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Square Grouper: Godfathers of Ganja (2011)

n , a , Billy Corben , Alfred Spellman  |  R |  DVD
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Square Grouper: Godfathers of Ganja + Cocaine Cowboys + Cocaine Cowboys 2 - Hustlin' With The Godmother
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Product Details

  • Actors: n, a
  • Directors: Billy Corben, Alfred Spellman
  • Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
  • Language: English
  • Subtitles: Spanish
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: R (Restricted)
  • Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: April 19, 2011
  • Run Time: 101 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B004L9GLPE
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,602 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • Learn more about "Square Grouper: Godfathers of Ganja" on IMDb

Special Features

None.

Editorial Reviews

In 1979, the U.S. Customs Service reported that 87% of all marijuana seizures in the U.S. were made in the South Florida area. Due to the region's 5,000 miles of coast and coastal waterways and close proximity to the Caribbean and Latin America, South Florida was a pot smuggler's paradise. In sharp contrast to the brazenly violent cocaine cowboys of the 1980s, Miami's marijuana smugglers were cooler, calmer, and typically nonviolent. Square Grouper paints a vivid portrait of Miami's pot smuggling culture in the '70s and '80s and its major players: the smuggling Black Tuna Gang, the pot dealing Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church and the tiny fishing village Everglades City.

Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
(16)
4.4 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Hudson
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've been waiting to see "Square Grouper" since I first heard that Billy Corben (Cocaine Cowboys 1 & 2, Raw Deal) was directing the documentary. I became a Corben fan with "Cocaine Cowboys" and I've enjoyed all of his documentaries so far. What Corben does so well in his documentaries is that he infuses current footage and interviews from the actual people involved in the "crimes" with older archived footage and news broadcasts. These factors give his films such a realistic and edgy feel, not to mention authenticity provided by the first-hand sources including the "criminals", police, lawyers and FBI.

Knowing Corben's style, I went in to this film expecting "Cocaine Cowboys" with marijuana. This film is different though. It presents three separate stories, all set in the state of Florida (naturally, being a Corben film). The main difference in "Square Grouper" is that the pace isn't as fast as "Cocaine Cowboys". Much more mellow, yet still informative and imaginative. I find this fact very befitting the subject matter (or should I say, substance matter?).

The first story is about The Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church, who believe that marijuana is a sacrament, and the ensuing smuggling charges dropped on them. This part of the film examines the government's stand against a church centered around ganja. The media labeled them as a cult, they saw themselves as nothing but a church. Inevitably, the police become involved. The film begins with a verse from the Bible: "Behold I have given you every green herb bearing seed..." (Genesis 1:29) and I think this is a very important thing to consider for people who are against legalization (if you are a religious person).
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
In the 1970s, Floridians called the many bales of pot that were adrift in the ocean "square grouper." The new documentary, Square Grouper, tells three different stories about Florida's 1970s pot culture. The three stories are good - but vary in quality.

The first concerns the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church, which started when a hippie traveled to Jamaica in search of pot. Eventually, this led to a network of hippies who claimed the herb as a sacrament. They bought a huge house in Miami Beach (to the consternation of their neighbors) and appeared on "60 Minutes" in 1979. This story is amazing - you can't make this up.

The second vignette was the sole disappointment. It concerns a group of pot dealers known as the Black Tuna gang. The former dealers are not contrite (about dealing, planning to "take care of" a judge, and trying to bribe a juror). In fact, they blame all of their problems on a government vendetta. The story is interesting, but I didn't like the Black Tuna people.

The final story sets the film back on course. Deep in Florida's backwaters lies the tiny fishing village of Everglade City. After the local fishing industry collapsed, many of the townspeople became involved in transporting pot; in fact, so many became transporters that - at one time - 80 percent of the men in the town were in the corrections system. Again, there are good stories - particularly about how the good ol' boys spent the money that they made dealing.

While I'm not crazy about the Black Tuna segment, Square Grouper is well worth watching.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Very informative and well done. May 11, 2013
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was disappointed that they didn't include a part on the Joe Pegg Organization, the largest group to ever smuggle pot anywhere. That's why I wrote "Pot Smugglers: 5 East of the Light" to put the story out there about Joe Pegg and his group. PS: 5 EOTL is soon to be a movie so look for it!
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5.0 out of 5 stars Laws are great April 29, 2013
By X
Format:DVD
Helps show that the "war on drugs" is an absolute joke and a failure. Many of these non-violent offenders did decades of prison time for a PLANT THAT GROWS IN THE WILD. The first group of smugglers portrayed, Coptic Church, were letting the children smoke their weed and thus should have been prosecuted for this over anything else but overall, the remainder of the people were just ordinary folks with families that certainly did not deserve the treatment they received by a worthless government agency (DEA).
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Format:Amazon Instant Video|Amazon Verified Purchase
This video was informative. I wasn't blown away by it, and it didn't hold my attention well. I love all the info of marijuana history. It is much more a documentary type than a video or smash hit video. I was glad I rented it vs. buying it.
If you want marijuana history back to about the 60's or 70's this is part of the history of smuggling in the US.
I will next watch their other film Cocaine Cowboys. I wasn't overwhelmed in "awe" but it wasn't the worst.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Good history of things I was never aware of... March 20, 2013
Format:Amazon Instant Video
The documentary takes you through a time in history that many have forgotten, a time when a group used religion as means to attempt legalization of marijuana, a time when other groups took advantage of a black market drug. Very enjoyable to see the 70's and 80's from this director's perspective.
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3.0 out of 5 stars I like Billy Courben March 7, 2013
By tjnf04
Format:Amazon Instant Video
Just did not ever connect with the format of this documentary, Not as well done, for my taste, as Billy's other works that are out there.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable!! February 24, 2013
Format:Amazon Instant Video|Amazon Verified Purchase
Extremely educational flick. Your not going to be on the edge of your seat for this one but rather sit back,relax and enjoy some fine film making.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Square Grouper
I live in South Florida now and had heard of these days. The documentary was extremely interesting and reflects how very different those days of drug smuggling were than the... Read more
Published 9 months ago by MJ Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars I wanna go fishing for a square grouper ....
I like the end the most .. wish they would did the entire movie about that town everglades ... was worth the watch...
Published 12 months ago by D. White
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting documentary of a very different side of "the Life" than...
The three groups featured in Square Grouper were colorful in their own right, but with none of the criminal excess of the Colombian/Cuban cocaine gang Miami crimewave. Read more
Published 13 months ago by T. Britt
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Service !
Got it on time ! great service will be ordering again. Enjoyed the movie seen it three times . Great video...
Published 21 months ago by S. Carter
5.0 out of 5 stars Remember the 70's
I came to Florida in 1975 and knew of the existence of grass and it's usage
but I never imagined it was so prolific. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Carnagie Thornhill
5.0 out of 5 stars Billy Corben Strikes again for South Florida
This is the three pronged tale of Marijuana Smuggling in South Florida. The Movie is a classic Billy Corben (Cocaine Cowboys, The U) documentary. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Greg
3.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING ACCOUNT OF THE "BLACK TUNA GANG"
SQUARE GROUPER: THE GODFATHERS OF GANJA is a sometimes intense and always entertaining documentary that chronicles the beginning of the pot revolution and the gutsy South Florida... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Robin Simmons
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