John F. Kennedy: These films examine his life and death

John F Kennedy
These films deal with his life and death

Even six decades after the murder of For John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), the case has lost none of its morbid fascination. When the 35th President of the United States of America was taken so suddenly from life in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963, the tragedy also gave birth to countless conspiracy theories. Did ex-soldier Lee Harvey Oswald (1939-1963) really act as a lone perpetrator – with his supposedly “magic bullet”? Did the mafia have a hand in it? Or was it even an “inside job” for the CIA?

In contrast to the background, one thing is crystal clear: the Kennedy assassination offers nerve-wracking material for stories of all kinds. Anyone who wants to engage with the topic through the medium of film can do so with these works. Some of them play with the perspective from which the assassination is examined, others with the topic itself: the focus is not on Kennedy’s death – but on his life.

“JFK: Crime Scene Dallas”

The ultimate cinematic reference work on the Kennedy murder: Oliver Stone’s (77) almost three and a half hour long tour de force “JFK: Tatort Dallas” from 1991. The star-studded political drama, including Gary Oldman (65) as Lee Harvey Oswald, focuses on District Attorney Jim Garrison (1921-1992) and his investigations. Garrison, played by Kevin Costner (68), is convinced of a far-reaching conspiracy behind the crime. In addition to allegedly renegade members of the CIA, he sees businessman Clay Shaw (Tommy Lee Jones, 77) as highly suspicious.

“JFK: Tatort Dallas,” which is based, among other things, on the books by the real Garrison, is the result of months of research by Stone. However, his work is not free from criticism. The accusation was made that the director wanted to tell the story of a political conspiracy from the outset and was only specifically looking for supposed evidence for it – but not against it. But the film is definitely worth seeing and shows how tricky and sometimes impossible the search for the truth can be.

“Parkland”

Peter Landesman (58) chose a different approach with his 2013 film “Parkland”. It shows the hectic moments immediately after the crime from different perspectives and shows the impact it had on various lives. “Parkland” tells, among other things, about the employees – including Zac Efron (36) as Dr. Carrico – of the titular Parkland Memorial Hospital. The Kennedy assassination is also examined using the example of accidental eyewitnesses, overwhelmed federal officials and shocked members of the Oswald family.

“Jackie: The First Lady”

“Jackie: The First Lady” also takes a very personal perspective. The film with Natalie Portman (42) in the title role focuses on a very small time window around a week after her husband was murdered. The severely traumatized Jacqueline “Jackie” Kennedy (1929-1994) was interviewed by a journalist about the assassination attempt and its effects on her and her family. Pablo Larrain’s (47) drama, which was not a success at the box office, but was well received by critics, revolves around this interview, published on December 6, 1963. Portman’s performance in particular was celebrated and honored with an Oscar nomination in the “Best Actress” category.

“Thirteen Days”

Kevin Costner appeared in a second film about John F. Kennedy. However, “Thirteen Days” is not about the assassination attempt on JFK, but rather about an impending political catastrophe during his eventful and short term in office. The titular 13 days refer to the period of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, when the entire world held its breath due to a possible nuclear war between the USA and the Soviet Union. In “Thirteen Days” Costner portrays the US President’s close advisor, Kenneth O’Donnell (1924-1977). JFK is played by Bruce Greenwood (67).

“Assassination”

There is also a new film about JFK according to the industry website “Deadline” in the making and therefore has the title “Assassination”, which leaves little room for interpretation. The premise of the film, which will star alongside Al Pacino (83), Viggo Mortensen (65) and John Travolta (69): The president wants to disempower the mafia after they allegedly helped him win the election. In revenge for this betrayal, mobsters led by Sam Giancana (1908-1975) from Chicago plan to murder the most powerful man in the world. Filming on “Assassination” is scheduled to start in September of this year, but a cinema date has not yet been set.

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