CRACKER CRAZY: Invisible Histories of the Sunshine State | 
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| Director: Georg Koszulinski
Studio: Substream Films
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $15.00
You Save: $4.95 (25%)
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 30251
Format: Full Screen, Full Length, Dolby, Ntsc, Color
Language: English (Unknown)
Rating: Unrated
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 94
UPC: 837101296731
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Publication Date: 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: All orders ship same/next day. Orders before 2:00pm EST ship same day. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Renegade filmmaker Georg Koszulinski takes on Floridas history from a decidedly different point of view. Blending archival and original footage, he brings to life a cast of historical characters spanning over 12,000 years, from Floridas ancient Indians to the migrant farm workers of the 21st century. Meet Osceola and the Seminoles, who fought alongside escaped slaves in the most costly Indian War in American History. Unmask Floridas Ku Klux Klan and dont forget about Walt Disney and Henry Flagler perhaps the two characters most responsible for the Florida we know today. Think you know Florida? Think again. See Cracker Crazy for an eye-opening experience. (Paul Ortiz, Author/Historian)
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| Customer Reviews:
 The Truth is Not Always Nice or Accepted: Expect Bad Reviews From The Ignorant. December 15, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This film is very well-researched and even uses footnotes throughout to cite its sources. The Florida Archives is definitely not the only source used; the list in fact is extensive. For those that are aware of the history of the U.S.A., learning of the eradication of Florida's Native people is not a surprise. It is a fact. It was done violently and immorally. It was done with lies. This film explores the nature of slavery, the Natives that would accept escaped slaves into their tribes, and the viciousness of the Americans that would hunt these people down. The tribes fought for their freedom. Wouldn't you? Other critics dismiss the truth as coming from "apologetic" white folks. I think apologizing would be a good first step. We Floridians have to learn from our history and not hide it in a closet. This film brings the hidden history of Florida out of the closet into the open. Of course people will want to shove it back in. If you're not completely ignorant, you will appreciate this film.
 Poorly Researched and Heavy Political Slant August 6, 2007
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
I have researched Florida and Seminole War history for over 25 years, and have a very large personal collection of books and documents relating to the Seminole Wars. I found the content of this dvd poorly researched with bizarre splices of footage from the state archives. Maybe you like something with a strong political slant and the "evil whiteman" statement made by white apologists. I am more in favor of presenting history in an unbiased format and let the viewers decide.
Not only is the program incorrect on many of the statements they make, but blatantly biased. Saying that Zachary Taylor was "mysteriously" promoted to general because of the battle of Okeechobee shows the author's lack of understanding of history and the events. There was nothing "mysterious" about it. Taylor is certainly not my favorite historical character, but saying his promotion was mysterious was a poor statement to make.
And of all the people knowledgeable on the history of the Seminole wars, I don't know why the film producer could not interview one of them. Instead we see an old 50-year archival footage of someone who was never a published author in the Florida Historical Quarterly, Florida Anthropologist, or other journals of that time. I could be mistaken, but I certainly didn't recognize that guy, and I have a large library of Seminole War material. Maybe they were confined by a low budget and stuck to the state archival footage which is basically free to use.
There are many things I could pick apart of this piece of video trash, but the most bizarre was the treatment of Walt Disney. They are painting up Walt Disney as a Nazi sympathizer. Yes he may have hired some lady who made films in the early 30s for Hitler, but implying that Disney was a Nazi or Nazi sympathizer was a big stretch. I guess they forgot that Disney made anti-Axis cartoons during the war!
If you are a student of history, stick to the Discovery Channel or History Channel, and steer clear of this trash. Koszulinski should stick to the political and artsy films and not show his ignorance about history.
Excellent and Entertaining March 28, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Koszulinksi has not only done a service to Floridians and local historians but to all Americans (and citizens of the world) who want to know more about some of the central people, periods, and events in America's history than most high school or college history books cover.
This is up-close-and-personal history. The amount covered is phenomenal -- but the viewer never has the feeling that anything is short-shrifted. From the Seminole Indians to the Ku Klux Klan to Walt Disney (did you know he was a U.S. government spy?) to Henry Flagler's famed (disastrous and now defunct) railroad to Key West, the narrative is always educational -- and always fascinating.
The narrators, including Vietnam Vet and peace activist Scott Camill (featured in the recently re-released 1971 documentary "Winter Soldier"), tell the story in lively but clear voices (sometimes in the character of a historical personage) in alternation with live footage and on-camera interviews.
Koszulinksi has also written, produced, and directed several other films, as well as acted in some of them: Silent Voyeur (2004), Blood of the Beast (2003), and Desinformatsia (2002). He won several awards for Blood of the Beast, a futuristic end-of-the-world horror flick. [...]
I moved from New York (where I was born) to Florida in 2000. Who would have thought that Florida history could be as interesting as The Big Apple's? Koszulinski is a unique and gifted writer and film-maker.
I thoroughly enjoyed Cracker Crazy and learned a great deal.
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