in chicago and wrapped last week. Mar 24, 2006 then, there is confederate states of america, which is labeled spike lee presents, rather than his usual a spike lee joint, accompanying inside man. In confederate states of america advertising takes a. Hbos new confederate is eerily similar to film by ku. Csa raises real questions with a bogus documentary the. Our engineers are working quickly to resolve the issue. We, the undersigned, urge filmmaker spike lee, normally a reliable voice for progressive causes, to legally change his name and that of his son.
Spike lee s screenwriter talks about his mockumentary confederate states of america. The kansas filmmaker earned that distinction with his faux documentary csa. If the south had won the civil war, what would a public television, ken burnsstyle documentary of american history look like. A confederate states of america, a 2004 faux british documentary about an america where the south won the civil war and slavery still exists. Willmott is a ku film professor and a filmmaker, most notable for his recent collaborations with spike lee, with whom he cowrote both 2015s.
A confederate states of america, and directed by lee. I recall mackinley kantors if the south had won the civil war on my. The series takes place in an alternate timeline, where the southern states have successfully seceded from the union, giving rise to a nation in which slavery remains legal and has evolved into a modern institution. Jul 31, 2018 the prolific filmmaker opens up to the hollywood reporter about his movie s political significance under the trump administration. Confederate states of america, the government of 11 southern states that seceded from the union in 186061, following the election of abraham lincoln as u.
With greg kirsch, renee patrick, molly graham, william willmott. The confederate states of america todd brown founder and editor. Slavery of course plays a huge part of the new nation and this is covered quite matteroffactly throughout and i found myself amazed at how well some historical incidents were tweaked slightly to fit this narrative. This movie takes the form of a british documentary, covering the evolution of the confederate states of america after the south won.
Spike lees screenwriter talks about his mockumentary confederate states of america. Feb 05, 2016 amazon studios first original movie, chiraq from spike lee, is now available for streaming to prime members at no extra cost. Jul 11, 2019 the confederate flag in dispute flew over the forces of the confederate states of america, not the confederate states of the south. Through the eyes of a british documentary, this film takes a. List of confederate monuments and memorials wikipedia. The confederate states of america, which depicts a presentday america where slavery still exists. The confederate states of america is a mock documentary about the confederate states of america. Through the eyes of a british documentary, this film takes a satirically humorous, and sometimes frightening, look at the history of an. The confederate states of america this weeks episode special 100th episode of the chauncey devega show features film scholar, actor, writer, and professor kevin willmott. Espns bravery has served to highlight the fact that we must remove confederate names not just from pedestals and monuments, but human beings as well. The confederate states of america critics consensus. It is an account of an alternate history, wherein the confederacy wins the american civil war and establishes a new confederate states of america that incorporates the majority of the western hemisphere, including the former contiguous united states, the golden circle, the caribbean.
Beginning with its conquest of the northern states, the film covers the history of this state where racial enslavement became triumphant and the nation carried sinister designs of conquest. A confederate states of america and directed by lee, chiraq was shot on location in chicago with principal photography wrapping last week. The confederate states of america now i know why i got the feeling i was watching a wayans bro. The film, after the initial public release, became a spike lee production. The confederate states of america is the brainchild of kevin wilmot, a. Oct 28, 2005 a new pseudodocumentary examines what contemporary america would have looked like had the south won the civil war. The confederate states of america 2004 black propoganda. Confederate states of america, about america, had the south won the civil war. The confederate states of america jan 11, 2010 csa is a thought provoking and humorous look at the sheer absurdities of whitecentric world views. Weiss, who had previously developed the hbo series game of thrones.
Presented by spike lee and constructed as a finely tuned parody of the ken burns school of filmmaking period music, old photos, talkinghead experts, csa sketches out a disquieting alternative history of the united states. Like chiraq, the movie is an impassioned fantasy that reveals. Set in an contemporary alternative world where the confederate states of america managed to win the american civil war, a british film documentary examines the history of this nation. The confederacy is dedicated to establishing a fascist, racist, aryan, christian state. This is a list of confederate monuments and memorials that were established as public displays and symbols of the confederate states of america csa, confederate leaders, or confederate soldiers of the american civil war. Spike lees screenwriter talks about his mockumentary. See more ideas about confederate states of america, american civil war and civil war photos. A confederate states of america, spike lee, and i will be. Confederate states of america page 2 legends of america.
A conversation with writer, actor, and producer kevin. Spike lee wants blackkklansman to wake america up time. Hbos new confederate is eerily similar to film by ku professor. Kus kevin willmott teams with filmmaker spike lee for. All that social outrage clearly demanded similarly outsized treatment, and lee and cowriter kevin willmott csa. Aug 06, 2018 i met spike in 2004 when i made my film csa. A the confederate states of america is a 2004 mockumentary directed by kevin willmott. This means lee is an executive producer of the film, originally made in 2004 perhaps to affect the 2004 elections by turning out more of the black vote, but not released. A confederate states of america assumes a fauxdocumentary guise to posit an alternate american reality in which the south was victorious in the war of northern aggression. When spike lee penned the script for blackkklansman, he knew. Feb 26, 2006 presented by spike lee and constructed as a finely tuned parody of the ken burns school of filmmaking period music, old photos, talkinghead experts, csa sketches out a disquieting alternative history of the united states. The invocation of america in the name of the seceded. University of kansas film professor kevin willmott is sure to get a rise out of the south with his documentary sendup csa.
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