The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald (1977) (TV)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Directors:

Gordon Davidson
David Greene

Writer:

Robert E. Thompson (writer)

Release Date:

30 September 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The bizarre story behind the man accused of assassinating John F. Kennedy and what might have happened had he been brought to trial. |

Plot Keywords:

Trial | Lee Harvey Oswald | Trail | Courtroom | Kennedy Assassination

Cast

Ben Gazzara	...	Anson 'Kip' Roberts
Lorne Greene	...	Matthew Arnold Watson
Frances Lee McCain	...	Jan Holder
Lawrence Pressman	...	Paul Ewbank
Charles Robinson	...	Melvin Johnson
George Wyner	...	Ed Blandings
Mo Malone	...	Marina Oswald
John Pleshette	...	Lee Harvey Oswald
Annabelle Weenick	...	Oswald's Mother
William Jordan	...	James Kleist
Charles Cyphers	...	Michael Brandon
Marisa Pavan	...	Evita Alesio
Jack Collins	...	Judge Claymore
Ed Abry
Jeff Alexander

Runtime:

210 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Dealey Plaza - 500 Main Street, Dallas, Texas, USA

Company:

Charles Fries Productions

Movie Connections:

Version of The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald (1964)

Nobody said it was a true story.

As I stated in my comment regarding JFK(1991), I'm not willing to dismiss any conspiracy theory regarding the Kennedy assassination, unless it's completely devoid of facts, such as in Oliver Stone's propaganda piece. Somebody criticized it for echoing the Warren Commission report, but I don't think this movie supports the Warren Commission's line at all, in fact it offers the possibility of other groups who might've wanted Kennedy dead, including the Ku Klux Klan, who is rarely considered despite the fact that they were so determined to kill in order to resist an integrated south.



What we all have to remember that this is pure fiction, since Oswald never lived to go to trial, and Robert Thompson never implied that it was the truth, unlike Oliver Stone who firmly believes his left-wing rhetoric, and expects us to do the same. This TV-Movie and the play it was based on offers all kinds of speculation of who else may or may have not worked with Oswald. Even die-hard believers in the Warren Commission have to accept the fact that Oswald SAID he was a patsy. Was he telling the truth, or was he just trying to throw the spotlight off of himself? Just what would've happened if Jack Ruby never killed him on live television, can only be speculated by all sides. At least Thompson tried to give us something to consider.