JFK, mort en direct

It's 1963. President John F. Kennedy is touring Texas with his wife Jacqueline Kennedy and vice-President Lyndon Johnson. On November 22, the President and the First Lady is in a motorcade with Governor John Connally and his wife. The President is shot by Lee Harvey Oswald while traveling through Dealey Plaza, Dallas. Oswald is eventually caught and himself shot by nightclub owner Jack Ruby two days later.

JFK's assassination has become a history class lesson. It is sometimes hard to imagine it as a real life event. It always goes back to some of the iconic clips like the Zapruder film. In fact, Abraham Zapruder makes an appearance in one of the news footage in this special. Unlike Oliver Stone's JFK, the amalgam of news footage gives this a 24/7 cable news coverage to the story. It brings a reality to the events that modern TV viewers have come to relate to news. It's similar to 9/11, the OJ chase, or the Challenger disaster. This lets the viewers experience the JFK assassination unlike other forms. The announcement of the President's passing can be almost as powerful as if it occurred in real time.

This 50 minute film shows some new footage which together with "JFK" (Oliver Stone's movie), "JFK: Inside the target car", and "JFK: 3 shots that changed America" provide a good resource for anyone who has memories of that day or who has been born since 1963. I can clearly recall the Saturday morning in Australia when the news of the assassination was first broadcast and how we all felt that the end of the world was nigh. It was soon after the Cuban Crisis and I guess we were all still nervous.

Unfortunately with all the leading characters now gone, we may never know the truth. There are restricted documents which will eventually be released, but that will most likely be when anyone alive in 1963 will no longer be around to ask difficult questions. However I recommend you check these movies out to make up your own mind about single assassin or conspiracy.