Reviews

If you were asked to participate in an exercise of association and given the topic Florida, you would probably answer sunshine, beaches, oranges, retirees and Disney World. Filmmaker Victor Milt would like to enter cowboys and cattle ranching into your thought process with his documentary, Cracker: The Last Cowboys of Florida.

It was quite a revelation to learn about the real cowboys, ranchers, cattlemen and women that have played such an integral role in the state for so long. Milt’s film demonstrates the history, culture, work, surroundings and struggle of this simple, yet beautiful, albeit often laborious, way of life. Milt and his wife Kim, who produced the documentary, had a long career making television commercials. Kim grew up in Arcadia, a small town in Central Florida southeast of Tampa and north of Cape Coral. It was on the couple’s trips to see family in the area that Victor’s interest in cowboys was whetted. After retiring, the couple decided to make the Sunshine State their permanent residence.

Milt set out to pay homage to the cowboys and land that intrigued and captivated him on his many visits by capturing them in photos and paintings. His hobby quickly evolved and eventually grew to be the now-celebrated documentary. From the scenic prairies and rustic corrals to the rip-roaring rodeos and convivial town parades, the film gives you a real sense of not just what these people do, but who they really are. High morals, a tenacious work ethic and reverence for God, family and land permeate through the culture with the utmost sincerity and sanctity and are not a shtick performed when the stereotype is being called upon.

Mostly told in first-person interviews, it is apparent that the project was conceived and made from a place of veneration. Cracker makes a major tone shift from the triumphant and often jubilant stories and philosophies of the cowboys, ranchers, rodeo performers and historians to a very serious SOS sent to audiences about the affect of ever-increasing development. Cattle families that have worked in the industry for many generations from the same land are being forced to sell to developers because of persistently accelerating taxes and costs. There is also less land for their herds to graze.

It’s a call that transcends politics and economic debate, going straight to the human concerns that range from a dying culture and diminishing virgin forest land to questions about food supply. The message of preservation comes swift and is in no way seamless, but makes sense in the context. Milt effectively introduces the people, their work and their land knowing that you will quickly go from backwoods curiosity to affection. Without taking a breath, he shows how close the entire culture and pristine land is to being lost forever.

It’s more than a message to Florida residents about preservation, it’s a warning to anyone in the world that watches, about the sense of urgency that must be embraced. His plea is simple: do something. It’s not heavy-handed, but rather very real, very inspiring in the sense of at least spreading awareness. The charm of the cowboy and cattle rancher way of life doesn’t take a second seat to the message of conservation. Cracker: The Last Cowboys of Florida gives viewers the important chance to see both land and a way of life that is uniquely unaffected by the fast moving world around it . . . before it is developed into nonexistence.

Director: Victor Milt, Executive Producer: Barbara Carlton, Kim Milt, Producer: George Pratt, Mac Martin, Martin Ross. –By Brenton Crozier